The combustion of coal can be expressed by following reactions.

CH4+2O2 2C2H4+7O2 C + O2 H2 + O2 S + O2 CO2 + 2H2O + Heat CH4 = Methane C2H4 = Ethane

4CO2 + 6H2O + Heat CO2 + Heat

H2O + Heat SO2 + Heat

The heat produced during the burning of basis elements in the coal is as follows. a. Carbon to Carbon monoxide b. Carbon monoxide to Carbon dioxide c. Carbon to Carbon dioxide d. Hydrogen to water vapour e. Sulphur to Sulphur dioxide 2415 Kcal / Kg. - 5415 Kcal / Kg. 7830 Kcal / Kg. 34000 Kcal/Kg. 2214 Kcal/Kg.

The secondary air is heated to a temperature around 220C to 280C . The quantity of the secondary air is around 75 to 85% of total combustion air and its velocity is higher than the velocity of the PF at burner nozzles. Apart from supplying the bulk of oxygen for the complete combustion of fuel, which is already

ignited, its important function is to continuously remove the envelope of inert gases (CO2 and N2) repeatedly from each coal particle by effective scrubbing action. The secondary air velocity is usually about 30.5 m/sec.

Three elementary compounds which react with oxygen and produce heat, these are 1.Gaseous Hydrocarbons. 2.Solid Carbon 3.Mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

COMMON HYDROCARBONS IN FUELS Methane -13260 Kcal/Kg. Ethane Propane Butane Pentane - 12400Kcal/Kg. - 12030Kcal/Kg. - 11840Kcal/Kg. - 11720Kcal/Kg.

Methane CH4 is most common hydrocarbon and it forms substantial percentage of volatile matter solid fuels. Its ignition temperature is 650C.

Substantial percentage of coal is carbon and it provides bulk of the heat generated during the combustion. In boiler furnace, the oxygen penetrates the carbon particles to break away its atoms, which hook up again with oxygen to form unstable carbon/oxygen compound. Compound breaks into carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. If enough oxygen is present, the carbon monoxide oxidizes to carbon dioxide. If the carbon is in excess, carbon dioxide is reduced to monoxide. Hydrogen and carbon monoxide are grouped together called elementary fuel. They commonly occur together and the burning processes are alike. These are components of gaseous volatile matter along with gaseous hydrocarbons. When the coal is heated in the furnace the gaseous volatile separate from coal particles.

The combustion of solid fuel like coal takes place in three zones. 1.Distillation. 2.Incandescence. 3.Flame.

In distillation zone the fuel is exposed to furnace heat and the volatile matter in coal is distilled out of the solid particles of coal. The left over are solid carbon residue and ash in the coal. Ignition temperature of carbon is around 410 to 465. Ignition temperature of volatile matter is about 630C. However the distilling out of the hydrocarbons takes place at much lower temperature. Hence it is carbon which gets ignited first and thereafter the gaseous carbohydrates surrounding the coal particles burn out quickly. The ignition and burning of the gaseous volatiles takes about 20-25 milliseconds in case of pulverized fuel firing.

At the start of incandescence phase, the ignited molecules of the carbon are surrounded by inert gases and the ignited carbon need fresh supply of oxygen for completion of its combustion. The carbon particles are in the state of incandescence. The secondary air is introduced into the furnace during the incandescence phase with velocity higher than the velocity of carbon particles and at an angle so that in creates disturbance in the fuel-primary air stream The secondary air mass sweep the inert gases away from the carbon particles and the fresh oxygen from the secondary air

complete the combustion of the carbon particles in the form of flame. The finely pulverized coal particle burn faster due to increased surface area per unit weight of the coal. The complete combustion of the carbon takes about 350 to 500 milliseconds. Total combustion of carbon must be completed before leaving the furnace.

The flame transfers its heat energy to the water walls in the furnace by Radiation. Convective Heat Transfer < 5%. Only Radiation Heat Transfer is Considered! Complexities: Non uniform temperature of tubes. Fouling of surfaces of tubes. Variation of furnace temperature along its Height Width Depth. Non uniform Heat Flux !!!!!

THEORITICAL AIR=O2/.23