291
Views
10
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

Power generation by Stirling engine during fluidized bed combustion of wood pellets

ORCID Icon, , ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon
Pages 263-274 | Received 21 Sep 2017, Accepted 13 Mar 2018, Published online: 04 Apr 2018
 

ABSTRACT

A system consisting of a Stirling engine (SE) and a fluidized bed combustor (FBC) for combined heat and power (CHP) generation has been experimentally investigated. The heat generated by combustion of wood pellets is used as source for the SE that converts part of the thermal energy into mechanical and then electric energy. This system, having the heat exchanger of the SE located inside the sand bed of the FBC, presents several advantages: (1) very high bed-to-external surfaces heat exchange coefficients; (2) absence of fouling on the heat exchange surface due to the cleaning action exerted by the fluidized sand particles; and (3) FBCs are able to use a wide variety of biomass fuels.

The FBC used in this investigation can develop a thermal power in the range 15–40 kW feeding wood pellets as fuel and changing fluidization conditions and fuel feeding rate. Bed operation temperature was varied in the range 750–850°C. The SE adopted is a γ-type with the heater in form of tube bundle. The performances of this integrated system have been assessed in terms of gaseous emissions and of SE efficiency varying the bed temperature and the pressure of SE working fluid. A mathematical model able to simulate the integration of the FBC with the SE for CHP generation has been developed to quantify the heat fluxes among the different components of the system.

Acknowledgments

The partial support of MATTM, Italian Ministry for Environment, Territory and Sea, under contract MEGARIS, is gratefully acknowledged. Dr. Ndjondo Aurel Belmond and Dr. Gianmarco Russo are gratefully acknowledged for their assistance during the setup of the prototype and during the experimental campaign.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.