Fluidized bed combustion (FBC) technology has emerged as a versatile and environmentally resilient solution for large‑scale power generation and industrial heat applications.
By suspending finely ground solid fuel particles in a stream of heated air and inert material (typically sand), the system creates a “fluidized” mixture that ensures uniform temperature distribution and rapid heat transfer. Disadvantages are large size, a high system pressure drop and a need for evenly sized fuel particles. A TORBED combustor also creates a fluidised bed, but without the need for an inert bed, creating high heat transfer by thorough mixing in the bed. A low system pressure drop reduces power consumption. Further advantages come from reduced scale (A TORBED combustor is significantly smaller than a conventional fluidised bed combustor capable of handling the same volume of material) and therefore lower capital cost and the absence of a need for evenly sized fuel particles.
TORBED combustors have been used to generate power from biomass and also for various forms of waste disposal. They offer significant capital and operational cost advantages when compared to conventional fluidized bed combustion technology