Reaction Kinetic Equation for Char Combustion of Underground Coal Gasification

Based on the quasi-steady-state approximation, the dynamic equation of char combustion in the oxidation zone of underground coal gasification (UCG) was derived. The parameters of the dynamic equation were determined at 900℃ using a thermo-gravimetric (TG) analyzer connected to a flue gas analyzer and this equation. The equation was simplified for specific coals, including high ash content, low ash content, and low ash fusibility ones. The results show that 1) the apparent reaction rate constant increases with an increase in volatile matter value as dry ash-free basis,2) the effective coefficient of diffusion decreases with an increase in ash as dry basis, and 3) the mass transfer coefficient is independent of coal quality on the whole. The apparent reaction rate constant, mass-transfer coefficient and effective coefficient of diffusion of six char samples range from 7.51×104 m/s to 8.98×104 m/s, 3.05×106 m/s to 3.23×106 m/s and 5.36×106 m2/s to 8.23×106 m2/s at 900℃, respectively.

Study on Co-combustion Characteristics of Superfine Coal with Conventional Size Coal in O₂/CO₂Atmosphere

The pulverized coal combustion in O2/CO2 atmosphere is one of the promising new technologies which can reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and NOx. In this study, the combustion behaviors of different mixing ratio of Shenhua coal with 20 μm and 74 μm particle size in the O2/CO2 atmosphere and air atmosphere were studied by using a thermal-gravimetric analyzer. The combustion characteristics such as ignition and burnout behavior were investigated in the temperature from 20℃ to 850℃. The influence of mixing ratio on combustion characteristics was conduced. The results obtained showed that the ignition temperature of the two kinds of particle size in O2/CO2 atmosphere is higher than in the air, while the activation energy in O2/CO2 atmosphere is lower. With the increasing ratio of 20 μm superfine pulverized coals, the ignition temperature and the activation energy decreased, while the DTG peak value increased, the maximum burning rate position advanced. There were three trends for the ignition temperature curve with the increasing of superfine coal ratio: the ignition of the mixed coal decreased rapidly, then changed less, at last reduced quickly.

The influence of particle size on the thermal performance of coal and its derived char in a Union stove

For low-income communities in South Africa,coal is the most common solid fuel which is burnt in a variety of devices,including imbaulas and cast-iron stoves.The present work was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of the fuel particle size on the performance of coal,typically sourced in low-income households in townships in South Africa,and to subsequently compare the performance with a feed char of a common cast iron stove.Four fuel particle sizes of 15,20,30,and 40 mm,as well as a composite of the sizes were tested at 550C,against their untreated coal analogues to evaluate the thermal performance of each fuel.The thermal performance assessment metrics are ignition time,water boiling time,heat transfer and combustion efficiencies,while CO and CO_(2)emissions were measured for the calculations of CO/CO_(2)ratios.Ignition times were found to decrease from coals to chars and to decrease with increasing particle size.The effects of fuel type on the water boiling time were only observed in the later stages of the burn cycle,with the char boiling a 2 L batch of water in an average 24 min,while the coals reported an average boiling time of 20 min.Heat transfer efficiencies showed no significant variation with fuel type or particle size,with the average efficiency for the coals and that of the chars being around 66%.The fuels’performance was better gauged by the combustion efficiency,which was found to improve marginally from the coal fuels to the chars,and to increase with increasing particle size.Results from this testwork could contribute to the performance inventories from the combustion of domestic coal mined in South Africa in a typical cast iron stove which is used in informal settlements.

Effect of Particle Size on Gasification Reactivity of Different Rank Coal Chars

In the current research process of coal rank char gasification reaction in China, it is found that particle size has different influence on the gasification reactivity of coal char of different ranks. Therefore, monodisperse pulverized coal was prepared from eight kinds of coal chars of different ranks in entrained-flow gasifier. The particle size and gasification temperature of coal char were analyzed for these samples. The degree of influence of carbon dioxide gasification reaction. Through research and analysis, the performance differences of these samples under different carbon conversion rates were compared, and the sample reaction under high carbon conversion rates was discussed. The experimental results show that the orderliness of the microcrystalline structure of coal char is directly proportional to the rank of coal, while the gasification activity of coal char is inversely proportional to the rank of coal. Therefore, for different coal ranks, the influence of coal char particle size on coal char gasification reaction is different. According to the experiments, smaller coal char size and higher gasification temperature can promote the reactivity of higher-order coal gasification. In order to clarify the correlation between particle size and gasification reactivity of coal chars with different ranks, this paper discussed this issue.

