Nitric oxide emissions and temperature evolution during the char grate‐fired process

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Understanding the char grate‐fired process is key to developing a low‐nitric oxide (NO) technology for industrial boilers. In this work, char combustion and NO emissions during a grate‐fired process were studied in a small‐scale one‐dimensional fixed‐bed system by adjusting the char/oxygen (O2) ratio. Evolution of the surface temperature of the char bed was measured using an infrared temperature measurement system. As the char/O2 ratio increased, a reaction layering of the char bed occurred. The char bed can be divided into oxygen‐absent and ‐present parts in time, and into reduction and oxidation layers in space. This kind of division was determined by the complete oxidation layer that could deplete all O2. The reduction layer could reduce NO emissions well. With the increase of the char/O2 ratio, the char mass proportion of the oxygen‐absent part increased, while that of the oxygen‐present decreased; and the NO emissions and conversion rate of char nitrogen decreased. When combustion began, char started to burn and released a large amount of heat, and the surface temperatures of both the oxidation and reduction layers increased, with a larger rise of the former of about 260 °C. As the reaction proceeded, the surface temperature of the oxidation layer gradually decreased, while that of the reduction layer increased until the char bed was burnt through.