BHEL in talks with for tie-up in CBFC boiler technology

France's Alstom and Switzerland-based Foster Wheeler AG are frontrunners for a possible partnership with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) in the circulating fluidised bed combustion (CFBC) boiler segment. This is a technology where the state-owned equipment firm is not considered as strong as competitors in the domestic market such as Thermax and ThyssenKrupp India. With distinct commercial advantages in the long run and its credentials as a clean carbon platform, CFBC boilers are expected to be increasingly used for power generation as well as for industrial applications in the future, with a projected domestic market potential of around 8,000 MW per annum. BHEL officials indicated that the company was in various stages of talks with both Alstom and Foster Wheeler for a partnership in the large CFBC boiler segment. Unlike in the case of coal that is powdered, pulverised and then burnt in a furnace, the CFBC boilers have the advantage of fuel flexibility. These boilers can also be operated with non-coal fuel options such as lignite, bagasse and straw. The advantage accruing from clean-coal platform will be by way of fuel flexibility to burn a variety of fuels — coal, lignite, coal washery rejects, biomass and waste materials — at a low combustion temperature. more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bhel-in-talks-with-for-tieup-in-cbfc-boiler-technology/1193434/