Fluidized bed particulate collectors

Claim 1

Apparatus that includes a combustor that receives or produces ash and an electrofluidized bed particulate collection system acting in combination, said collection system comprising a bed of particles; means to impel a hot gas, from which said particulate is to be collected as an ash agglomerate upon the bed particles, from said combustor and through the bed to effect fluidization of the particles of the bed; means providing an electric field in the region occupied by the bed to effectively polarize the bed particles; electric field means positioned to electrify the particulate prior to introducing the particulate to the bed region; means continuously depositing an insulating liquid film in situ upon the bed particles, said liquid film serving to effect adherence of the particulate to the bed particles; and means to feed back said bed particles with liquid thereon and including particulate collected upon said bed particles to the combustor for combustion thereof of said particulate, said hot gas including at least in part combustion effluents from said combustion, said combustor having a secondary ash retention η f2 ≳0.50, wherein the secondary ash retention η f2 is the retention for that part of the ash introduced to the combustor from the electrofluidized bed.

Claim 16

A method of collecting particulate, that comprises, forming a bed of particles, directing a gas containing said particulate entrained therein through the bed with a vertical component to fluidize said particles and provide a fluidized bed, and introducing a liquid into the bed region in the form of droplets, the droplets being collected upon the particles of the bed and effecting adherence of particulate collected on bed particles to the collecting particle, the size spectrum of the liquid droplets being matched substantially to the size spectrum of the particulate being collected.

Claim 17

A method of collecting particulate, that comprises, forming a bed of particles, directing a gas containing said particulate entrained therein through the bed with a vertical component to fluidize said particles and provide a fluidized bed, and introducing a liquid into the bed region in the form of droplets, the droplets being collected upon the particles of the bed and effecting adherence of particulate collected on bed particles to the collecting particle, the size spectrum of the liquid droplets being matched substantially to the size spectrum of the particulate being collected.