Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion (AFBC) Plants: A Performance Benchmarking Study

The authors analyzed data from a fluidized bed boiler survey distributed during the spring of 2000 to begin the process of developing AFBC (Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion) performance benchmarks. The survey was sent to members of CIBO (Council of Industrial Boiler Owners), who sponsored the snrvey, as well as to other firms who had an operating AFBC boiler on-site. The useable response rate to the survey was approximately thirty-two percent, resulting in thirtyfive useable surveys to analyze. (It should be noted that there are approximately 110 operating AFBC units in the United States to whom the survey was directed.) The survey respondents principally used AFBC technology in steam and power plants ranging in size from a few MW (megawatts) to several hundred MW in size.