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To ensure good combustion stability, industrial pulverized coal-fired boilers normally employ a swirl burner with pre-combustion chamber (PCC). Owing to the high cross-sectional heat load of the PCC, there is potential for slagging, which can affect the safe and stable operation of the boiler, but can be avoided or reduced through the selection of suitable operating parameter values. Here, the effects on the slagging characteristics of PCC of varying the ratio of the inner to the outer secondary air mass flow rates in a swirl burner, R SA , from 0.00 to 0.83 were investigated using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation approach. The rates of collision, deposition, and sticking were analyzed. The results showed that as the R SA increases, the total collision rate of the pulverized coal particles in the PCC increases, and when R SA = 0.83, the total collision rate in the PCC is about 7 times of that when R SA = 0.00. Further, slagging tends to appear on the wall near the outlet of the PCC, and the degree of slagging in the PCC first decreases and then increases with increasing R SA. The optimum R SA range was found to be 0.22–0.38, which is conducive to the safe and stable operation of industrial pulverized coal-fired boilers. [Display omitted] • The slagging characteristics in the pre-combustion chamber were studied. • The rates of collision, deposition, and sticking were analyzed. • Slagging tends to appear near the exit area of the pre-combustion chamber. • The degree of slagging first decreases and then increases as R SA increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements were taken for a 600-MWe wall-fired pulverized-coal utility boiler that was retrofitted with centrally fuel rich swirl coal combustion burners and two levels of OFA (over-fire air) technology. Using various swirl air vane angle settings a three-component particle-dynamics anemometer was used to measure flow characteristics in the near-OFA region in the laboratory together with gas temperature and species concentrations in the OFA and burner region in the utility boiler. The results show that, with decreasing swirl air vane angle, the penetrating depth of the jet stream decreases and the divergent angle increases. Flue gas temperature increases as the OFA swirl air vane angle increases from 25° to 45°. The O2 concentration decreases with decreasing swirl air vane angles. After retrofitting, the thermal efficiency of the boiler shows a slight increase in each case of 0.06–0.23%, with the exception of a swirl vane angle of 45°, where the thermal efficiency of the boiler decreases by 0.38%. NOx emissions are reduced when compared with those prior to the retrofitting, with OFA swirl air vane angles of 25°, 35°, 45° and 90° providing reductions of 240, 273, 294 and 319 mg/m 3 (O2 = 6%), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel swirl burner for industrial pulverized coal boiler was studied by laboratory experiments and industrial application tests. First, a cold flow experiment was carried out on a 1:3 scale model experimental platform. The cold air velocities of burner outlet were measured in detail. Moreover, the influence of the mass flow ratio of the inner and outer secondary air on the shape of the central reflux zone and the reflux rate at the burner outlet was analyzed. It was found that a stable central reflux zone can be formed at the burner outlet. In addition, an industry application test was carried out in a 29 MW hot water boiler. The flue gas temperature at the burner outlet and the composition of exhaust gas were obtained under different operating parameters. The influence of inner and outer secondary air damper opening on burner performance (ignition performance, NO x emission characteristics, stable combustion performance, and anti-slagging performance) was analyzed. The influence of inner secondary air damper opening on burner performance was found to be greater than that of outer secondary air damper opening. The maximum concentration of NO x emission at furnace outlet was 364.9 mg/m3, and low-NO x combustion was achieved for industrial pulverized coal boilers. The minimum load without natural gas support was 3 MW. The load regulation rate was close to 10:1, and low load combustion stability was achieved. During three heating seasons, the normal operation of the boiler was not affected by slagging. • Laboratory experiments and industrial application tests are performed. • Influence of different inner and outer secondary air mass-flow ratio are investigated. • Low NO x combustion is achieved for industrial pulverized coal boilers. • Low load combustion stability is achieved for industrial pulverized coal boilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A burner structure suitable for atmospheric entrained-flow gasifiers using fine ash as feedstock was proposed. The study investigates the impact of the burner structure on the mixing characteristics through 0.75:1 (geometry reduction) single-phase airflow experiments. Additionally, numerical simulations were conducted to study of the gasification process of fine ash in a 10,000 Nm3/h atmospheric entrained flow gasifier. The results indicate that a larger residual temperature near the burner outlet was observed when the diameter of the burner's gasification agents channel was 10 mm or 15 mm, approximately 0.7–0.8. Additionally, the mixing degree of the two airflows at the burner outlet was high, and the distance required for complete mixing was short. When the diameter of the gasification agent channel