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Combustion Tuning in High Ash Pulverized Coal Fired Boilers

having Direct Tangential Firing Syste


written by: Dr V T Sathyanathan edited by: Lamar Stonecypher updated: 5/19/2011

Combustion tuning in boilers will lead to optimizing the performance more so in high ash coal fired boilers. In high ash
coal fired boilers having direct tangential firing systems, proper combustion will ensure minimum water wall deposits
and thus an optimal furnace outlet temperature.

Pulverised coal combustion

Pulverised coal combustion involves two main sequential, but possibly overlapping, stages. (1) Rapid heating and
devolatilisation as a result of pyrolysis followed by (2) combustion of char residue emanating from the devolatilisation
stage. The first stage is fast, taking times in the order of 0.1 sec. only. The second stage is slow, requiring times in the
order of 1 sec. to 2.5 sec. and therefore, thus has a major effect on the size of the combustion chamber. In practical
combustion situations, such as in a large pulverized coal combustor, different particles can undergo concurrently
different processes such as pyrolysing, oxidising reactions under different temperature regimes.

Tangential firing

In a tangential firing system the coal is pulverized in coal mills and is carried by primary air to the furnace through
coal pipes. The mills are usually a constant airflow mill and have a specific output in mass of coal ground depending
on coal properties like hardness, moisture, and fineness which affect the mill output. In direct tangential firing
systems, the pulverized coal from the coal mills is directly taken to the furnace

Coal properties such as FC/VM (Fixed Carbon / Volatile Matter), particle size, oxygen, calorific value of the
coal, reactivity, and ash content seem to be the most important variables for pulverised coal combustion in tangentially
fired boilers, and they are highly inter-related.

The total quantity of coal to be pulverized for a specified size of boiler at a designed efficiency will depend on the
calorific value of coal. As the ash content in coal goes up, the calorific value per unit mass of coal comes down. This
increases the mass of coal to be prepared, which in turn increases the number of mills or elevations needed in a
tangential firing system.

The secondary air required for combustion is sent into the furnace through a windbox housing the coal nozzles, oil
guns, and the secondary air nozzles. Behind the coal nozzles there are fuel-air dampers which are used for keeping
the flame front away from the coal nozzles by at least one meter from the tip. This is required to prevent the coal
nozzle tips from getting burnt due to radiation from coal flame. The flame front is predominantly affected by the
volatile matter in coal and the fuel air damper is modulated for controlling the flame front. As the fuel air dampers are
opened, more secondary air goes through this damper and physically pushes the flame front away. However, when
the flame front is already away from the nozzle tip, the fuel air damper needs to be closed fully.

Combustion air
The total air quantity for combustion in a boiler will depend upon the million kilocalories being fired to generate steam
at a specified parameter. This total air is divided into primary air and secondary air in the ratio of 30 % and 70%. As
the ash percentage goes up in coal, the amount of mill air flow goes up, as the number of mills to be in operation
goes up. This results in an upset between primary and secondary air ratio.

Tuning combustion in high ash pulverized coal fired boilers having direct tangential firing systems should address all
the above said factors.

Combustion tuning steps

Operate the boiler at a constant load and designed steam parameters

Keep the excess air around 20 to 25%

Load all the mills equally and keep only the minimum number of mills required

Adjust the mill fineness to the required level normally 75% through 200 mesh and less than 2%
on 50 mesh sieve

Keep the mill outlet temperature close to 85 to 90 degrees centigrade

Adjust the mill air flow to just above the settling velocity

Note the operating mill air flow reading and reduce the mill air flow in steps of 0.5 to 1 t/hr
wait for a minimum of 15 minutes before reducing again

Watch the furnace draft while doing this, when a small fluctuation starts then stop reducing
the air flow and note the reading

Increase the air flow above that was being maintained before reduction and keep it for 30
minutes this clears off any settling in the coal pipe

Now keep the mill air flow at the flow value noted when furnace fluctuation started plus
about 1 t/hr, make sure no furnace pressure fluctuation is seen

Repeat this for all the mills one by one

This ensures minimum primary air flow being used for transporting the high ash coal powder to the
furnace

Check the flame front if it is one meter away from the coal nozzle tip then close all fuel air dampers.
If volatile matter in coal is 20% or less this condition gets satisfied

Keep the windbox pressure of 80 to 100 mm of water column

Watch the furnace for the flame conditions like brightness and flickering
The steps carried out will help to achieve combustion at optimal level. Optimum combustion in the boiler will ensure
performance of the boiler within a desired limit.

Reducing Deposition, Slagging in Coal Fired Boilers


written by: Dr V T Sathyanathan edited by: Lamar Stonecypher updated: 5/18/2011

There are two major areas that the coal fired boiler operator has to concentrate on in order to prevent deposition and
slagging. One is the operating parameters of the boiler and the other is the coal being fired.

