Impact of wheat straw and petroleum coke blending on combustion behavior of high ash coal

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study reports the combustion behavior of coal, petroleum coke (PEC), wheat straw (WS), and their ternary blends to assess the impact of PEC and WS blending on coal combustion characteristics. Ignition temperature (TS), peak temperature (Tmax), burnout temperature (TB), performance indices, and combustion efficiency (η) were investigated to identify the influence of WS and PEC blending on coal combustion. Results infer that PEC has poor combustion characteristics and a higher gross calorific value of 8602 kcal/kg than coal and WS. For 10% PEC in blends, with the rise of WS from 10 to 30%, TS declined from 373 to 256°C, TB decreased from 510 to 509°C, signifying improvement in blend combustibility. At 400°C, η rose from 15.52 to 39.30% as WS increased in blends from 10 to 30%. For 15% PEC in the blend, activation energy reduced from 106.12 to 83.27 kJ/mol as WS increased from 10 to 25%. The synergistic effect is significant for higher biomass content in blends. Thermodynamics analysis inferred that PEC and coal combustion is turmoil than WS.