1. Sources

The present Combustion File is part of the cluster of CFs produced within the literature survey phase of the industrial sponsored research and development project PowerFlam1 and is confidential to the participants registered for that project.

This CF is specifically concerned with the research project:

Scheurer, W., Richers, U., Seifert, H., Spliethoff, H., and  Hein, K.R.G. (2000); Status and Perspectives of Co-combustion of Waste Materials in Coal-fired Power Plants in Germany, which is published within IT3 Conference on Incineration and Thermal Treatment Technologies, 8-12, May, Portland, Oregon, US.

2. Background

·         This combustion file is concerned with the provision of combustion related data to the sponsors.

·         In this html file the source of the data is summarised in section 4 below, in order to give the reader a general overview of the way the data was collected.

·         Fuel and related data, prepared for calculation, are presented in individual Microsoft Excel Worksheets, all contained within a Workbook.

·         Please note that in some cases, the worksheet tabs within a workbook are not all visible without scrolling horizontally.

·         This workbook can be down-loaded by the reader and saved to her/his hard disk.

·         To achieve this click on the “xls” icon on the left hand side of the banner above. The file will be retrieved from the server, and with up-to-date versions of the browser, will appear in a separate window, from which it may be saved to the user’s hard disk.

·         The data in these worksheets are protected – thus the reader cannot change the worksheet without knowledge of the protection password.

·         However the reader can copy and paste the data into his/her own project work book as required – at this point the accuracy and integrity of the data becomes the responsibility of the reader. Included in this workbook are copies of the abstract and synopsis for reference purposes.

·         All credits and sources, and where necessary, instructions/advice for data use, are presented in this html file. These are not necessarily reproduced in the Excel Work Sheets.

3. Abstract

Throughout Europe and especially in Germany, the disposal of waste material is becoming increasingly problematic. The combination of a limited landfill capacity, the danger of uncontrollable long-time reactions in landfill masses and additional restrictions on dumping of organic materials, will require the development of alternative means of disposal than those used at present. The German situation of an altering disposal market due to the Environment Policy of the Closed Substance Cycle and Waste Management Act (Kreislaufwirtschafts- und Abfallgesetz), the Technical Instructions on Waste from Human Settlements (TA Siedlungsabfall) and other legal specifications, are cause for re-evaluation of future forms of refuse disposal. According to today’s knowledge, requirements for TA-Siedlungsabfall will lead to an intensified use of thermal handling procedures. Co-combustion of waste materials in available coal-fired power stations represents one of the manifold possibilities, which is already applied on large scale for sewage sludge.

In additional to the disposal issue, the reduction of the CO₂ emissions are discussed in society in view of the greenhouse effect and a sustainable use of resources. Co-combustion of renewable fuels such as straw or wood in power stations could contribute to these goals.

For the evaluation of the status of co-combustion in Germany, available power station capacity and quantities of selected supplementary fuels available are pointed out. The possible effects of co-combustion on the equipment and operation of the power stations are discussed. Furthermore, the available experience in German power stations is summarised. Finally, possible potentials for co-combustion as well as present obstacles are presented.

4. Synopsis