Slagging and deposition in coal fired boilers is a complex phenomenon. The reasons can be due to coal
characteristics, operating conditions, the design of the boiler furnace, or can be a combination of any of the three with
others or all. When heavy deposition or slagging starts in the boiler, the boiler operating group can contain the
problem, to a large extent, by taking corrective action.

As the boiler has been designed and put in operation, the design shortcomings, if any, can be overcome by suitably
changing the operating practice. In most cases this is seen to be successful. For example, when the boiler elevation
heat loading is set at a higher value then operating, one more mill will increase the number of burners or the elevation
depending upon the type of firing. There are two major areas where the boiler operator will have to concentrate: on
the operating parameters of the boiler and on the coal being fired.

Operating parameters

First check the excess air being given to the boiler for combustion. If it is lower than recommended
by the designers, then increase it. It may even help if the excess air is increased slightly above the design
recommendation.

Check the primary air through the mill. If they are much higher than required, this reduces the
secondary air available for combustion, since the excess air in the boiler is maintained.

Once the primary air is ensured to be the minimum required, then check the secondary air
distribution between the burners or elevation accordingly.
Check if the number of mills in operation can be increased, if yes then cut in new mill and reduce
the load on the operating mills. During this suitably take care of secondary air distribution.

If for any reason a high reactive fuel like oil or gas is fired in combination with coal then it will be
good to remove this fuel. High reactive fuel will reduce oxygen availability for coal molecules resulting in a
localized reducing atmosphere. This increases the potential for coal ash to slag.

Check the soot blower operation, both the wall blowers in the furnace and the long retract. Increase
the frequency of wall blowers as this can cool the flame more and reduce the slagging potential.

Check the pulverized coal fineness ensure 75% through 200 mesh sieve and only less than 1% is
left over 50 mesh sieve.

If with all the above the heavy deposition / slagging does not reduce then this may even warrant a
load reduction on the boiler.

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The coal being fired can be outside the design range and could be causing the problem. This warrants checking the
coal ash characteristic in detail.

Check the chemical composition of the ash and work out the slagging propensity ratios. If it fits in a
matrix of these ratios, then it can give an idea whether the coal being fired can slag in the boiler.

Check the ash fusion temperatures starting from initial deformation temperature to fusion
temperature. Normally this is carried out in an oxidizing condition; it will be a good practice to check
the fusion temperature in the reducing atmosphere. A high differential between this will indicate a
higher propensity to slag. In this case air distribution and excess air level play a high role.

Elaborate studies both in the field and laboratories by collecting large volume data on all required area has not
yielded a single or multiple set of rules to predict coal slagging in boiler furnaces.
Controlling Slagging in Boiler

Slagging and Deposition in Coal Fired Boiler


written by: Dr V T Sathyanathan edited by: Lamar Stonecypher updated: 5/12/2010

Deposition and slagging in coal fired boilers can be a major cause for poor performance and sometimes low
availability of the unit. Here we look at some of the considerations involved.
A large percentage of boilers in both power stations and process industry use coal as a fuel for steam generation.
The age of the coal can vary from lignite to anthracite. The inorganics in coal can vary in quantity and in its
characteristics. This will alter the type of deposits and also the slagging propensity in boilers. Coal ash property is one
of the factors that can cause slagging in boilers. The operating and design conditions also have an impact on
deposition and slagging in boiler furnace as well as in the convection pass. The quantity of ash in coal will have a
direct impact on the severity of both deposition and slagging.

The molten or partial melting pasty ash deposits in radiant heat transfer surface like boiler furnace is termed as
slagging. The sintered ash deposit in the convection region in boiler is called fouling. Both have their own impact on
boiler performance like reduction in operating efficiency, availability, higher load on bottom ash handling, etc.

For any deposition to take place there are three requirements. The first one being the ash and the volatiles will have
to penetrate into the boundary layer of the tube and make contact with the tube surface. The second is the material
must adhere to the tube surface. Third, sufficient cohesion must occur in the deposit for allowing continued growth
such that periodic shredding does not happen on its own weight. In a coal fired boiler the first layer of deposit will be
rich in sodium, generally sodium sulphate, which initiates fouling. The second layer normally will have weakly bonded
discrete particles and will form on the upstream side of the tube. The third layer is the buck portion of the deposit and
can be semi continuous.

The following will have to be taken into account when we are dealing with deposition or slagging in coal fired boilers.

Coal organic properties

Coal mineral matter properties

Combustion kinetics

Mineral transformation and decomposition

Fluid dynamics

Ash transport phenomena

Vaporization and condensation of ash species

Deposition chemistry-specie migration and reaction

Heat transfer to and from the deposit

Crystallization of coal ash melts

Ash composition

Ash properties

Ash transformation and decomposition


Vaporization and condensation of ash species

Crystallization of coal ash melts

Coal proximate analysis

HHV of coal

Petrographic analysis/properties.

