Experimental study on the fragmentation behavior of coal particles during gasification process in drop-tube furnace

Abstract

Studying the fragmentation characteristics of coal particles is important for enhancing furnace gasification efficiency. Based on the processing method of visualization imaging technology, this study investigated the proportion of particle fragmentation, fragmentation mode, surface temperature, and other characteristics of the Fuhua Indonesian Coal (FIC) gasification process at different temperatures and oxygen concentrations in a drop-tube furnace. The results show that the proportion of fragmentation at the center was higher than the proportion of fragmentation at the outer zone under experimental conditions. The most significant difference between the two phenomena was the length of the fragmentation period and the overall structural changes. The proportion of fragmentation at the center positively correlated with an increase in temperature and negatively correlated with an increase in oxygen concentration. Under high-temperature and low-oxygen concentration conditions, FIC tends to be in the high fragmentation mode. The temperature at the time of FIC fragmentation increased with increasing particle size. Compared with the temperature, the change in oxygen concentration had a more remarkable effect on the fragmentation temperature, specifically in the outer zone. Elevating the oxygen concentration and temperature both promoted particle fragmentation. Temperature had a greater effect on fragmentation in the outer zone, while fragmentation at the center was more sensitive to changes in oxygen concentration.