Fluidised Bed Combustion: Towards Alternative Ways of Energy Recovery in Rural Nigeria

Abstract

Modern energy poverty in rural Nigeria has been an on-going problem for decades. Over half of Nigeria’s population is estimated to be in the urban areas, with less than 40% of the rural community connected to the national grid partly due to high cost of rural electrification exercise. Hence the rural population continuously rely on direct burning of solid biomass (like fuel wood) as means of obtaining much needed energy for basic applications like cooking and heating. This collect and burn process consequently contributes to environmental concerns like climate change, acid deposition, environmental health and, deforestation, which has been identified as one of the leading causes of soil degradation. As the concept of sustainability shapes the fabric of the modern society, it is necessary to explore environmentally friendly methods of extracting biomass energy for rural use. One such means is energy recovery using fluidised bed combustors. This system uses agricultural waste as fuel source to produce heat energy for light load applications. The objective of this document therefore is to discuss the design and construction of a maize cobs fluidized bed combustor. Test results recorded high flue gas and bed temperatures of over 300?C and 850?C respectively, suitable for rural application including grain drying and water boiling.

Keywords: Fluidise, maize, temperature, energy, flue gas