A REVIEW OF THE EFFICACY OF SILICON-CARBIDE HOT-GAS FILTERS IN GOAL GASIFICATION AND PRESSURIZED FLUIDIZED-BED COMBUSTION ENVIRONMENTS

Reviews of relevant literature and interviews with individuals cogniza nt of the state of the art in ceramic filters for hot-gas cleaning wer e conducted. Thermodynamic calculations of the stability of various ce ramic phases were also made. Based on these calculations, reviews, and interviews, conclusions were reached regarding the use of silicon car bide-based ceramics as hot-gas filter media. Arguments are presented t hat provide the basis for our conclusion that high-purity silicon carb ide is a viable material in the integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and pressurized fluidized-bed combustion (PFBC) environme nts we examined. Clay-bonded materials are, we concluded, suspect for these applications, their extensive use not-withstanding. Operations d ata we reviewed focused primarily on clay-bonded filters, for which a great deal of experience exists. We used the clay-bonded filter experi ence as a point of reference for our review and analysis.