was 15 mm, the mixed syngas flow velocity was appropriate. This resulted in a maximum temperature of 2500 °C, an 80 % carbon conversion rate, and an outlet effective syngas (CO + H 2) concentration of 62 %. • Novel gasifier and burner structures for fine ash gasification are given. • Fine ash is quickly mixed at the outlet of burner and fully mixed in the center of gasifier. • The highest carbon conversion rate of fine ash entrained-flow gasifier is about 80 %. • Gasification agent channel diameter affects the mixing and gasification characteristics. • The outlet temperature exceeds 1600 °C which satisfies the requirement for liquid slag discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a gas-particle cold-modeling experiment, the particle dynamic analyzer (PDA) is used to investigate the effects of fuel-lean coal/airflow angle and ratio of oil secondary air to F-layer secondary air on the gas/particle flows characteristics in the furnace of a Foster Wheeler (FW) down-fired boiler with enhanced stable combustion technology. As the fuel-lean coal/airflow angle increases from 10° to 45°, the peak value of the vertical dimensionless velocity of the gas/particle flows gradually increases, and the peak position gradually moves to the near wall region. As the ratio of oil secondary air to F-layer secondary air (the secondary air ratio for short) increased, the peak value of the vertical dimensionless velocity of the gas/particle flows gradually increased and the peak value position of the dimensionless velocity gradually moved towards the near-wall region. In actual operation, for the perspective of performance and safety, the recommended fuel-lean coal/airflow angle and secondary air ratio is 30°and 1:2 respectively. The enhanced stable combustion technology had been applied to two 600 MW FW down-fired boilers, and these boilers can achieve stable operation when burning a wide range of coal quality under the load section from 200 MW to 600 MW. • A Foster Wheeler down-fired boiler retrofitted with novel low-load stable combustion technology is studied by PDA. • Effects of fuel-lean coal/airflow angle and secondary air ratio on the gas/particle flows characteristics were investigated. • The fuel-lean coal/airflow angle of 30° and the secondary air ratio of 1:2 is recommended. • This novel low-load stable down-fired boiler combustion technology is suitable for a wide range of coal quality combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Removing end surfaces of a multi-channel burner which is the most commonly used burner type in entrained flow gasifiers could ease the risks of burner and cooling screens burning. On an air-particle test facility, experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of the improvements in a 2000 t/d GSP gasifier on the air/particle flow characteristics using a particle dynamics anemometer. For GSP burner and improved GSP burner (IGSP burner), the M-shaped distribution of mean axial velocity appears at the cross-section x/d = 4 and 6, respectively. By removing the end surface, the air and particles first diffusing to the near-wall region under the IGSP burner is delayed resulting in a lower risk that the cooling screen is burned. In IGSP burner, the central recirculation zone is smaller in both radial and axial directions than in GSP burner; removing the end surface could reduce the risk of burner being burned. Industrial-sized experimental results uncovered that in comparison with the prior GSP burner, the heat absorption of the burner support and the four parallel cooling screens for the IGSP burner decreased by 22% and 53%, respectively, which effectively verified the validity of the structural improvement. Highlights • End surfaces at the exit of a multi-channel burner were removed. • Air/particle flow fields under the improved burner were measured in lab-scale. • The influence of the improvements on the air-particle mixture extent was given. • The improvements mitigated high temperature corrosion to cooling screen and burner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the excessively deep flame depth existing in a 600 MW down-fired boiler incorporating multiple-injection and multiple-staging technology, 1:20 scale aerodynamic tests were conducted to incrementally improve factors responsible for the deep flame depth. These trials demonstrated that, in all cases, the downward velocity near the wing walls decayed more rapidly than that near the furnace center. Increasing the mass ratio of pulverized coal in fuel-rich flow to that in fuel-lean flow and reducing the secondary air ratio while simultaneously increasing the tertiary air ratio was found to increase the penetration depth. Increasing the distance between adjacent burners, optimally lowering the fuel-rich and fuel-lean flow velocities, and reducing the secondary air velocity all decreased the penetration depth. The comprehensively improved downward airflow depth and air flux into the furnace hopper were reduced by 6.3% and 14.9%, respectively. Cold-state airflow tracing tests were performed in an actual boiler, the improved downward airflow depth reduced apparently, which was consistent with the results from modeling tests. Industrial-scale hot-state experiments determined improved hopper near-wall temperatures of 700–800 °C near the furnace center (values that were lower than those of 800–900 °C near the wing walls). These values were approximately 450 °C less than the prior temperatures at the same location, indicating the flame penetration depth was greatly reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cold