The effect of particle size on the pollution reduction potential of a South African coal-derived low-smoke fuel

The coal combustion in cast-iron stoves leads to health hazards and air pollution.In this study the CO,SO2,NOx,PM and VOC emission concentrations were measured whilst combusting four fuel particle sizes(15,20,30,and 40 mm)as well as a composite of the sizes(all pre-devolatilized at a temperature of 550C)in a cast-iron stove.The results were compared to their raw coal analogues to evaluate the emission performance of each fuel type.Emission factors for NOx and SO2 were found to depend on the fuel nitrogen and sulphur contents in the coal and the combustion conditions used during pyrolysis.The PM,SO2 and VOC emissions show a strong dependence on the ash percentage and volatile matter yields,which both increased with increasing particle size.In addition,the PM,SO2 and VOC missions were found to only depend on particle size on a mechanistic level.The VOCs and PM emission factors are inversely correlated with particle size.The results from this study offer insight into the combustion environment in the Falkirk Union No 7 cast-iron stove as well as how this environment applies to low smoke fuels.The work contributes to the emission and performance inventories from South African domestic coal combustion in this stove used in informal settlements.

Combustion characteristics and synergy behaviors of biomass and coal blending in oxy-fuel conditions: A single particle co-combustion method

Co-combustion biomass and coal can effectively reduce the emission of CO_2. O_2/H_2O combustion is regarded as the next generation of oxy-fuel combustion technology. By co-combustion biomass and coal under oxy-fuel condition, the emission of CO_2 can be minimized. This work investigates the co-combustion characteristics of single particles from pine sawdust(PS) and bituminous coal(BC) in O_2/N2, O_2/CO_2 and O_2/H_2O atmospheres at different O_2 mole fractions(21%, 30% and 40%). The experiments were carried out in a drop tube furnace(DTF), and a high speed camera was used to record the combustion process of fuel particles. The combustion temperature was measured by a two-color method. The experiments in O_2/N2 atmosphere indicate that the particles from pine sawdust and bituminous coal all ignite homogeneously. After replacing H_2O for N2, the combustion temperature of volatiles of blended fuel particles decreases, while the combustion temperature of char increases. The ignition delay time in O_2/H_2O atmosphere is shorter than that in O_2/N2 or O_2/CO_2 atmosphere. The combustion temperature of volatiles of blended fuel particles increases as the mass fraction of bituminous coal increases, while the combustion temperature of char of blended fuel particles is higher than that of biomass or bituminous coal. The ignition delay time of blended fuel particles increases with the increasing mass fraction of bituminous coal, and the experimental ignition delay time of blend fuel particles is shorter than the theoretical one. These reveal a synergy during co-combustion process of pine sawdust and bituminous coal.

Gas-Particle Flow and Combustion Characteristics of Pulverized Coal Injection in Blast Furnace Raceway

The two-dimensional steady-state discrete phase mathematical model is developed to analyze gas-particle flow and combustion characteristics of coal particles, as well as components concentration and temperature distribu- tion of coal gas in the process of pulverized coal injection of blast furnace raceway. The results show that a great deal of coal gas discharges on the top of raceway away from the tuyere, and the residence time of coal particles in the re- gion of blowpipe and tuyere is 20 ms or so and 50 ms when it reaches raceway boundary. The pressure is the highest at the bottom of raceway and the maximal temperature is about 2 423 K. The char combustion is mainly carried out in the raceway and the maximum of char burn-out rate attains 3× 10-4 kg/s.

