Experimental and kinetic modeling investigation of NOx control in coal combustion by ammonia reburning

Abstract

The carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals present urgent demands for the green low-carbon transformation of the energy system. As a potential alternative energy, ammonia (NH3) used as reburning fuel in the coal-fired boilers will achieve both low-carbon and low-NOx emissions. To investigate ammonia reburning, experimental and chemical kinetic modeling were conducted in a tube flow reactor at 1023–1573 K under both ammonia and coal combustion conditions. Factors are researched including the combustion atmospheres of NH3/N2/O2 (PM-NH3) and coal/N2/O2 (PM-Coal), different inlet CO concentrations, reburning temperatures and reburning fuel ratios. The results indicate that ammonia reburning can effectively reduce NO emissions by about 95 %. The C-N reaction exhibits a positive effect on NO reduction at low temperature and a negative effect at high temperatures. As the CCO increases from 0 % to 4 % at 1573 K, the optimum temperature window size increases from 225 K to 413 K, and NO reduction rises from 31.25 % to 97.5 %. The whole ammonia reburning process includes NO rapid reduction stage (NRS), NO oxidation stage (NOS), and NO slowly re-reduction stage (NRRS) at high temperature. The chemical kinetic modeling indicates that the C-N reaction obviously shortens the residence time of the NRS and increases the ROP in the NOS, which together undercut NO reduction compared to PM-NH3 case. The promotion of the oxidation path of NH3-NH2-HNO-NO results in the NOS appearance and NRS ending. Moreover, this path affected by C-N reaction is primarily responsible for NO reduction cutoff in the PM-coal case.