Development of an integrated online deposition and corrosion monitoring system in a full-scale solid waste CFB boiler.

Solid waste incineration is a clean and sustainable approach for solid waste management. However, ash deposition and corrosion remain a critical issue due to fuel's inherent enrichment of alkali chlorine. This study develops an integrated online deposition and corrosion monitoring system to enhance the operational safety and efficiency of solid waste incineration boilers. This system combines linear polarization resistance (LPR) for corrosion rate estimation with heat flux measurements for ash deposition analysis. It can offer a novel approach for real-time monitoring of heat exchangers' safety during solid waste combustion. It was deployed in a full-scale circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler that purely combust solid wastes. Key findings demonstrate the system's capability to deliver continuous, real-time data, crucial for the dynamic control of combustion processes and the maintenance of heat transfer surfaces. Its robust diagnostic capabilities were evident across various scenarios. Specially, initial corrosion rates sharply increase with deposition rates due to the enrichment of alkali chlorine on inner deposit layer, in which chlorine serves as a catalyst, facilitating the rapid penetration and aggravation of corrosion by other agents. As deposit further buildup, the corrosion rate steadily decreases along with surface temperature, highlighting a dynamic interaction. Moreover, measured corrosion rates can quickly response to temperature variations. Such multi-process online monitoring system provide more possibilities to investigate the inherent interaction between deposition and corrosion. Therefore, this work offers insights that could significantly influence operational strategies, maintenance protocols, and the overall reliability of waste-to-energy technologies.

Wildfire smoke impacts lake ecosystems.

Wildfire activity is increasing globally. The resulting smoke plumes can travel hundreds to thousands of kilometers, reflecting or scattering sunlight and depositing particles within ecosystems. Several key physical, chemical, and biological processes in lakes are controlled by factors affected by smoke. The spatial and temporal scales of lake exposure to smoke are extensive and under-recognized. We introduce the concept of the lake smoke-day, or the number of days any given lake is exposed to smoke in any given fire season, and quantify the total lake smoke-day exposure in North America from 2019 to 2021. Because smoke can be transported at continental to intercontinental scales, even regions that may not typically experience direct burning of landscapes by wildfire are at risk of smoke exposure. We found that 99.3% of North America was covered by smoke, affecting a total of 1,333,687 lakes ≥10 ha. An incredible 98.9% of lakes experienced at least 10 smoke-days a year, with 89.6% of lakes receiving over 30 lake smoke-days, and lakes in some regions experiencing up to 4 months of cumulative smoke-days. Herein we review the mechanisms through which smoke and ash can affect lakes by altering the amount and spectral composition of incoming solar radiation and depositing carbon, nutrients, or toxic compounds that could alter chemical conditions and impact biota. We develop a conceptual framework that synthesizes known and theoretical impacts of smoke on lakes to guide future research. Finally, we identify emerging research priorities that can help us better understand how lakes will be affected by smoke as wildfire activity increases due to climate change and other anthropogenic activities.

Hydrothermal dewatering of low-grade coal: Product evaluation and primary component analysis of ash deposition.

The hydrothermal dewatering (HTD) process was carried out using 16 coal samples obtained from several regions in Indonesia. This research aims to identify the dominant parameters that influence ash deposition during coal combustion in a boiler or gasifier due to the HTD process. This research was conducted due to the lack of clear and comprehensive information regarding this issue. Therefore, to understand the effect of HTD on ash deposition, an analysis of the chemical composition of ash and the ash melting temperature (AFT) was carried out. To verify the data obtained from the experimental analysis, statistical methods such as paired sample t-test and primary component analysis were applied to obtain the dominant parameters influencing ash deposition due to HTD. Eight parameters, namely SiO2, Fe2O3, slagging viscosity index (SR), Babcock index (Rs), initial deformation temperature, softening temperature, hemispherical temperature, and fluid temperature under oxidative conditions, have the greatest influence on ash deposition due to the HTD process. Based on the average values of SR and Rs, raw coal and processed coal samples have the same ash deposition trend. On the other hand, based on AFT under oxidation conditions, processed coal has a higher AFT, indicating that the tendency for ash deposition is lower than raw coal. Therefore, the HTD process can be used to improve the quality of low-grade coal. As an implication, low-grade coal, which has not been widely utilized in Indonesia, due to several constraints regarding its characteristics, through the HTD process can be optimized where coal utilization is a bridge towards the use of green energy which is being intensively pursued.

Understanding the effect of calcium containing compounds on ash deposition during boiler operation: experiment study and dynamics calculation.

During the operation of the boiler, the ash deposition phenomenon in the furnace will cause abnormal operation of the boiler system. This will lead to an increase the pollutant emission. To relieve the pollutant emission during the abnormal operation of the boiler, the mechanism of ash deposition was investigated from the perspective of reducing the phenomenon for ash deposition in this paper. Calcium-containing compounds play an important role in ash deposition burning coal. Therefore, the influence of calcium-containing compounds on ash deposition was investigated with Zhundong coal in a horizontal tube furnace in this paper. Furthermore, the binding and diffusion properties of calcium-containing compounds on the oxide film's surface were characterized under different temperatures by molecular dynamics simulations. The growth process of surface crystals was also researched by kinetic Monte Carlo method. The results indicated the precipitation rate of calcium gradually increases with the increase of combustion temperature. CaO, CaSO4, and CaSiO3 can play an important role in ash deposition burning Zhundong coal. CaSO4 is more easily to react with α-Fe2O3 (110) than CaO or CaSiO3. The diffusion coefficient of CaSO4, CaO, or CaSiO3 increases gradually with the increase of temperature. Furthermore, the system composed of CaSO4 and oxide film is more affected by temperature than that of CaO or CaSiO3 and oxide film. Moreover, under the whole temperature, the content of CaSO4 on the surface of the oxide film is the most. Finally, three calcium-containing minerals can promote each other during the deposition process and accelerate the formation of ash deposits.

