Tertiary Air Research Articles

Nitrogen migration and gasification characteristics of pulverized coal using the novel gasification-combustion technology

This study proposes a feasible gasification-combustion technology for coal-fired boilers operating at low loads for the purpose of providing strong support for stable output of the power grid system that accommodates more renewable energy power. In this technology, a multi-nozzle impinging entrained-flow gasifier is used for the first time to preheat pulverized coal (PC), and the gasified fuel enters a down-fired combustor (DFC) for complete combustion with air-staged method. A 75 kW novel self-sustained gasification-combustion test rig was constructed. The stability and feasibility of the test rig were verified, and the gasification characteristics and nitrogen migration mechanism of PC under loads of 45 kW, 55 kW, 65 kW and 75 kW were investigated. The results demonstrated that the gasifier could continuously and steadily provide high-temperature gasified gas-char mixture to the combustor. The gas-char mixture, consisting of coal gas which was rich in high-concentration flammable gases (CO, H2, and CH4) and char with enlarged specific surface area, was easy to ignite, which could enhance the flame stability of boilers operating at low loads. Additionally, more than 61.6 % of coal-N was released in the gasifier. The liberated coal-N primarily transformed to N2 and NH3 instead of NOx, while the amount of NH3 produced was influenced by the gasification temperature. The gasified gas-char mixture entering the combustor achieved stable combustion with uniform temperature distribution. Before the injection of tertiary air, the released char-N and the NH3 in coal gas transformed primarily to N2, and there was no production of NO due to the strong reducing environment. The lowest NOx emission was 122.31 mg/Nm3 (@6% O2) at 65 kW, and the combustion efficiencies under all loads exceeded 99.62%, indicating that the gasification-combustion technology could enable efficient combustion and reduce NOx emission. Hopefully, the proposed technology could provide an innovative solution for the stable combustion of PC boilers at low loads and provide a feasible way to achieve clean combustion.

Modeling and 3-D simulation of petroleum coke calcination process: investigation of the effect of main operating variables

Abstract Coke calcination is a process that involves heating green petroleum coke to purify it and eliminate volatile materials for subsequent processing. Due to the complexity of the rotary kiln used in this process, conducting experimental studies can be challenging and restricted. However, quantitative analyses based on developed models can provide a foundation for optimizing and controlling the process, which can significantly enhance the design efficiency. A three-dimensional simulation model of a rotary calcining kiln for petroleum coke was created using COMSOL Multiphysics in a steady-state mode. This model accounted for all relevant physical and chemical phenomena in the gas stream and coke bed flow, including heat transfer, combustion, and the evolution of volatile matter and coke dust. The mathematical modeling yielded distributions of temperature and mass fractions within the kiln, as well as the velocity field. The results revealed two distinct peak temperatures in the gas phase: 1,780 K near the primary air injection point and 1,605 K near the tertiary air injection points. The findings were analyzed, and the impact of key variables was explored. The simulation data indicated that for every decrease of 10–15 m/s in air flow, the gas peak temperature dropped by approximately 100°. Additionally, an increase in the input oxygen concentration led to enhanced combustion, resulting in higher peak concentrations of CO2. The developed simulation model has proven to be a valuable and promising tool for the design and optimization of petroleum coke rotary kilns.

Studies on NOx formation and reduction characteristics in high-ash, low-volatile coal combustion by mechanism experiments and industrial-scale trials