airflow experiments on a small-scale burner model, as well as in situ experiments on a centrally fuel-rich swirl coal combustion burner were conducted. Measurements were taken from within a 300 MWe wall-fired pulverized-coal utility boiler installed with eight of centrally fuel-rich swirl coal combustion burners in the bottom row of the furnace during experiments. Various primary air ratios, flow characteristics, gas temperature and gas species concentrations in the burner region were measured. The results of these analyses show that with decreasing primary air ratio, the swirl intensity of air, divergence angles and maximum length and diameter of the central recirculation zone all increased, and the turbulence intensity of the jet flow peaked but decayed quickly. In the burner nozzle region, gas temperature, temperature gradient and CO concentration increased with decreasing primary air ratio, while O2 and NOx concentration decreased. Different primary air ratios, the gas temperatures and gas species concentrations in the side-wall region varied slightly. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A three-component particle-dynamics anemometer is used to measure, in the near-burner region, the influence of the outer secondary air vane angle on the gas/particle flow characteristics of a double swirl flow burner, in conjunction with a gas/particle two-phase test facility. Velocities, particle volume flux profiles and normalized particle number concentrations were obtained. For three different outer secondary air vane angles, annular recirculation zones formed only in the region of r/d = 0.3–0.6 at x/d = 0.1–0.3. With a decreasing outer secondary air vane angle, the peaks of (RMS) root mean square axial fluctuation velocities, radial mean velocities near the wall, RMS radial fluctuation velocities and tangential velocities all increased, and the recirculation increased slightly. There was a low particle volume flux in the central zone of the burner. At x/d = 0.1–1.0, the profiles of particle volume flux had two peaks in the secondary air flow zone and near the wall, and the two peaks increased as the outer secondary air vane angle decreased. In the section x/d = 0.1–0.5, the particle diameter in the central zone of the burner was always less than the particle diameter at other locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel burner arrangement for entrained-flow pulverized coal gasifier with multiple low-set burners, which burners are arranged to be counter-biased, is proposed aimed at mitigating high-temperature corrosion to the wall. To verify the characteristics of this improvement in an 80,000 Nm3/h fly ash entrained-flow gasifier, experiments were conducted on the model to investigate the impact of six burners being co-biased, opposed and counter-biased on the air/particle flow field by using a particle dynamics anemometer. The results show that, on the horizontal cross-section passing through burner centerlines with co-biased burners, opposed burners and counter-biased burners, the radius of mixing zone is 0.196, 0.16 and 0.174; the ratio of total particle volume flux in the near-wall region to the total particle volume flux in the measurement zone was 76.5%, 26.1% and 57.8%, respectively. On the vertical cross-section above burner outlet, the radius of central recirculation zone with co-biased burners remains to expand to 0.88 while that of counter-biased burners gradually shrinks to 0.33. There is no central recirculation zone under opposed burners; air and particle swirl numbers are close to zero. This study shows that new burner arrangement could ease high-temperature corrosion to gasifier wall and strengthens mixing of burner jets. • A novel multi-burner arrangement for the entrained-flow gasifier was proposed. • Experiment was conducted in a lab-scale fly ash gasifier to verify the improvement. • Air/particle flow fields were measured under three burner arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel burner arrangement for entrained-flow pulverized coal gasifier with multiple low-set burners, which burners are arranged to be counter-biased, is proposed aimed at mitigating high-temperature corrosion to the wall. To verify the characteristics of this improvement in an 80,000 Nm3/h fly ash entrained-flow gasifier, experiments were conducted on the model to investigate the impact of six burners being co-biased, opposed and counter-biased on the air/particle flow field by using a particle dynamics anemometer. The results show that, on the horizontal cross-section passing through burner centerlines with co-biased burners, opposed burners and counter-biased burners, the radius of mixing zone is 0.196, 0.16 and 0.174; the ratio of total particle volume flux in the near-wall region to the total particle volume flux in the measurement zone was 76.5%, 26.1% and 57.8%, respectively. On the vertical cross-section above burner outlet, the radius of central recirculation zone with co-biased burners remains to expand to 0.88 while that of counter-biased burners gradually shrinks to 0.33. There is no central recirculation zone under opposed burners; air and particle swirl numbers are close to zero. This study shows that new burner arrangement could ease high-temperature corrosion to gasifier wall and strengthens mixing of burner jets. • A novel multi-burner arrangement for the entrained-flow gasifier was proposed. • Experiment was conducted in a lab-scale fly ash gasifier to verify the improvement. • Air/particle flow fields were measured under three burner arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]