Mathematical modeling of a Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) lignite combustor

加拿大未来的发电将包括化石燃料(煤炭、石油、天然气)、可再生能源(生物质、风能、水电)和核能的混合物。近年来，大多数新的发电能力都是天然气，生物质和风能也取得了一些进展。然而，北美的天然气成本一直在稳步上升，这意味着公众的电费增加了。此外，生物质和风能等可再生燃料在碳排放方面更环保，但不能指望它们完全取代我们对化石燃料的依赖。由于对这些设施对当地分水岭影响的认识提高，新的水电站将受到阻碍，而核电站的规模将把它们的安装限制在该国人口密度高或有可进入的能源出口市场的地区。核设施还需要处理固体核废料的长期储存问题。以上对发电替代品的讨论导致人们认识到，煤炭将继续在加拿大的能源未来发挥重要作用。加拿大已探明储量超过80亿吨，煤炭是一种巨大的、安全的国内能源，将对该国具有战略经济重要性。然而，环境挑战是继续或增加煤炭使用面临的主要问题。循环流化床燃烧器(CFBC)是一种在世界各地广泛使用的技术，可将低煤级煤以无害环境的方式转化为电能。为了进一步优化CFBC的效率和环境性能，需要对这些系统有更好的基本了解。拟议的研究将通过开发一个全面的CFBC数学模型来促进这一理解。这项研究将与萨斯喀彻温省的萨斯喀彻温省合作进行，重点是褐煤燃料的燃烧--这是萨斯喀彻温省的主要煤炭类型。

Future power generation in Canada will consist of a mixture of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), renewables (biomass, wind power, hydro) and nuclear. In recent years, most new generation capacity has been natural gas, with biomass and wind making some in-roads. However, the cost of natural gas in North America has increased steadily, translating into increased power rates for the public. Furthermore, renewable fuels such as biomass and wind are more environmentally friendly with respect to carbon emissions, but they can not be expected to completely replace our dependance on fossil fuels. New hydroelectric stations will be hindered by increased awareness of the impact of these facilities on the local watershed while the scale of nuclear plants will limit their installation to those areas of the country with high population densities or with an accessible energy export market. Nuclear facilities will also need to deal with the long-term storage of the solid nuclear waste. The above discussion of the alternatives for power generation leads to the realization that coal will continue to play an important role in Canada's energy future. With more than 8 billion tonnes of proven reserves in Canada, coal represents a vast, secure domestic energy source that will be of strategic economic importance to the country. However, environmental challenges are the main issue facing continued or increased coal use. Circulating fluidized bed combustors (CFBCs) represent a proven technology in use throughout the world for the conversion of low-rank coals to electrical energy in an environmentally sound manner. In order to further optimize the efficiency and environmental performance of CFBCs, an improved fundamental understanding of these systems is needed. The proposed research will contribute to this understanding through the development of a comprehensive CFBC mathematical model. The research will be carried out in collaboration with SaskPower with the emphasis placed on the combustion of lignite fuel - the main type of coal in Saskatchewan.