Mechanism experiments were performed to investigate NOx formation and reduction during the combustion of high-ash, low-volatile coal. Additionally, industrial-scale trials were conducted to study the effects of air-staging degree on the combustion and NOx emission characteristics of high-ash coal on a 350 MW supercritical down-fired boiler. The results showed that the total BET specific surface area, total pore volume and porosity values of high-ash coal (HAC) and ultra-high-ash coal (UHAC) were all larger than those of normal-ash coal (NAC), whereas NAC contained more N-5 and N-6 than HAC and UHAC. The carbon layer structure of HAC char was less ordered and the content of hydroxyl group was relatively high. The overall NO reduction ratio obtained using the HAC char was higher than the value for the UHAC char. However, in the high temperature range of 1300–1400 °C, NO reduction associated with UHAC char was accelerated because of catalysis by ash. On increasing the excess oxygen ratio λ from 1.0 to 1.2, the char-N conversion shown by the UHAC char slowly increased and remained the lowest among the three chars. When burning UHAC, as the ratio of secondary to tertiary air fluxes, Rst, was decreased from 1.56 to 0.57, heating of the fuel-rich coal/air flow slowed and pulverized coal combustion was inhibited. The situation associated with HAC was different. At the Rst of 1.11, the ignition distance of fuel-rich flow was the shortest at 1.50 m, and the overall temperature in the furnace was the highest. However the NOx emissions at the furnace exit were as high as 715 mg/m3 (6 % O2) in this condition. Decreasing Rst to 0.57 reduced this value to 634 mg/m3 (6 % O2) with carbon levels in the fly ash and slag of 5.17 % and 3.67 %, respectively. Air-staging combustion is evidently a reasonable approach to controlling NOx emissions when burning HAC. While for UHAC, it was necessary to appropriately reduce the air-staging degree to enhance combustion and maintain low NOx emissions.

Multiphase flow simulation and industrial application of an in-line gasifier for NOx emissions control from cement kiln

Following the power and steel industries, nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the cement industry have become an important part of the next stage of air pollutant control. Consequently, the multiphase flow simulation of an in-line coal gasification denitration system was carried out using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach. Among them, the solid phase is simulated by the Multiphase Particle-In-Cell (MP-PIC) method, and the gas phase turbulence is accurately captured by the large eddy simulation (LES) method. The flow field characteristics distribution and the reaction kinetic of NO under different parameters (coal, raw meal, tertiary air) in the gasifier were investigated, and the operating condition values for guiding industrial applications are obtained. The simulation results show that the gasifier can completely remove NOx from the rotary kiln at 2.8 kg/s for coal, 30 kg/s for raw meal and 2.5 kg/s for tertiary air. The application results show that under 1.6 kg/t.cl of ammonia water combined with SNCR, NOx emission and ammonia slip can be controlled below 50 mg/Nm3 and 5 mg/Nm3, respectively. Compared to similar denitrification technologies, this technology shows the potential to achieve ultra-low NOx emission levels in the cement industry.

CFD modeling of a modern wood stove - Soot formation

Wood stoves are important domestic heating appliances using renewable bioenergy. However, the emission of Particulate Matter (PM) is the major concern for the application of wood stoves. Thus, improvements in the design of wood stoves are required for the reduction of PM emissions (mainly soot) to fulfill the increasingly stringent pollutant emission limits. To achieve low PM emission of the wood stove, a 3D steady-state CFD model is used to simulate the wood stove with a focus on soot formation in this study. The model is evaluated with the experimental data, the results of which show that the CFD model provides a reasonable prediction of wood stove experiments, indicating that the CFD model can be used as an efficient tool to optimize the design of the wood stove. The model is further used to study the effects of injection direction and mass flow rate of the tertiary air on the soot particle emission. It is found that the horizontal- and down-direction injectors can effectively reduce soot formation and an optimized tertiary air mass flow rate exists in the modern wood stove system. These conclusions are very useful in designing and developing the intelligent control system of the modern wood stove.

Effect of air distribution mode on jet flame and emission characteristics of high temperature gas-solid mixed fuel

The characteristics of the flame can not only intuitively reflect the flow, mixing and reaction processes of fuel and oxidant, but also provide detailed information on combustion efficiency and stability. The present study aims to delve into the jet flame characteristics and emission properties of high-temperature gas-solid mixed fuel. A comprehensive series of experiments were conducted on a custom-designed test platform. During the experiments, variations in both the position (h3 = 200, 600, 1000 mm) and velocity (v3 = 67, 138, 223 m/s) of the tertiary air were introduced. The study focused on analyzing the flame lift-off distance, the correlation coefficient of the flame root, the normalized root mean square temperature distribution within the flame body area, and the NOx emission characteristics across various air distribution scenarios. The experimental findings reveal that alterations in the position of tertiary air exert a greater influence on the flame lift-off distance than variations in its velocity. Furthermore, temporal fluctuations in the correlation coefficient of the flame root and the normalized root mean square temperature distribution within the flame body region serve as effective indicators of flame stability. Notably, an increase in both the tertiary air position and velocity leads to a notable reduction in NOx emissions. Additionally, through a quantitative analysis of flame stability, temperature distribution uniformity, and NOx emission characteristics, this study establishes a correlation between flame characteristics and pollutant emission profiles. This correlation offers a more comprehensive understanding of the combustion process involved in high-temperature gas-solid mixed fuel.

