Short-term measurement of high-temperature chlorine-induced corrosion and agglomeration during biomass and waste combustion

The combustion of biomass is one of the most important ways of harnessing renewable energies. However, the operational availability and efficiency of biomass and waste-fired facilities are relatively low due to problems such as high-temperature chlorine-induced corrosion and agglomeration on the fire-side. These issues have been investigated in laboratories, small-scale research facilities and power plants by methods that are generally expensive and time-consuming. This work aims to evaluate the feasibility of short-term tests (< 1 day) for quantifying corrosion and agglomeration. Short-term tests (8 to 30 h) were carried out in a small-scale facility and in a power plant using three different corrosion monitoring techniques: two offline (metallography and iron loss measurement) and one online (linear polarisation resistance – LPR). The duration of the tests did not suffice to quantify corrosion by means of offline techniques. However, a significant correlation between fuel composition and corrosion signal could be established online by means of LPR measurements. The results of this research show that slightly longer tests (~ 50 h) and minor changes to the LPR sensor provide a promising basis for the short-term measurement of this kind of corrosion.