Report: New reliable method for the measurement of chlorine in refuse-derived fuels through combustion experiments in a pilot plant.

The calorific values and the chlorine contents of refuse-derived fuels were measured in the pilot combustion plant (PCP) by means of combustion experiments followed by mass and energy balancing. This plant reaches an increased precision by measuring the integrated values throughout the whole experimental period of three hours, based on a fuel capacity of 10 kg per test, allowing a more reliable measurement of pollutants than for experimental analysis of only a few grams of the sample. The combustion experiments are shown for the verification of the quality of the chlorine balancing in the PCP. The test evaluation was carried out by balancing the inputs and outputs of chlorine in the mass streams, and the recovery rates for chlorine were determined. An emission pattern for the chlorine is described by the transfer coefficients and via the temporal fluctuation of the hydrogen chloride concentration in the flue gas. The results of the combustion experiments prove that the balancing via combustion experiments in the PCP provides reliable data on the chlorine concentrations in the fuels, and is a new and reliable method for measuring polluting chlorine in refuse-derived fuels.