Furnace-height FGR location impact of a cascade-arch-firing configuration in ameliorating low-NOx combustion and eliminating hopper overheating for a large-scale arch-fired furnace

This study analyses an alternative to the existing multiple-injection and multiple-staging combustion technique (MIMSCT) of large-scale arch-fired furnaces. The alternative approach is a cascade-arch-firing, low-NOx, and high-efficiency configuration (CLHC) with flue gas recirculation (FGR). The research is necessary as typical 600 MWe large-scale arch-fired furnaces produce high concentrations of NOx and have a high risk of overheating in their hoppers when firing low-volatile coals. Three furnace-height FGR locations were considered in descending order (i.e., FGR through (i) primary burners to mitigate fuel-NO (FGR-PB), (ii) tertiary air to restrain thermal-NO (FGR-TA), and (iii) auxiliary burners to reduce NO (FGR-AB)). Industrial-scale measurements and simulations were conducted in the existing MIMSCT furnace (which was used to verify simulations and compare with the subsequent CLHC furnace results), followed by numerical investigations of the CLHC furnace at the three FGR-locations. The FGR’s NO inhibition in the upstream zone decreased in the following order: FGR-PB > FGR-TA > FGR-AB. Initial combustion and NO generation in the reburning stage was most intense in the FGR-TA configuration (producing the highest NO amounts) whereas the FGR-AB configuration contributed the lowest amounts. As the FGR locations descended, burnout loss dropped a little, while NOx production was initially elevated and then descended. The FGR-PB was optimal among the three options, with a low NOx output of 604 mg/m3 (O2 = 6 %) and combustible level in fly ash of about 5 %. Compared to the MIMSCT, the CLHC not only enhanced the low-NOx environment and shortened the flame penetration but also improved combustion intensity and extended the overfire air penetration. This sharply reduced NOx without affecting burnout nor lowering apparent hopper temperatures. The above results demonstrate that a staged FGR consisting of primary FGR-PB and supplementary FGR-AB, is a promising solution to lower NOx while retaining high furnace burnout levels.

Effects of secondary and tertiary air on reducing fine mode particles and NOx during gasification-combustion of coal in a self-sustained furnace

Gasification-combustion can decrease pollutants formation in coal-fired boilers during flexible peak-shaving. This study investigates the impact of the ratio of secondary air (αs) to tertiary air (αt) and the ratio of inner secondary air (αi) to outer secondary air (αo) on the formation of fine mode particles. Particulate matters (PM) were sampled at various positions along the self-sustained gasification-combustion furnace, and the size distributions and compositions of PM were analyzed. The results revealed that αs:αt influenced the temperature profile and the oxidizing/reducing atmosphere of the combustion furnace, consequently affecting the formation of PM and NOx. Temperature was found to has a greater effect on elements vaporization compared to the reducing atmosphere. The key strategy to inhibit the generation of fine mode PM is to reduce the local high temperature in the combustion furnace. Notably, the optimal αs:αt of 4:4 was found to promote the synergistic reduction of fine mode PM and NOx. In addition, αi:αo can affect the peak temperature of the combustion furnace upstream the tertiary air. Increasing the outer secondary air can decrease the peak furnace temperature and the formation of fine mode PM. However, decrease the temperature in reducing atmosphere is not favorable for reducing NOx formation. Consequently, fine mode PM and NOx can’t be synergistically reduced with the optimization of αi:αo.

