Experimental Study of Agglomeration Formation during Co-Combustion of Coal and Palm Kernel Shell in Fluidized Bed

Co-combustion of biomass and coal in Indonesia power plants are a key element of the path towards achieving net-zero emissions. However, introducing biomass into a coal-boiler furnace may pose operational challenges. Therefore, this study aims to assess the potential of agglomeration when mixing biomass with a fluidized bed boiler. Complementation simulation tests were conducted by combining coal with various fractions of palm kernel shell (PKS) in a furnace capacity of 5kWth maintained at 850°C within an hour. The initial fuel was 100% coal, gradually increasing the biomass mixture by 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%. The results indicated that de-fluidization occurred at 25% of the biomass mixture and to prevent agglomeration, the temperature of the bed was kept below 850°C. The agglomeration test of coal and PKS mixtures was successfully performed in a 5kW lab-scale facility, and the result will be useful for predicting agglomeration phenomena in power plants.