LABORATORY OF COMBUSTION AND FUELS

Combustion of solid fuels in power boilers

1. Introduction
1.1. Composition of coal
Basically coal consist of three components:
- combustible organic matter, containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulphur, nitrogen and traces
of other elements;
- moisture;
- mineral matter (ash).
Composition of coal is described by:
- technical analysis, which determines the content of moisture (W), ash (A) and volatile matter, it
also determines the caloric value of coal;
- elemental analysis, which determines the content of C, H, O, N, S and other elements.

Fig. 1. Composition of coal

1.2. Combustion of a coal particle

After getting into a flame, a coal particle is heated and dried, then the evaluation and combustion of
the volatile matter takes place and finally the burning of char (fig. 2.). The length of each stage
depends on the particle size, the conditions of the combustion, and the properties of coal
(composition, structure).

Fig. 2. Stages of single coal particle combustion (with smudge photography of burning coal particle)

Combustion of solid fuels in power boilers

prepared by: P. Kobel; last rev.: 2011-03-06

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LABORATORY OF COMBUSTION AND FUELS

Processes occurring during the combustion of a single coal particle can be divided into two groups:
physical, such as:
- evaporation of water (drying),
- swelling (dilation) of coal particles,
- formation of porous structure of char,
- physical transformation of mineral matter;
chemical, such as:
- pyrolisis of coal,
- combustion of volatile matter,
- combustion of char,
- chemical transformation of mineral matter.
1.3. Basic coal combustion systems
The most common systems for coal combustion are:
- a furnace with a grate (steady or moving);
- a fluidized bed furnace (bubble or circulating bed);
- a pulverized coal furnace.
Others systems are:
- a cyclone combustion chamber;
- a retort furnace;
- a rotary furnace.

Fig. 3. System for coal burning:

a) fixed bed, b) moving grate, c) fluidized bed, d) pulverized coal burner

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LABORATORY OF COMBUSTION AND FUELS

1.4. Pulverized coal burners and furnaces
The following types of pulverized coal burners can be distinguished:
Considering the air flow and mixing with coal (fig. 4.):
a) a jet burner, designed for the combustion of lean hard coal with a low content of volatile
matter (<20%) or lignite and young hard coal with a high content of volatile matter;
b) a swirl burner designed for the combustion of fat hard coal with 17-40% volatile matter;

a)

b)
Fig. 4. Pulverized coal burners

Considering the location of the burners in the furnace (fig. 5.)

a) wall-placed,
b) roof-placed,
c) corner-placed (tangential firing)

Fig. 5. Location of pulverised coal burners in furnace

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LABORATORY OF COMBUSTION AND FUELS

2. Aims of the laboratory
1. To become acquainted with the phenomenon of combustion of solid fuels.
2. To observe a dust burner in operation.
3. To observe a fluidized bed furnace in operation.
4. To measure pollutants emissions from combustion of solid fuel.
3. Diagrams of the experimental setups

A setup for
the observation
of a dust flame
and
measurements
of temperature

measurement
of temperature
with
thermocouple

air
+
dust

burner

measurement
of temp. with
pyrometer

dust
container

to fume
extractor

outlet of fume
samples

air

gas

Task to do:
Compare the temperatures of the flame measured with a thermocouple and a pyrometer and explain
why they are different.
to fume
extractor

flue gas probe

cyclonic
separator

[O] [CO]
[NOx] [SO]

A setup for the

observation
of combustion
in the fluidized
bed furnace

flue gas
analyser

return
of dust from
separator

fluidized bed
furnace,
electrically
heated

fuel
feeder
power supply
for feeder
fuel carrying air

C
A
power supply
for heaters
with temp. control

electric air heater

fluidizing air

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LABORATORY OF COMBUSTION AND FUELS

rozdrobnione
fuel (inpaliwo
formstaeof
(wgiel, biomasa)

dust)

and primary air

dust
Palnik
burner
pyowy

powietrze wtrne

secondary air

electrically heated
drop furnace

A setup with
the drop
furnace for
measurements
of emissions

to fume
extractor

wycig spalin

power supply (with temp. control)

for the heaters of the furnace
8

separator
dust
pyu
separator

analizator
spalin

flue gas
analyser

4. Results processing
4.1. Calculation of the excess air coefficient

where:

21
21 O2

excess air coefficient

21 content of oxygen in air (percents)
O2 content of oxygen in flue gas (percents)

4.2. Calculation of the normalized values of carbon monoxide content and nitrogen oxide content
(reference level of oxygen = 6%)

where

CO 6% = CO

21 6
21 O2

NO 6% = NO

21 6
21 O2

CO6% normalized value of carbon monoxide content (ppm)

NO6% normalized value of nitrogen oxide content (ppm)
CO measured value of carbon monoxide content (ppm)
NO measured value of nitrogen oxide content (ppm)
21 content of oxygen in air (percents)
6 reference content of oxygen in flue gas (percents)
O2 content of oxygen in flue gas (percents)

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LABORATORY OF COMBUSTION AND FUELS

4.3. Preparation of charts showing the normalized content of carbon monoxide (CO6%)
and the normalized content of nitrogen oxide (NO6%) versus the excess air coefficient (
)

1
2
3

vol. flow
of air

No

mass flow
of fuel

5. Table of values to be measured

g/s

/h

composition of flue gas

O2
%

CO
ppm

NO
ppm

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