Multi-Objective set point optimization control of grate cooler considering energy efficiency evaluation

The grate cooler is a key piece of equipment for cooling cement clinker, whose parameter adjustment has a notable influence on energy consumption and equipment operation. This article proposes a multi-objective set-point optimization control method for the grate cooler control system, which takes into account energy efficiency evaluation. Based on the energy efficiency analysis of the grate cooler, the secondary air temperature, tertiary air temperature, and outlet clinker temperature are used as energy efficiency evaluation indicators, and a grate cooler energy efficiency evaluation model is established to construct a multi-objective function. After that, the grate pressure set point and fan current set point are optimized by utilizing the MOEA/D algorithm, and the predictive control method is combined to perform rolling optimization of the control parameters. Eventually, a simulation experiment is conducted based on the actual production data, and the simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the optimized control method.

Combustion in a chamber furnace with a tangentially swirling vortex

Relevance. The need to analyze the furnace processes in boiler units with vertical vortex when arranging pulverized coal combustion with the enhancement of environmental parameters through the installation of tertiary blast nozzles. Despite the carbon-free policy in modern power engineering coal remains one of the main sources of energy, so the reconstruction of boiler units in order to reduce harmful emissions is very relevant. Aim. To study aerodynamics and combustion processes of pulverized coal fuel in the furnace chamber of a boiler unit with a tangential arrangement of burner devices using a combustion scheme with tertiary air blowing. Methods. The Eulerian–Lagrangian approach was applied to numerical study of flow characteristics, heat transfer and combustion in a furnace with a tangential burner arrangement. Also, k-ε model of gas turbulence, particle-turbulence interaction, diffusion model of particle dispersion, P-1 radiation modeling method and pulverized coal particle combustion model based on global particle kinetics and experimental data were used for numerical calculations. Results. Based on numerical calculations and analysis, the dependences of combustion product concentrations, temperature, hydrodynamics at combustion of Kuznetsky coal grade D in the furnace chamber with tangential arrangement of burners for brown coal, as well as at installation of tertiary blast nozzles have been obtained. Insufficient redistribution of air between burners and tertiary nozzles is revealed, as for maintenance of stable twist of vertical vortex and accordingly presence of high values of velocities at the outlet of burner devices it is not possible to increase the portion of tertiary air without reconstruction of burners. It is also established that the volume of the furnace chamber below the burners is poorly involved in heat exchange.

Experimental study on municipal sludge/coal co-combustion preheated by self-preheating burner: Self-preheating two-stage combustion and NOx emission characteristics

To achieve efficient and low-pollution sludge treatment, this study explored the first-time application of self-preheating combustion technology in sludge/coal co-combustion, and subsequently investigated the influences of sludge blending ratio (BR) and tertiary air types on self-preheating two-stage combustion and NOx emission characteristics in a 30 kW self-preheating combustion system with a novel two-stage down-fired combustor (DFC). This system was well adaptable for fuels, and still ran steadily even if BR was as high as 50 %. During preheating, properly increasing BR improved carbon microcrystalline structure of preheated carbon-based fuel and increased its specific surface area, but its carbon microcrystalline structure was gradually deteriorated at BR>20 %. Fuel properties of preheated coal gas were deteriorated with increasing BR. During combustion, combustion efficiency (η) increased first and then decreased with increasing BR, while NOx emission increased. For tertiary air nozzle located at top of burnout region, the structures of center symmetry and ring hedge had less effect on η and NOx emission, both of which remained at high levels, exceeding 98.5 % and 160 mg/m3. Notably, properly shifting injection position down reduced NOx emission significantly, albeit at the expense of reduction in η. Excessively low injection position had less effect on further NOx emissdddction.

