HELIOSOLIDS® fluidized bed reactor

The HELIOSOLIDS® fluidized bed reactor is a fluidized bed furnace for the staged combustion of biosolids, industrial sludge and fine solids. The reactor features integrated heat recovery, a stable fluidization and combustion pro cess, and integrated flue gas cleaning. 

A fluidized bed is a sand bed through which air is blown vertically from bottom to top at such a speed that the individual sand particles start to float.

In order to separate the fluidization air from the particles, the reactor diameter widens just above the bed, so that the air speed decreases in this zone below the fluidization speed and the particles thus drop back in the bed.

The fluidization air is used as combustion air in the incine ration process. The product to be incinerated is introduced in the reactor just above the bed. The fluidization air is injected in the sand bed using a specially designed distri butor plate that guarantees an even distribution of the air in the bed, and avoids that sand flow back in the air duct. The distributor plate is proprietary WATERLEAU technology.

The HELIOSOLIDS® fluidized bed reactor exists in two modes, depending on the calorific value of the waste being incinerated.

For low calorific waste (e.g. sludge) : the fluidization air is preheated by the energy released in the reactor

For products with a high heating value, the fluidization air does not need to be preheated.

The flue gases leaving the reactor are cooled in a boiler or heat exchanger and treated in a flue gas cleaning system.

Although a fluidized bed is an excellent reactor, its application is limited to products which are more or less homogeneous in size, shape, and composition. A grate or rotary kiln is more flexible in this respect.

Advantages

Flexible operation

Perfect combustion

High return on investment – low maintance and operational cost

Low flue gas emissions

Applications

municipal biosolids

meat and bone meal (MBM)

carbon soot

industrial WWTP sludge

shredded animal residues

bleaching earth

paper mill sludge

oily sludge and slurry

spent activated carbon

shredded wood and pellets

paint and paint sludge

acid oils, gums, soap stoc

manure and chicken litter

reactor bottoms

shredded packaging material

...