Pilot Scale Combustor (PSC) Test Facility

In a continuing effort to improve technology and provide value to our clients, Detroit Stoker Company (DSC) and the University of Utah (U of U) have developed a Pilot Scale Combustor (PSC) located at the University's combustion laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The main objectives for this collaboration are to evaluate different fuels and operating conditions, predict stoker performance and emissions, and improve product designs. The PSC simulates a solid fuel fired furnace with a vibrating grate stoker. The system can reproduce temperatures, gas composition, and residence times found in conventional boilers. Studies are performed under controlled conditions simulating operating characteristics of commercial-scaled boilers. The PSC is suitable for studying a variety of solid fuels, including biomass, coal and refuse.

The PSC duplicates all the features of a commercial system including the hear exchanger, grate system, fuel feed, refractory, flue gas, flow control and measurement devices. Combustion residence times can be varied by changing gas flow rates and/or fuel feed heights. Combustion air can be preheated and the flue gas can be monitored.

The system is capable of firing solid, liquid and gaseous fuel blends and can be used to study biomass and coal combustion in a variety of ways. Observable effects such as volatile evolution, char combustion, pollutant formation, staged combustion and ash deposition can be examined.

The PSC test facility consists of a 1 Mbtu/hr (0.3 MWt) multi-fuel combustor incorporating a 1 ft2 (0.09 m2) air-cooled vibrating grate. The furnace length is 40-ft. (12.2m) long with a combustion air system incorporating up to 700°F. (371°C.) preheated air.

The facility is capable of fundamental combustion studies suitable for addressing developmental fuels, which are available in small quantities of 2,000 lb. (1,000 kg) batches.

The model is capable of several parametric conditions including: uniform vs. non-uniform fuel distribution, impact of varying grate stoichiometry, effects of altering temperatures and air ratios of the primary and secondary air.

During the operation of the unit, the following data is continually collected:

• Emissions (CO,O2, NOx, SO2 and total hydrocarbons)
• Products of Incomplete Combustion (PIC's) or nitrogen species
• Heavy metals
• Carbon loss
• Temperatures
• Air flows
• Heat flux

Real-time and high-speed video is also available and allows the recording of test burns.

The results from the PSC in conjunction with the DSC fuel spreader test facility are fully implemented using proprietary Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) computer code developed in conjunction with Reaction Engineering International (REI).

This integrated program allows DSC to fully implement a complete solution to combustion problems and develop modifications for the client.