Numerical simulation and experimental application of a 300 MW boiler combustion system

In the actual operation of a 300 MW boiler, there are some problems such as unstable combustion, high combustible material of fly ash and slag, and large thermal deviation on both sides of steam. The Cooper method is used to divide the three parts of the furnace by a hexahedral structured grid, which can reduce the grid number and improve the numerical simulation calculation precision. The Realization k-ε turbulent model is used to simulate the gas-solid two-phase flow in the furnace before and after reconstruction. The boundary of the calculation model adopts the actual operating parameters, and the numerical calculation adopts the three-dimensional steady-state calculation - Simple algorithm. The conclusions are as follows: the amount of pulverized coal powder falling into the cold ash hopper is reduced from 0.077 kg/m3 before the reconstruction to 0.045 kg/m3 after the reconstruction, with a decrease of about 42%. The secondary air concentration arrangement in the lowest two layers strengthened the secondary air supporting capacity. The residence time of pulverized coal particles in the furnace is increased from 30.59 s before the reconstruction to 39.97 s after the reconstruction, and the time is extended by about 9.4 s, which is beneficial to the combustion of pulverized coal particles. The centralized arrangement of primary air in the lowest two layers is beneficial to the initial ignition and stable combustion of pulverized coal gas. The downdip of the tertiary air incidence angle reduces the rotational momentum of the tertiary airflow, and the increase of the rotational momentum of the over-fire air angle is conducive to weakening the residual rotation at the furnace outlet. After the implementation of the reconstruction measures, the boiler can be stably burned at 150 MW, the combustible material of fly ash and slag are reduced to the controllable range, the steam thermal deviation is significantly reduced, and the boiler operating parameters are stable.

Retrofit of a 600 MW Down-Fired Pulverized-Coal Furnace for Low NOx Emission

Aiming at solving the problem of high NOx emissions of a down-fired boiler, a new combustion system has been proposed by means of the numerical simulation using Ansys Fluent. The coal-lean stream (tertiary air), which was originally mixed with a separated overfired air (SOFA) stream on the front and rear walls of the upper furnace, was relocated to the lower zone of the furnace after retrofit. The secondary-air slots were transformed into a new annular port type, which was injected into the furnace with a down-tilt angle to increase the residence time of the coal stream. Furthermore, the effect of secondary air distribution and velocity of coal stream on performance was studied. After retrofitting the combustion system, the NO emissions were effectively controlled, decreasing from 906 mg Nm−3 to 576 mg Nm−3, but the carbon content of fly ash increased from 2.46% to 5.78%. Aiming at decreasing the carbon content of fly ash, the effect of coal/primary air velocity on the arch was studied. Less carbon content in fly ash can be observed for the lower arch airflow velocity. The results showed that the NO emissions can be controlled below 595 mg Nm−3, and the carbon content of fly ash was reduced to 3.39% when the velocity was decreased to 18 m s−1.

THERMOPHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF NATURAL GAS UTILIZATION IN THE RECONSTRUCTION OF A PULVERIZED COAL-FIRED BOILER

Link for citation: Maltsev K.I., Gil A.V., Abramov N.V., Puzyrev S.A. Thermophysical and environmental assessment of natural gas utilization in the reconstruction of a pulverized coal-fired boiler. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Аssets Engineering, 2023, vol. 334, no. 8, рр. 30-38 In Rus. The relevance of the investigation is caused by the need to assess the completeness of fuel combustion, harmful emissions, and temperature stress of the screen surfaces of a pulverized coal-fired boiler during its reconstruction for natural gas combustion. Currently, the conversion of solid fuel combustion installations to natural gas is highly relevant due to significantly lower emissions of carbon compounds. The main aim of this research is to study the physicochemical processes in the combustion chamber at various loads with flammable natural gas combustion and evaluate the effectiveness of combustion organization during the reconstruction of a pulverized coal-fired boiler. Objects: combustion chamber of a boiler unit with a steam capacity of 210 t/h, burners, parameters of the combustion chamber environment Methods: comparison of results obtained from analytical thermal calculations and numerical modeling. The numerical simulation of gas flare combustion was performed using the ANSYS Fluent software package. Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes approaches based on averaging the Navier–Stokes equations over the Reynolds number with additional equations for the turbulent kinetic energy k and the rate of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation ε were applied to describe the turbulent flow. Results. A numerical study of the physicochemical processes in the combustion chamber of a boiler unit was conducted after its reconstruction for natural gas combustion. Dependencies of temperature level changes, hydrodynamics, and concentrations of combustion products components in the volume of the combustion chamber at various loads were obtained. It was found that high-temperature combustion products are redistributed towards the front and rear walls, resulting in the formation of zones in the wall layer with a significant temperature gradient. The nozzles of the tertiary air contribute to the reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions in the combustion chamber by suppressing their formation due to oxygen deficiency in the combustion zone, as well as by lowering the temperature of the flame in the oxidizing zone.

