A DNS study on temporally evolving jet flames of pulverized coal/biomass co-firing with different blending ratios

Abstract

Biomass co-firing within the existing pulverized coal boiler is thought as a practical near-term way of biomass utilization, while its detailed combustion characteristics and pollutant formation have not yet been fully understood. In the present study, we report a Carrier-phase Direct Numerical Simulation study coupled with detailed mechanism to provide a deep insight into the coal/biomass co-firing (CBCF) jet flames under different blending ratios. It is found that compared with the pure coal flame, the CBCF could (i) prompt the volatiles ignition, produce higher H2O and similar CO2 mass fractions at blending ratios of 20% and 40%, and obviously reduce the gas temperature and CO2 mass fraction at the blending ratio of 50%; (ii) prompt the coal devolatilization and char burnout at blending ratios of 20% and 40%, while the char burnout is reduced when blending ratio is 50% due to the local enrichment of large particles and lack of oxygen; (iii) reduce the thermal, prompt, NNH and N2O-intermediate routes of NO formation, but show limited effect on the NO-reburning route of NO destruction, therefore, resulting in an obvious NO reduction.