Influence of particle size on combustion behavior of bamboo char used for blast furnace injection

The combustion behavior of bamboo char and its relationship with particle sizes were evaluated using thermo-gravimetric analysis.The results showed that the combustion properties of bamboo char were much better than those of the anthracite used as a coal injected for blast furnace ironmaking due to its porous structure,disordered microcrystalline and higher catalytic index of ash minerals.When the particle size increased from -0.074 to 0.500-1.000 mm,the ignition temperature and burnout temperature of bamboo char increased,while the combustible index and comprehensive combustion characteristic index decreased slightly.The apparent activation energies of non-isothermal combustion of bamboo char and anthracite were calculated based on the distributed activation energy model.The results showed that the average activation energy was 162.86 kJ/mol for-0.074 mm anthracite,while it ranged from 71.01 to 89.44 kJ/mol for bamboo chars of different sizes.It revealed that the combustion reactivity of bamboo char in the largest size (0.500-1.000 mm)was much better than that of -0.074 mm,anthracite;thus,the size of biomass char could be enlarged to the maximum size specified by the injection application of blast furnace.

Effective identification of the three particle modes generated during pulverized coal combustion

Based on the mass fraction size distribution of aluminum (Al),an improved method for effectively identifying the modes of particulate matter from pulverized coal combustion is proposed in this study. It is found that the particle size distributions of coal-derived particulate matter actually have three modes, rather than just mere two.The ultrafine mode is mainly generated through the vaporization and condensation processes.The coarse mode is primarily formed by the coalescence of molten minerals, while the newly-found central mode is attributed to the heterogeneous condensation or adsorption of vaporized species on fine residual ash particles.The detailed investigation of the mass fraction size distribution of sulfur(S) further demonstrates the rationality and effectiveness of the mass fraction size distribution of the Al in identifying three particle modes.The results show that not only can the number of particle modes be identified in the mass fraction size distributions of the Al but also can their size boundaries be more accurately defined. This method provides new insights in elucidating particle formation mechanisms and their physico-chemical characteristics.

Size distributions of major elements in residual ash particles from coal combustion

Combustion experiments for three coals of different ranks were conducted in an electrically-heated drop tube furnace. The size distributions of major elements in the residual ash particles (>0.4μm) such as Al, Si, S, P, Na, Mg, K, Ca and Fe were investigated. The experimental results showed that the con-centrations of Al and Si in the residual ash particles decreased with decreasing particle size, while the concentrations of S and P increased with decreasing particle size. No consistent size distributions were obtained for Na, Mg, K, Ca and Fe. The established deposition model accounting for trace element dis-tributions was demonstrated to be applicable to some major elements as well. The modeling results indicated that the size distributions of the refractory elements, Al and Si, were mainly influenced by the deposition of vaporized elements on particle surfaces. A dominant fraction of S and P vaporized during coal combustion. Their size distributions were determined by surface condensation, reaction or adsorption. The partitioning mechanisms of Na, Mg, K, Ca and Fe were more complex.

Modeling and Countermeasures of Combustion Characteristics of Char Particles in CFBC

A mathematical model of single char particle combustion in circulating fluidized bed combustor (CFBC)is developed in this paper. Its numerical solution in operating conditions of CFBC verifies the nature of a phenomenon that the distribution of carbon content of char particles has a peak value versus their diameters. The results show that the temperature of smaller char particle is close to the bed temperature, and there also exits a peak value for the burn-out time of char particles versus their diameters.The countermeasures are presented to improve combustion of fine particles, such as use of the fly-ash recirculation, the hot cyclone, and so on.

Dry coal fly ash cleaning using rotary triboelectrostatic separator

More than 80 million metric tons of fly ash is produced annually in the U.S. as coal combustion by-product. Coal fly ash can be converted to value-added products if unburned carbon is reduced to less than 2.5%. However, most of fly ash is currently landfilled as waste due to lack of efficient purification technologies to separate unburned carbon from fly ash. A rotary triboelectrostatic separator has been developed and patented recently at the University of Kentucky with unique features. Several fly ash samples have been used to understand the effects of major process parameters on the separation performance. The results show that compared to existing triboelectrostatic separators, the rotary triboelectrostatic separator has significant advantages in particle charging efficiency, solids throughput, separation efficiency, applicable particle size range.

