IMPACT OF COAL QUALITY ON

BOILER OPERATION &

EFFICIENCY.
Introduction:
CENPEEP has demonstrated Performance
testing & optimization techniques at a number
of NTPC and SEB stations.
• Database established has been utilized to
compare Performance level of different coal
fired Boilers.
• Performance degradation occurs on account of
deterioration in coal quality.
• Degradation in Boiler efficiency level between
two overhauls is inevitable.
• Degradation can arrested by Firing coals for
which boiler was designed.
• This presentation is based on data base of a 210 MW
unit firing high ash- low grade coals.
Station Concerns were-
• Performance Guarantee Tests had not been
conducted in this unit. Base line data to fix targets
were not available.
• Unit is equipped tubular air heaters and a unique
burner design for low GCV coals .
• No controls for secondary air dampers regulations
provided.
• Un burnt carbon in flyash had been consistently very
low, below 0.5%.
• It was thought that boiler operates at high excess air
which could be reduced to a more optimum value.
Station Concerns were-

• On line oxygen feedback was not reliable?

Whether oxygen levels can be reduced.
• Fuel piping was not equipped with orifices to
ensure uniform fuel / air ratio in each burner.
• Five mill operation necessary to achieve full
load operation.
• What is the that Economical load at which 5th
mill should be withdrawn from service
• Mills are generally run at high PA flows,
reliability of PA flows need to be established.
Methodology for Performance testing:

• Assessing Mill Performance using Dirty Pitot ASME

kit.
• Review of Plant Performance data.
• Installation of test ports and measurement sections
• Calibration of station instrument during shutdown.
• Restoration of individual equipment performance
through an effective overhaul.
• Mill performance testing prior to Boiler Performance
testing.
• Air heater and boiler performance testing with
different mill combinations.
• Boiler furnace performance testing using HVT probe.
Mills & Associated Burner System

• Mills are generally operated at high PA flows and mills

operate in temperature range of 85-95 degree C.
• Bias in mill outlet temperature or mill loading did not
affect the combustion regime.

• Primary airflow distribution between various burners

of the same pulveriser was within permissible limits.
• Lack of fuel piping orifices did not affect air
distribution in any way.
• Combustion efficiency was observed to be excellent.
• With five mills in service an oxygen level of around 2%
was adequate to achieve loss due to unburnt carbon in
ashes of less then 0.5%.
 Mills & Associated Burner System
• Five Mill operation did not result in loss of
draught margins observed in Tri sector air
heater based units.

• Auxiliary Power consumption of fans was on

lower side in spite of individual PA fans
dedicated for each mill.

• Mill capability has not been affected by

deterioration in Air temperature which occurs
with deterioration in AH performance.
• Mills need to be purged very often to avoid
increase of Mill pressure drop due to sand pile.
Optimum Combustion Regime
• With five mills in service ,an oxygen level of around
2% was adequate to achieve excellent Combustion
efficiency.
• Station instrument was measuring a higher level of
oxygen due to air ingress.
• Actual oxygen level as per test grid probe was 2.5%
against a value of 4.2% read by station instrument.

• Boiler Part load efficiency levels was for same level

of excess air.
• Part load operation ensures better loading of mills
and auxiliary power consumption % is not adversely
affected
 Oxygen in Flue Gas at AH inlet
(Test 9/10)

4.2 4.2
D E F G
2.8 2.8 2.9 2.7
C 2.3 2.7 H
Average Oxygen values in Test 9 from the fourteen
B 2.8 2.6 I
probe grid in Flue Gas Duct at Air Heater Inlet
A 2.5 2.6 J
2.0 1.9 2.3 2.6
N M L K

