Combustion of single coal particles in a jet

Abstract

Fluidized bed combustion has attracted much interest in recent years, but there is very little data on the behavior of coal particles at these new conditions. Coal of much larger diameter (1–10 mm), much lower furnace temperatures (~850 °C), and different fluid mechanical conditions exist compared to pulverized coal furnaces. This paper presents experimental data on the behavior and combustion rates of individual coal particles aerodynamically suspended in a heated jet, to stimulate flow conditions in a fluidized bed. Tests of bituminous, sub-bituminous and lignite coals from 2 to 12 mm at jet temperatures of 705 and 816 °C in air and air diluted with equal parts of nitrogen were conducted. The ignition delay time varied from 2 to 44 sec. The devolatilization time extended up to 80 sec and was dependent mainly on particle size. The total burn time was independent of coal type and temperature, and varied as the square of the size and inversally with the oxygen concentration. The total turn time varied from 25 to 740 sec independently of coal type. The square law for the char burning rate was investigated.