Impact of Chaitén Volcano ashfall on native and exotic fish recovery, recolonization, and abundance.

The effects of volcanic disturbance on aquatic communities and their recovery are poorly studied. To fill this gap, we explored the effects on fish communities in rivers in Argentina of the 2008 eruption of Chaitén Volcano in southern Chile (42.8° lat. S). The eruption produced volcanic plumes of ash that persisted in the atmosphere for several months. Borne on westerly winds, deposits of tephra crossed the Andes Mountains, reaching the Atlantic coast (Argentina). We compared the pre- and post-eruption abundances of a native catfish Hatcheria macraei, and two introduced trout from rivers covered by the volcanic plumes (Argentina) using Before-After-Control-Impact analysis to explore fish recovery. Total suspended solids from volcanic ashfall, macroinvertebrate abundance and richness, and species ecological attributes influenced the spatial arrangement of fish in rivers. Twenty-one months after the eruption, Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, had not returned to pre-eruption abundances in the sampled rivers, and only four rivers had regained pre-eruption species composition, suggesting that disturbance is still ongoing. The abundance of introduced fishes was strongly, negatively correlated with TSS, suggesting that ashfall affected these fish probably by clogging and abrasion of the gills. Fish recolonized previously occupied habitats 4 days to 9 months after the disturbance. Hatcheria macraei was the slowest to recolonize, whereas O. mykiss were the pioneer fish in 4 rivers following the eruption and recolonized all 5 rivers where they were present prior to the eruption. In one river, the catfish and the Brown Trout, Salmo trutta, were still absent 21 months post-eruption, potentially owing to the lack of riparian cover that would have deflected the entry of ash. Rainbow Trout suffered significant declines in abundance, whereas Brown Trout and catfish generally did not, owing to their ecological attributes. Total fish abundance was negatively correlated with ash thickness, but positively related to prey availability.

Effect of thermal expansion additives on alleviating the ash deposition of high-sodium coal.

The high content of sodium in coal ash can induce severe ash deposit problems on heated surface. Vermiculite has been investigated to solve this problem in drop-tube furnace recently. In this work, the effects of vermiculite and perlite on appearances, inorganic mineral transformation, elemental composition change and Na capture efficiency of ash deposit were investigated. The results show that the molten deposit obtained by drop-tube furnace at 1373 K was transformed into weakly-condensed deposit and strongly-sticky deposit respectively when vermiculite and perlite were added separately. Vermiculite has a better effect on improving the ash deposition than perlite. The mechanism of alleviating the ash deposition by vermiculite and perlite is proposed as follows: (1) The interaction between ash particles is inhibited due to the combination reactions of thermal expansion additive particles with coal ash particles. (2) The coal ash particles attach to the surface and the gap of thermal expansion additive particles, forming a porous structure. (3) With vermiculite added, Mg2SiO4 (forsterite) increases the fusion point of ash deposit. NaCa2Mg4Al(Si6Al2)O22(OH)2 (pargasite) and Mg1.8Fe0.2SiO4 (forsterite ferroan) result in the weak viscosity of ash deposit. (4) With perlite added, silicate and sodium aluminosilicate in perlite react with coal ash to produce a large amount of amorphous substance, which can flow downwards to make the bottom deposit molten and lead to the strong viscosity of total deposit. (5) Vermiculite has a strong capacity for Na capture at 1023 K, and perlite has a strong capacity for Na capture at 1373 K.

Experimental investigation of ash deposits on convection heating surfaces of a circulating fluidized bed municipal solid waste incinerator.

Incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a waste treatment method which can be sustainable in terms of waste volume reduction, as well as a source of renewable energy. During MSW combustion, increased formation of deposits on convection heating exchanger surfaces can pose severe operational problems, such as fouling, slagging and corrosion. These problems can cause lower heat transfer efficiency from the hot flue gas to the working fluid inside the tubes. A study was performed where experiments were carried out to examine the ash deposition characteristics in a full-scale MSW circulating fluidized bed (CFB) incinerator, using a newly designed deposit probe that was fitted with six thermocouples and four removable half rings. The influence of probe exposure time and probe surface temperature (500, 560, and 700°C) on ash deposit formation rate was investigated. The results indicate that the deposition mass and collection efficiency achieve a minimum at the probe surface temperature of 560°C. Ash particles are deposited on both the windward and leeward sides of the probe by impacting and thermophoretic/condensation behavior. The major inorganic elements present in the ash deposits are Ca, Al and Si. Compared to ash deposits formed on the leeward side of the probe, windward-side ash deposits contain relatively higher Ca and S concentrations, but lower levels of Al and Si. Among all cases at different surface temperatures, the differences in elemental composition of the ash deposits from the leeward side are insignificant. However, as the surface temperature increases, the concentrations of Al, Si, K and Na in the windward-side ash deposits increase, but the Ca concentration is reduced. Finally, governing mechanisms are proposed on the basis of the experimental data, such as deposit morphology, elemental composition and thermodynamic calculations.