Agglomeration detection by pressure fluctuation analysis during Cynara cardunculus L. gasification in a fluidized bed

Abstract

The bed material and the fuel particles are the main actors in the agglomeration process in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor during a gasification conversion. The physical and chemical reactions between them determine whether the bed operates under a proper fluidization condition or the quality of the fluidization is deteriorated due to agglomerates appearance inside the bed. This work analyzes the pressure signals of a fluidized bed during Cynara cardunculus L. gasification in a reactor with an inner diameter of 52.8 mm. Jetsam and flotsam behavior of fuel particles is analyzed using sepiolite and silica sand as bed materials, respectively. The wide band energy and the attractor comparison tool are used to detect agglomeration, and, as a consequence, the defluidization of the bed. Similar defluidization times are obtained employing both methods. The wide band energy analysis shows that, for jetsam fuel particles, the endogenous bubbles produced by the fuel devolatilization inside the bed change the energy distribution, while for flotsam fuel particles, the cap-clinker agglomerate formed is detected by high frequencies in the power spectrum.