'On line' Zirconia probe

4.6 4.2
D E F G
3.3 2.7 3.1 3.2
C 2.8 3.0 H
Average Oxygen values in Test 10 from the fourteen
B 2.8 3.0 I
probe grid in Flue Gas Duct at Air Heater Inlet
A 3.0 2.9 J
2.5 2.1 2.4 2.6
N M L K
Tubular Air heaters:
• Test runs are conducted in line with ASME- test
procedure for Air heater performance testing.
• 28 point sampling grid is installed at AH inlet duct and
an 30 point sampling grid at AH outlet duct.
• AH leakage levels was on higher side ~ 10.0 % for a
Tubular air heater. Leakage is inclusive of air ingress
from various expansion joints in the duct before and
after air heater. This was one major area for
improvement.
• For an ambient temperature of 35 C, the flue gas exit
temperature was around 127 C. Flue Gas Temp
corrected for design ambient and air heater leakage was
around 170 C signifying deterioration in heat transfer .
Tubular Air heaters
• Air temperature rise across air heaters was around 310
C against a design value of 325 C, confirming
deterioration in heat transfer capability of tubes.

• Flue gas temperature at Air Heater outlet was 137

degree at an oxygen level of 4.5% enabled ESP
operation at very optimum flue gas volumes.
• Elimination of air ingress across ducts between air
heater outlet and ID discharge would reduce ID fans
loading further .
• A flue gas temperature of 135 degree at an oxygen level
of 5.5% is very bad but compared to 7.0 to 8.0% oxygen
level observed in Tri sector air heaters, it looks
optimum.
 Draught Margins
• 190 Tonnes of high ash low GCV coal fired to
achieve full load operation.
• Five Bowl mills required to achieve full load
operation.
• Five Mill operation did not contribute to loss of
draught margins generally observed in Tri-
sector air heater based units.
• Flue gas temperature of 137 degree at 4.50
oxygen after air heater has not been observed
in units served by regenerative air heaters.
Boiler Efficiency Tests
• Efficient Boiler operation with five mills was achieved
at 2.5 –Oxygen at nominal output.

• Oxygen could be reduced to 1.5 % with no increase

in un burnt carbon in ash loss at nominal output.

• Part load operation with Four mill could be achieved

without any increase in excess air at comparable
efficiency.

• Boiler Efficiency level of 85.5% for a low grade coal

of 2800 Kcals/ Kg of coal is excellent.
Boiler Furnace Enclosure
HVT survey using HVT probe at furnace exit and
multi-point sampling grid at air heater inlet was
done with different mill combinations.

• Complete combustion could be achieved within

boiler furnace at an average oxygen of 2.5 % as
measured at air heater inlet grid for all mill
combination.
• Difference between average oxygen at furnace exit
and 2nd pass exit was negligible.
• Difference between average O2 % between left and
right side of furnace was very nominal.
• Furnace exit temperature measured on left side was
around 50 degree C higher than right side.
Conclusion
• Boiler and associated auxiliary equipment’s
design could be coal specific.
• This would enable achievement of an optimum
operating regime on sustainable basis.

• Ability to sustain an optimum efficiency between

the overhauls very much depends on equipment
design & an effective overhaul.
• An overhaul in which equipment performance
has been restored.

• Performance feedback of this boiler for which

base line Performance level were established after
more than 8 years of working highlights this
 Conclusions continued
• Individual Mill- PA fan combine work more
economically in units which are serviced by
tubular air heater.
• Ambient air is drawn by FD fans at 25 Meter level
and carryover of fugitive fly ash dust to SCAPH is
avoided.
• Boiler is fired using a low GCV coal of 15%
moisture & 44% ash.
• Flame stability and efficient burnout could be
achieved at Mill outlet temperature of 95C for a
coal with less than 18.0% volatile matter.
• Mills are designed for 77degree C, however, its
operation at up to 95 degree C has not affected the
reliability of Milling plant..
 Conclusions continued
• Tubular air heater appears to be an excellent
device for high ash– low GCV coals. Deterioration
in thermal performance was very marginal.
• Air ingress around air heaters section was slightly
worse than a bisector air heater which could be
corrected to ensure reduction in ID fans power
consumption.
• Air heater was designed for an inlet temperature of
65 degree C to keep flue gas exit temperature
above dew point.
• This ability has come very handy to ensure
additional heat transfer area in view of higher flue
temperature observed at air heater in let, 390 C
against a design value of 361 degree C.