Particulate hot gas stream cleanup technical issues. Quarterly report, October 1995--December 1995

This is the fifth quarterly report describing the activities performed under Contract No. DE-AC21-94MC31160. Task 1 of this contract concerns analyses of HGCU ashes and descriptions of filter performance that are designed to address the problems with filter operation linked to the characteristics of the collected ash. Task 2 of this contract includes characterization of new and used filter elements. Some of the problems observed at the Tidd and Karhula PFBC facilities include excessive filtering pressure drop, the formation of large, tenacious ash deposits within the filter vessel, and bent or broken candle filter elements. These problems have been attributed to ash characteristics, durability of the ceramic filter elements, and specific limitations of the filter design. In addition to these problems related to the characteristics of PFBC ashes, our laboratory characterizations of gasifier and carbonizer ashes have shown that these ashes also have characteristics that might negatively affect filtration. Problems with the durability of the filter elements are being addressed by the development and evaluation of elements constructed from alternative ceramic materials