Fluidized-Bed Reactors - Status and Some Development Perspectives

This review of industrial applications of fluidized-bed reactors is focused on the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process and the fluidized-bed combustion. Both processes have a tremendous economic importance. In the FCC process, the main challenges are the increase of runtime, the adaption of the product spectrum to regional requirements of the market, and the adaption to heavier feedstocks. In fluidized-bed combustion the main trends are towards larger units sizes, higher efficiency, and further reduced emissions while keeping the boiler as flexible as possible with regard to the mixture of fuels.