Influence of Olivine Activity on Plant Performance of a Commercial Dual Fludized Bed Gasifier Power Plant in Thailand

Dual fluidized bed steam gasification system is a successful system that has been researched and commercially developed for more than 20 years. Presently, a 3.8 MWth DFB steam gasifier plant for electricity production has been installed in Nongbua district, Nakhonsawan province in Thailand. This is the only commercial dual fluidized bed system in Thailand at present time. To optimize the operation conditions of the DFB gasifier system, bed materials and their catalytic activity were investigated as it affects the steam gasification reactions and thus the system performance. The unused and used bed materials were preliminary analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results showed better gasifier performance were achieved when calcium was presented on the olivine, which was re-activated in the DFB gasifier after certain period of time.