High‐burnout and low‐NOx combustion characteristics in a 600‐MWe W‐shaped flame furnace: Air‐regulating solution selection as varying overfire air and impact of the overfire air ratio

AbstractIn order to establish an efficient air‐regulating solution as varying overfire air (OFA) and recommend an appropriate OFA ratio for a 600‐MWe W‐shaped flame furnace equipped with the proposed cascade‐arch‐firing low‐NOx and high‐burnout configuration (CLHC), four air‐regulating solutions were established by respectively adjusting the air into secondary air, tertiary air, and hopper air or proportionally varying the air into the three jets in a uniform distribution form, which were labeled in turn as SA, TA, HA, and UD, respectively. After the efficient air‐regulating solution fixed, four OFA ratios of 15%, 17.5%, 20%, and 22.5% were evaluated. Among the four air‐regulating solutions, only UD develops symmetrical combustion. An order of TA < HA < SA < UD in the final performance indexes enables UD as the efficient air‐regulating solution as varying OFA. A symmetrical flow field and combustion pattern develop at the former three OFA ratios. The excessive OFA ratio of 22.5% achieves a severely deflected flow field and asymmetric combustion. Increasing the OFA ratio generates a decrease‐to‐increase trend in burnout and a continuous decrease trend in NOx emissions. Consequently, the 20% setting is preferred as an appropriate OFA ratio, showing the best low‐NOx and high‐burnout accomplishment. The improvement in both burnout and NOx emissions as opening OFA to deepen air staging is attributed to the improved symmetrical combustion and the strengthened OFA penetration in the upper furnace.

Evaluation of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system-genetic algorithm in the prediction and optimization of NOx emission in cement precalcining kiln.

The increasing demand for cement due to urbanization growth in Africa countries may result in an upsurge of pollutants associated with its production. One major air pollutant in cement production is nitrogen oxides (NOx) and reported to cause serious damage to human health and the ecosystem. The operation of a cement rotary kiln NOx emission was studied with plant data using the ASPEN Plus software. It is essential to understand the effects of calciner temperature, tertiary air pressure, fuel gas, raw feed material, and fan damper on NOx emissions from a precalcining kiln. In addition, the performance capability of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems and genetic algorithms (ANFIS-GA) to predict and optimize NOx emissions from a precalcining cement kiln is evaluated. The simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental results, with root mean square error of 2.05, variance account (VAF) of 96.0%, average absolute deviation (AAE) of 0.4097, and correlation coefficient of 0.963. Further, the optimal NOx emission was 273.0mg/m3, with the parameters as determined by the algorithm were calciner temperature at 845°C, tertiary air pressure - 4.50mbar, fuel gas of 8550 m3/h, raw feed material 200 t/h, and damper opening of 60%. Consequently, it is recommended that ANFIS should be combined with GA for effective prediction, and optimization of NOx emission in cement plants.

Operational optimization of air staging and flue gas recirculation for NOx reduction in biomass circulating fluidized bed combustion

Cost effective nitrogen oxide (NOx) reduction technology is crucial for industries and power plants owing to the stringent environmental regulations to which industries and power plants must adhere. Herein, the aim was to optimize the operational conditions for NOx reduction in forest biomass using circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) combined with air staging and flue gas recirculation (FGR). The profiles of temperature and solid suspension density in the combustor, NO and CO emissions, fuel-N conversion, slagging and fouling tendencies, and combustion efficiency were comprehensively observed during combustion. The main operating parameters are the FGR ratios, optimal ratios of air staging [Primary air (PA):Secondary air (SA):Tertiary air (TA)] and FGR, and supply height of TA in the combustor. Notably, under the optimal operational conditions (air staging ratio; PA:SA:TA = 70:10:30, FGR ratio; 8%, and TA supply height; 8.1 m), the NO and CO emissions were simultaneously reduced to 25.9% and 18.2%, respectively, compared with that for the base scenario which excluded air staging and FGR. Furthermore, a high combustion efficiency of 99.72% was maintained without any ash-related problems at well-controlled bed temperatures owing to the constant solid circulation afforded by FGR. A thorough analysis of the this literature has been performed to ensure that the commercialization of the combination of air staging and FGR in biomass CFBC plants is feasible, which could be an inexpensive option for NO reduction.

