The bubbling fluidised bed (BFB) is a fundamental part of the Fonterra Waitoa boiler. The bed design was completed by the Windsor Energy team in Napier under licence of Babcock & Wilcox. We are then lucky enough to get this fabricated by our Windsor Engineering workshop based in Porirua.

When fully installed, these headers will be immersed in a bed of sand. During operation combustion air is passed through the bubble caps at high velocity which allows the sand bed to take on fluid-like properties – hence the term “fluidised bed”. In operation the temperature of this sand bed is very hot, over 760°C. The heavier fuel particles combust in the sand bed, while lighter particles combust just above the bed. This system allows a very complete combustion process when compared to a grate, which means our clients get the absolute best value for money from their fuel.