Thermogravimetric Analysis of Coal Char Combustion Kinetics

Four chars prepared from pulverized coals were subjected to non-isothermal and isothermal combustion tests in a thermogravimetric analysis （TGA） device. Three different test methods, i. e. , non-isothermal single heat- ing rate （A）, non-isothermal multiple heating rate （B）, and isothermal test （C）, were conducted to calculate the ki- netic parameters of combustion of coal char. The results show that the combustion characteristics of bituminous coal char is better than that of anthracite char, and both increase of heating rate and increase of combustion temperature can obviously improve combustion characteristics of coal char. Activation energies of coal char combustion calculated by different methods are different, with activation energies calculated by methods A, B and C in the range of 103.12-- 153.77, 93.87--119.26, and 46.48--76.68 kJ/mol, respectively. By using different methods, activation energy of anthracite char is always higher than that of bituminous coal char. In non-isothermal tests, with increase of combus- tion temperature, the combustion process changed from kinetic control to diffusion control. For isothermal combus- tion, the combustion process was kinetically controlled at temperature lower than 580 ℃ for bituminous coal char and at temperature lower than 630 ℃ for anthracite char.

Combustion Ratio of Waste Tire Particle, PC and Mixture at Blast Temperature of BF

In order to study the combustion characteristics of waste tire particle （WTP）, pulverized coal （PC） and their mixture, the contents of CO, CO2 and O2 of off-gas during the combustion of WTP, PC and mixture under the condition of rich oxygen by 0--4% in blast and at 1 250℃ were measured simultaneously using synthetically infrared analyzer, and then the corresponding combustion ratio was calculated and compared. The results showed that the burning rate of WTP reached approximately 57%, which is much higher than that of PC （only about 18%） in the in- itial 650 s in fresh air, and then the increase of combustion rate of PC is faster than that of WTP; the combustion rate of PC improved remarkably with the addition of WTP. Meanwhile, the combustion rates of all these materials improved with the increase of oxygen content.

Characterization of coal burning-derived individual particles emitted from an experimental domestic stove

Coal combustion in the domestic stoves, which is common in most parts of the Chinese countryside, can release harmful substances into the air and cause health issues. In this study, particles emitted from laboratory stove combustion of the raw powder coals were analyzed for morphologies and chemical compositions by using transmission electron microscopy （TEM） coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry （EDX）. The coal burning-derived individual particles were classified into two groups： carbonaceous particles （including soot aggregates and organic particles） and non-carbonaceous particles （including sulfate, mineral and metal particles）. The non-carbonaceous particles, which constituted a majority of the coal burning-derived emissions, were subdivided into Si-rich, S-rich, K-rich, Ca-rich, and Fe-rich particles according to the elemental compositions. The Si-rich, S-rich and K-rich particles are commonly observed in the coal burning emission. The proportions for particles of different types exhibit obvious coal-issue dependence. Burning of coal with high ash yield could emit more non-carbonaceous particles, and burning of coal with high sulfur content can emit more S-rich particles. By comparing the S-rich particles from this coal burning experiment with those in the atmosphere, we draw a conclusion that some S-rich particles in the atmosphere in China could be mainly sourced from coal combustion.

A comparative study on characteristics of sulfur and nitrogen transformation and gaseous emission for combustion of bituminous coal and char