Analisis dan Modifikasi Desain Grate Cooler Pabrik Semen

This study analyzes the case of wall layer damage in the bullnose area of a cement plant's grate cooler, proposes alternative design modifications, and evaluates the design alternatives. The case analysis and design evaluations were conducted using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach. The results for the actual grate cooler indicate that the air flow temperature around the bullnose surface is very high, approximately 1500K, and the bullnose surface is exposed to air flow with a velocity of 4-5 m/s. The combination of high flow temperature and velocity is suspected to be the cause of erosion on the grate cooler wall surface. Two design alternatives were proposed and considered: Design A, where the right-angle forming the bullnose is eliminated, and Design B, where the bullnose position is shifted back by 13 meters and tertiary air channel are integrated with the kiln hood. Design A was found to reduce the air flow temperature around the bullnose surface by 100K. The best results were obtained with Design B, where the air flow temperature around the bullnose surface could be significantly reduced by approximately 400K, to 1000K. In both designs, the air velocity near the bullnose could be lowered to 2-4 m/s. This study recommends Design B as a solution to prevent recurring damage to the wall layer in the bullnose area of the grate cooler.

Enhanced NOx reduction performance in the I-type radiant tube by combining a novel triple air-staging with flue gas recirculation

In this study, a novel triple air-staged combustion (ASC) with internal flue gas recirculation (FGR) was proposed to further achieve low NOx emissions and high combustion efficiency in the I-type radiant tube (RT). The effects of air vent structural parameters, including secondary air vent gap d (0, 1, 2, 3 mm) and diameter D (2, 4, 6, 8 mm) of tertiary air vents, on NOx emission and thermal efficiency were analyzed by numerical simulation. The results showed that NOx emissions increased from 33.7 to 66.0 mg/m3 as the secondary air vent gap changed from 0 to 3 mm. The thermal efficiency was higher than the original structure only at d=3 mm. When the tertiary air vent diameter increased from 2 to 8 mm, NOx increased from 49.3 to 180.4 mg/m3 and the thermal efficiency changed with a slight variation. On the premise of higher thermal efficiency than the original structure, the NOx at D=2 mm reached the minimum value of 49.3 mg/m3 under all optimized schemes, with a 64.0% reduction.

Effect of air staging on NOx emissions in biomass combustion in a bubbling fluidized bed

NOx emissions belong to the most critical gaseous emissions in thermal conversion of biomass and non-recyclable waste. Yet the role of air staging on NOx reduction is not fully understood in most combustion systems. This study investigates the effect of air staging on the NOx reduction in an industrial bubbling fluidized bed by means of a detailed kinetic mechanism and assuming gradual entrainment of flue gases (with NOx precursors) into the air jets. The computed data is compared to unique non-published experimental industrial-scale data, from a 107 MWth biomass-fired fluidized bed boiler. The air was staged via primary air (through the bed), and secondary and tertiary air jets with a high inlet velocity. NO, HCN and NH3 concentrations were measured inside the furnace at a depth of 1.8 m, below the secondary air jets, above the secondary air jets and above the tertiary air jets. The computed NOx values were in good agreement with the experimental values. Above the bed, the total NO + HCN + NH3 concentration was 1169 ppm. After the tertiary air staging the total NO + HCN + NH3 concentration was 76 ppm. The conversion of fixed nitrogen (NO + HCN + NH3) to N2 reached 65 % after the secondary air jets, and 90 % after the tertiary air jets. The study shows that exceptional reduction of NOx emissions can be achieved with air staging in this type of industrial combustion systems for biomass.