Numerical Investigation of Fuel Dilution Effects on the Performance of the Conventional and the Highly Preheated and Diluted Air Combustion Furnaces

This numerical study investigates the effects of using a diluted fuel （50% natural gas and 50% N2） in an industrial furnace under several cases of conventional combustion （air with 21% O2 at 300 and 1273 K） and the highly preheated and diluted air （1273 K with 10% O2 and 90% N2） combustion （HPDAC） conditions using an in-house computer program. It was found that by applying a combined diluted fuel and oxidant instead of their uncombined and/or undiluted states, the best condition is obtained for the establishment of HPDAC＇s main unique features. These features are low mean and maximum gas temperature and high radiation/total heat transfer to gas and tubes; as well as more uniformity of theirs distributions which results in decrease in NOx pollutant formation and increase in furnace efficiency or energy saving. Moreover, a variety of chemical flame shape, the process fluid and tubes walls temperatures profiles, the required regenerator efficiency and finally the concentration and velocity patterns have been also qualitatively/quantitatively studied.

Numerical Study of Air Nozzles on Mild Combustion for Application to Forward Flow Furnace

An attempt was made to extend mild combustion to forward flow furnace, such as the refinery and petrochemical tube furnace. Three dimensional numerical simulation was carried out to study the performance of this furnace. The Eddy Dissipation Concept(EDC) model coupled with the reaction mechanism DRM-19 was used. The prediction showed a good agreement with the measurement. The effect of air nozzle circle(D), air nozzle diameter(d), air nozzle number(N), and air preheating temperature(Tair) on the flow, temperature and species fields, and the CO and NO emissions was investigated. The results indicate that there are four zones in the furnace, viz.: a central jet zone, an ignition zone, a combustion reaction zone, and a flue gas zone, according to the distribution profiles of H_2 CO and OH. The central jet entrains more flue gas in the furnace upstream with an increasing D while the effect of D is negligible in the downstream. The air jet momentum increases with a decreasing d or an increasing Tair, and entrains more flue gas. The effect of N is mainly identified near the burner exit. More heat is absorbed in the radiant section and less heat is discharged to the atmosphere with a decreasing d and an increasing N as evidenced by the flue gas temperature. The CO and NO emissions are less than 50 μL/L and 10 μL/L, respectively, in most of conditions.

Combustion characteristics of semicokes derived from pyrolysis of low rank bituminous coal

Various semicokes were obtained from medium-low temperature pyrolysis of Dongrong long flame coal.The proximate analysis,calorific value and Hardgrove grindability index(HGI) of semicokes were determined,and the ignition temperature,burnout temperature,ignition index,burnout index,burnout ratio,combustion characteristic index of semicokes were measured and analyzed using thermogravimetry analysis(TGA).The effects of pyrolysis temperature,heating rate,and pyrolysis time on yield,composition and calorific value of long flame coal derived semicokes were investigated,especially the influence of pyrolysis temperature on combustion characteristics and grindability of the semicokes was studied combined with X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis of semicokes.The results show that the volatile content,ash content and calorific value of semicokes pyrolyzed at all process parameters studied meet the technical specifications of the pulverized coal-fired furnaces(PCFF) referring to China Standards GB/T 7562-1998.The pyrolysis temperature is the most influential factor among pyrolysis process parameters.As pyrolysis temperature increases,the yield,ignition index,combustion reactivity and burnout index of semicokes show a decreasing tend,but the ash content increases.In the range of 400 and 450 °C,the grindability of semicokes is rational,especially the grindability of semicokes pyrolyzed at 450 °C is suitable.Except for the decrease of volatile content and increase of ash content,the decrease of combustion performance of semicokes pyrolyzed at higher temperature should be attributed to the improvement of the degree of structural ordering and the increase of aromaticity and average crystallite size of char.It is concluded that the semicokes pyrolyzed at the temperature of 450 °C is the proper fuel for PCFF.

Pulverized Coal Combustion of Nitrogen Free Blast Furnace

The efficiency of coal combustion is an important factor for the blast furnace process.The influence of low xO/xC on coal combustion performance under nitrogen free blast furnace condition was researched through the self-developed pulverized coal burning device.The results show that the coal combustion rate reduces with xO/xC decreasing,and the combustion rate of bituminous coal is higher than that of anthracite.The coal combustion rate ascends with the rise of volatile matter,but when volatile matter of pulverized coal is more than 18%,the combustion rates will not increase correspondingly.Small amount of CaCO3 and CO2 additions can promote coal combustion,and the effect of CaCO3 is more apparent,which can increase the pulverized coal combustion rate by 15%-18% or so.

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of flow and splash behavior in an oxygen coal combustion melting and separating furnace

The change of bubbles and the position of the tuyere in an oxygen coal combustion melting and separating furnace affect the flow and splash behavior of the molten pool.To analyze this problem further,a three-dimensional numerical simulation method was used to explore the behavior and change of the flow field inside the molten pool during double-row tuyere injection.In addition,the arrangement of the tuyere was changed for a more detailed understanding of the internal phase distribution and splashing in a molten pool.The results indicated that under three-dimensional numerical simulation conditions,bubbles rise after leaving the tuyere and break on the surface of the molten pool,which results in certain fluctuations in the nearby melt.During the injection process of the tuyere,the meteorological accumulation in the middle part of the molten pool formed part of the foam slag because of the influence of surface tension.When the layout of the upper and lower exhaust tuyeres was changed from staggered to symmetrical,or when the spacing of the upper and lower exhaust tuyeres changed,it had an effect on the phase distribution and splash behavior.