There are many correlations that are used to predict slagging based on the coal property. A matrix of all these
correlations gives fairly a good idea about slagging characteristics of a coal. But this is generally true for coals formed
by insitu theory of coal formation and not the Gondvana coals. Lot of studies has been carried out in boilers and coal
to understand slagging better. However it is still not possible to predict slagging in coal fired boilers, and designers
only use a conservative design to contain slagging.

Burning High Ash Coals in Power Plants - A Need of the Hour


written by: Dr V T Sathyanathan edited by: Lamar Stonecypher updated: 5/8/2011

Optimization of combustion in high ash coal fired boilers is of special interest due to the organic and inorganic mix
and the large amount of variation in the organics. One such experience with Indian low reactive coal in a tangential
fired steam generator of 670 T/hr capacity is given here.

Indian coals, by virtue of their formation, are in some characteristics different from the European and American coals.
Indian coal formation due to the drift origin gives more chances for variations in property and a high amount of
inorganic inclusions resulting in high ash content. Petrographic analysis of Indian coals indicates the presence of very
high percentages of low reactive constituents like semifusinites, fusinites, etc. apart from subjugation to
oxidation/weathering. The above variations have their impact on combustion performance in large capacity boiler
furnaces.

Pulverised coal combustion involves two main sequel, but possibly overlapping, stages: (1) rapid heating and
devolatilisation as a result of pyrolysis followed by (2) combustion of char residue emanating from the devolatilisation
stage. The first stage is fast, taking times of the order of 0.1 sec. only. The second stage is slow, requiring time of the
order of 1 sec. to 2.5 sec. and therefore, thus has a major effect on the size of combustion chamber.

Optimization of combustion in Indian high ash coal fired boilers is of special interest due to the organic and inorganic
mix up and the large amount of variation in the organics. It is found that the high percentage of ash, the low reactives
in the organics of coal, the encapsulation of organics in inorganics, the presence of oxidized coals in many cases,
and the blending of many types of coals are some of the reasons for varying behavior of coals during combustion.

Detailed measurements of furnace flame temperature profile in the field were carried out while varying the air
distribution pattern. The results of the study shows that the proper understanding of the fuels combustion
characteristics could help in tuning the combustion regime whereby the flat furnace gas temperature profile could be
changed to match closely the normal profile experienced with reactive coals. The temperature in the burner zone
could be increased by about 50 Degree C and the furnace outlet temperature could be reduced by about 90 Degree
C.

This can be achieved by keeping in mind:

Indian high ash coals result in high primary air requirements- primary combustion dilution. As an
indirect effect, the high percentage of ash in coal makes it necessary to use a higher amount of primary air than
required for actual combustion, as the transportation velocity requirement limits the minimum primary air.

Secondary air distribution at required elevation is very important.

Avoid/reduce all unwanted secondary air at any location and divert them to another needy
elevation.

Keep mill air flow just above settling velocity.

Keep total air flow - 20% excess air @ eco out.

Close all fuel air dampers if VM less than 20 - 22% - look at the flame front - decide for higher VM
coal.

Keep wind box pr. 100 - 150 mm - better distribution across elevation.

Adopting these steps has given a large benefit in combustion optimization in Indian power plants.

Understanding the Coal is Key

The combustion behavior of Indian coals can vary widely, hence combustion optimization is a must for Indian boilers,
and that for low reactive coals, the air distribution plays a very important role. The height at which the maximum
quantity of the hydrocarbon is to be burnt will depend upon the reactivity, the petrographic characteristic, and the
burning profile of the coal being fired. Understanding the type of coal being fired and correspondingly making proper
operational adjustments/modifications will help in combustion optimization and the reduction of unburned carbon in
bottom ash/fly ash. The Indian high ash coals are found to give large variation in properties due to its virtue of
formation which also affects the performance of the boiler and needs a regular watch and tuning of the operational
regime.

The low reaction rate of the organic in Indian coals makes it necessary to provide a higher residence time. This
means that firing coals significantly different from design coal can drastically vary the amount of unburned. In boilers
with low residence time, the percentage unburned can be very high both in fly ash and bottom ash if coals of high fuel
ratio are used. Oxidized coals need much higher residence time for complete combustion and are not amenable for
accurate prediction of unburned carbon loss percentage.

Related Reading
You can learn more about operating thermal power plants at Bright Hub. Coal may be defined as a compact stratified
mass of plant debris which has been modified chemically and physically by natural agencies, interspersed with
smaller amounts of inorganic matter. In situ and drift are the two major theories of coal formation. Petrographic
analysis can give useful information about the combustion of pulverized coal. Petrographic analysis of coal has been
used to evaluate the efficiency of pulverized coal fired boilers since 1968. Combustion tuning in high ash pulverized
coal fired boilers having direct tangential firing system will lead to optimizing the performance in high ash coal fired
boilers. In high ash coal fired boilers, proper combustion will ensure minimum water wall deposits and thus an optimal
furnace outlet temperature

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