Fluidized Bed Apparatus and its Components

Abstract

A fluidized bed heat exchanger with a chamber ( 24 ) comprises a solid particles inlet port ( 22 ), a solid particles outlet port ( 30 ), arranged at a distance to the inlet port ( 22 ), means ( 46 ) for introducing a fluidizing gas from a bottom area into the chamber ( 24 ). The heat exchanger has furthermore several heat exchange tubes ( 28 ) being arranged at a distance to each other. The heat exchange tubes ( 28 ) are each arranged in a meandering fashion and a wall-like pattern and extend substantially parallel to the main flow direction of the solid particles on their way to and through the outlet port ( 30 ).

1 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger with a chamber ( 24 ), comprising
 1.1 at least one solid particles inlet port ( 22 )   1.2 at least one solid particles outlet port ( 30 ), arranged at a distance to the at least one inlet port ( 22 ),   1.3 means ( 46 ) for introducing a fluidizing gas from a bottom area ( 24   b ) of said chamber into said chamber ( 24 ),   1.4 at least one heat transfer means ( 28 ) arranged within said chamber ( 24 ), wherein   1.5 the heat transfer means ( 28 ) is designed in a wall-like pattern and extending substantially parallel to the main flow direction of the solid particles on their way to and through the outlet port ( 30 ).   
     
     
         2 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein the wall like pattern comprises a grid-like structure. 
     
     
         3 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer means ( 28 ) is designed as a heat exchange tube for conveying a heat transfer medium and arranged in a meandering fashion, thereby providing a vertically oriented wall-like pattern. 
     
     
         4 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger according to  claim 1  with multiple heat transfer means ( 28 ) which are arranged at a distance to each other. 
     
     
         5 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger according to  claim 1  wherein the heat transfer means ( 28 ) extend about more than 60% of the chamber height. 
     
     
         6 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger according to  claim 1  wherein the heat transfer means ( 28 ) extend about more than 80% of the chamber height. 
     
     
         7 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger according to  claim 1  wherein the heat transfer means ( 28 ) extend from shortly above the bottom ( 24   b ) upwardly to shortly below the ceiling ( 24   c ) of said chamber ( 24 ). 
     
     
         8 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger according to  claim 3 , wherein horizontally extending sections of the meandering heat exchange tube are at least 10 times longer than vertically extending sections of the heat exchange tube. 
     
     
         9 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger according to  claim 3 , wherein adjacent sections of the same heat exchange tube extend at a distance to each other being 0.5 to 2 of the heat exchange tube diameter. 
     
     
         10 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger according to  claim 1  with chamber walls ( 14   w ) being at least partially water-cooled. 
     
     
         11 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger according to  claim 1  without any structural means urging the solid particles to meander within the chamber. 
     
     
         12 . Fluidized bed heat exchanger according to  claim 1  without any entrance chamber (EC) and/or return chamber (RC) being provided in the chamber ( ). 
     
     
         13 . Fluidized bed apparatus comprising a circulating fluidized bed reactor ( 10 ) with at least one outlet port ( 16 ) at its upper part, wherein said outlet port ( 16 ) allows a mixture of gas and solid particles exhausted from the fluidized bed reactor ( 10 ) to flow into at least one associated separator ( 18 ) for separating solid particles from said gas, means ( 20 ) to transfer said separated solid particles into at least one fluidized bed heat exchanger ( 24 ) according to  claim 1  as well as return means to transport at least part of said solid particles back into the circulating fluidized bed reactor ( 10 ), wherein said return means extend at least partially in a common wall ( 14   w ) of said fluidized bed reactor ( 10 ) and said fluidized bed heat exchanger ( 24 ). 
     
     
         14 . Fluidized bed apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the common wall ( 14   w ) is water-cooled.