The characteristics of sulfur and nitrogen transformation and the emissions’comparison of sulfurous and nitrogenous gas were investigated using SEM,XPS,TG-FTIR and TG-gas analyzer during the combustion process of Shenmu bituminous coal(SM coal)and its char.SEM indicated that porosity and specific surface area of char were enlarged after coal pyrolysis and a large amount of space could be provided for the oxidation reaction of various sulfur species with oxide during the combustion process.The sulfur and nitrogen species of the two samples analyzed by XPS showed that,pyritic sulfur,organic sulfide sulfur,sulfone and sulfoxide sulfur in coal were partly transformed to thiophenic sulfur and sulfate sulfur in the pyrolysis of coal,and the total sulfur content in char was reduced.Besides,the sulfur and nitrogen species’changes in SM coal,char and the ashes determined by XPS showed that sulfur fixation effect was enhanced in the presence of calcium oxide during combustion.The component analysis of the gas during combustion via TG-FTIR indicated that SO2 and NO2 began to escape at 300
C and reached maximum at about 1100
C,by contrast,the emissions of SO2 and NO2 of char were below that of SM coal throughout the whole combustion process.The wide range of TG-gas analyzer analysis revealed that the SO2 and NOx emissions of SM coal were 2.51 and 1.71 times as much as char burning,respectively.

Effects of microstructural evolutions of pyrolysis char and pulverized coal on kinetic parameters during combustion

Pyrolysis chars have potential as fuels for pulverized coal injection(PCI);however,their proper and efficient utilization requires evaluation of char combustion kinetics.The combustion characteristics of two chars(F-char and M-char)and two pulverized coals(H-PCI and P-PCI)were analyzed herein using thermogravimetric analysis–mass spectrometry.The apparent activation energy(Ea)of the sample under non-isothermal combustion conditions was obtained using the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose methods,and the reaction mechanism for the fuels was established using the Malek method.Additionally,changes in the microscopic pore structure and carbon chemical structure of the fuels at different stages of combustion were characterized using N2 adsorption and X-ray diffraction to analyze the relationship between microstructural evolution and Ea.The results suggested that Ea of the sample first rapidly decreased and then became stabilized during combustion.Compared with pulverized coals,the two chars presented more developed micro-scopic pore structure,less-ordered carbon chemical structure and lower Ea during reaction.During combustion,the stacking height of the aromatic layer first decreased and then increased,whereas the specific surface area first increased and then decreased.The volatile content significantly influenced Ea only during the initial stage of combustion.During the middle stage,Ea was controlled more by the microscopic pore structure and the carbon chemical structure,and those influences disappeared in the later stage.The transition point of the structures affecting Ea occurred at a combustion rate between 52.9%and 72.0%.In general,the microscopic pore structure and the carbon chemical structure influenced kinetic parameters more than the volatile content.

CO_(2)和H_(2)O气化反应对富氧气氛煤热解和焦炭燃烧影响进展

富氧燃烧技术作为一种具有广阔前景的燃煤电站CO_(2)减排技术,对实现可持续发展的能源目标具有重要意义。由于CO_(2)和H_(2)O物理性质和气化反应的影响,煤在富氧气氛中的转化过程可能明显异于空气气氛。通过分析已有文献发现,CO_(2)对煤热解过程中挥发分的析出率和焦炭的物理结构和化学性质有一定影响,但较少学者关注CO_(2)和H_(2)O混合气体物性的作用。在煤或焦炭燃烧过程中,CO_(2)的高比热和低氧扩散速率对燃烧反应有明显抑制作用,但可能是由于H_(2)O浓度差异的原因,目前对CO_(2)和H_(2)O混合气体物性在燃烧过程中的影响机制还有争议,尤其是缺少加压下的数据。对于气化反应的影响,目前研究表明,CO_(2)单气化和CO_(2)/H_(2)O共气化提高了煤热解时挥发分轻质气体的产率,但焦炭产率却有所降低,而压力增加强化了这一影响。此外,气化作用下的煤焦可能由于表面积增加而提高了反应活性,其表面官能团结构也因气化而发生改变。关于煤或焦炭燃烧反应,目前普遍认为CO_(2)气化在温度较高和氧气浓度较低时可促进燃料碳消耗,H_(2)O的加入则进一步加速了这一过程。随着环境压力的升高,CO_(2)气化反应在燃料碳消耗中占比逐渐增大,但对于加压下CO_(2)/H_(2)O共气化的影响鲜有涉及。本研究总结了富氧气氛中CO_(2)和H_(2)O气化作用下的煤热解和焦炭燃烧行为,为今后富氧燃烧技术的发展提供了理论参考。