Oxy-Fuel Combustion in Fluidized Bed Systems

Oxy-fuel combustion in fluidized bed systems integrates the benefits of high heat transfer rates and uniform temperature distribution inherent to fluidised beds with a concentrated CO₂ flue gas suitable for carbon capture. By replacing nitrogen in the oxidant stream with recycled CO₂, combustion temperatures are modulated, gas compositions streamlined and CO₂ capture rendered more efficient. Fluidised bed reactors, whether bubbling or circulating, accommodate a wide range of fuels—including coal, biomass, waste-derived fuels and oil shale—under versatile atmospheric conditions. Operating parameters such as oxygen concentration, bed hydrodynamics and solids recirculation profoundly influence ignition characteristics, emission profiles of CO, NOₓ and SO₂, and thermal efficiency. Recent innovations have addressed scale-up challenges, pollutant formation mechanisms and integration with post-combustion capture processes, thereby advancing fluidised bed oxy-fuel technology toward industrial deployment and negative-emissions applications.

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Oxy-Fuel Combustion in Fluidized Bed Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in oxy-fuel combustion in fluidized bed systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Oxy-fuel combustion: Combustion process using oxygen and recycled CO₂ rather than air to produce a CO₂-rich flue gas stream.

Fluidized bed combustor: Reactor in which solid particles are suspended by an upward flow of gas, ensuring efficient mixing and heat transfer.

Circulating fluidized bed: Type of fluidized bed in which entrained solids are separated and reintroduced, allowing higher throughput and uniform reaction conditions.

Calcium looping: CO₂ capture technology using cyclic carbonation and calcination of CaO-based sorbents to separate CO₂ from flue gas.

NOₓ: Collective term for nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂) formed during high-temperature combustion, key contributors to air pollution.

References

1. Scale-up challenges and opportunities for carbon capture by oxy-fuel circulating fluidized beds. Applied Energy (2018).
2. Pollutant Emissions during Oxy-Fuel Combustion of Biomass in a Bench Scale CFB Combustor. Energies (2022).
3. Composition of Flue Gases during Oxy-Combustion of Energy Crops in a Circulating Fluidized Bed. Energies (2022).
4. Oxy-Fuel Combustion of Hard Coal, Wheat Straw, and Solid Recovered Fuel in a 200 kWth Calcium Looping CFB Calciner. Energies (2021).