Christopher Traifalgar Caingles Jr.

ME 156
Assignment 3

Coal Firing Technology

Coal fired power plants are a type of power plant that make use of the combustion of coal in
order to generate electricity. Their use provides around 40% of the world's electricity and they are
primarily used in developing countries. Countries such as South Africa use coal for 94% of their
electricity and China and India use coal for 70-75% of their electricity needs, however the
amount of coal China uses dwarfs most other countries . The use of coal provides access to
electricity to those who previously didn't have it, which helps to increase quality of life and
reduce poverty in those regions, however it produces large quantities of different pollutants which
reduces air quality and contributes to climate change.

The conversion of this coal to the end goal of electricity is a multi-faceted process:

1. The coal must be unloaded from the train. Traditional ways of doing this require the use
of cranes picking up the coal from the cars, however newer plants have the floor
underneath the train tracks drop away, allowing the coal to be dropped into underground
containment. Doing so doesn't even require the train to stop moving![7] For a video of this
please see here. Many coal plants are mine mouth which means the plant was put where
the coal mine is, so the coal doesn't need to be transported by train.
2. Once unloaded, the coal is then pulverized into a fine powder by a large grinder. This
ensures nearly complete burning of the coal in order to maximize the heat given off and
to minimize pollutants.
3. The pulverized coal is then input to a boiler, where combustion occurs and the coal
provides heat to the power plant. This heat is transferred to pipes containing high
pressured water, which boils to steam.
4. The steam then travels through a turbine, causing it to rotate extremely fast which in turn
spins a generator, producing electricity. The electricity can then be input to the electrical
grid for use by society.
Coal fired power plants follow the Rankine cycle in order to complete this process. Since they
require plenty of water to be circulated in this cycle, coal power plants need to be located near a
body of water. The process of coal fired plants can be seen below in Figure 3.
How Coal-fired plants work
Coal-fired plants produce electricity by burning coal in a boiler to produce steam. The steam produced,
under tremendous pressure, flows into a turbine, which spins a generator to create electricity. The steam
is then cooled, condensed back into water and returned to the boiler to start the process over.
Types of Coal Powerplant Boiler
Pulverized coal firing ensures complete combustion of coal, thus ensuring higher efficiency of
steam generators. It is predominantly adopted in large coal-fired utility boilers. The finer the
grinding of coal, the more efficient its combustion. The total time required from entry of a coal
particle to a furnace to combustion of the particle is very short. This time, however, is dependent
on various factors. The heart of a pulverized coal-fired boiler is the pulverizer, also known as the
mill. Depending on speed pulverizers are classified as low-speed, medium-speed, and high-speed
mills. Pulverized coal burners may be located on the front or opposed walls or in the corners of
the furnace. There are two types of fuel-firing systems: bin system and direct-firing system. Coal
feeders are either the volumetric or gravimetric type.
Pulverized coal can be used as a reducing agent by injecting it through the tuyeres. Coke has
been replaced up to 250 kg/THM with pulverized coal.Coals for PCI are usually cheaper
noncooking thermal coals. Important properties of the coals are:

• content of volatiles and moisture

• chemical composition (S, P, alkalis, ash)
• grindability (Hardgrove Grindability Index)
• stability of the quality.
Coal is dried and ground to < 0.1 mm grain size. Pulverized coal is carried pneumatically to a bin
and further to weighing and distributing system to be injected in the blast furnace, as illustrated
in Figure 1.1.15 [18].

Circulating Fluidized Bed

Fluidized Bed
At the bottom of the boiler furnace there is a bed of inert material. Bed is where the coal or fuel
spreads. Air supply is from under the bed at high pressure. This lifts the bed material and the coal
particles and keeps it in suspension. The coal combustion takes place in this suspended
condition. This is the Fluidized bed.

Special design of the air nozzles at the bottom of the bed allows air flow without clogging.
Primary air fans provide the preheated Fluidizing air. Secondary air fans provide pre-heated
Combustion air. Nozzles in the furnace walls at various levels distribute the Combustion air in
the furnace.

Circulation
Fine particles of partly burned coal, ash and bed material are carried
along with the flue gases to the upper areas of the furnace and then into
a cyclone. In the cyclone the heavier particles separate from the gas and
falls to the hopper of the cyclone. This returns to the furnace for
recirculation. Hence the name Circulating Fluidized Bed combustion.
The hot gases from the cyclone pass to the heat transfer surfaces and
go out of the boiler.

Bed Material
To start with the bed material is sand. Some portion is lost in the ash
during the operation and this has to be made-up. In coal fired boilers the
ash from the coal itself will be the makeup material. When firing bio fuels
with very low ash content sand will be the makeup bed material. For high
Sulphur coals Limestone addition to the bed material reduces SO2
emissions.

CFBC uses crushed coal of 3 to 6 mm size. This requires only a

crusher not a pulverizer. From storage hoppers Conveyer and feeders
transport the coal to feed chutes in the furnace. Start up is by oil
burners in the furnace. Ash spouts in the furnace remove the ash from
the bottom of the furnace.
Coal fired Plants: Pros and Cons
Advantages of Coal as Power Plant Fuel
Today, advances in technology have allowed coal to improve living conditions with its current
role in meeting man’s fuel needs. Coal has been used extensively in power generation where
better technology is employed to ensure that there is a balance between ecology and economics
in producing sustainable and affordable energy. But, is coal really the answer to affordable and
sustainable energy? To find answers for this question, it is best to learn about the advantages-
and disadvantages- of coal fired plants. Some of its advantages include reliability, affordability,
abundance, known technologies, safety, and efficiency.

Reliability. One of the greatest advantages of coal fired plants is reliability. Coal’s ability to
supply power during peak power demand either as base power or as off-peak power is greatly
valued as a power plant fuel. It is with this fact that advanced pulverized coal fired power plants
are designed to support the grid system in avoiding blackouts.

Affordability. Energy produced from coal fired plants is cheaper and more affordable than other
energy sources. Since coal is abundant, it is definitely cheap to produce power using this fuel.
Moreover, it is not expensive to extract and mine from coal deposits. Consequently, its price
remains low compared to other fuel and energy sources.

Abundance. There are approximately over 300 years of economic coal deposits still accessible.
With this great amount of coal available for use, coal fired plants can be continuously fueled in
many years to come.

Known technologies. The production and use of coal as a fuel are well understood, and the
technology required in producing it is constantly advancing. Moreover, coal-mining techniques
are continuously enhanced to ensure that there is a constant supply of coal for the production of
power and energy.

Safety. Generally, coal fired plants are considered safer than nuclear power plants. A coal power
plant’s failure is certainly not likely to cause catastrophic events such as a nuclear meltdown
would. Additionally, the welfare and productivity of coal industry employees has greatly
improved over the years. In fact, injuries, time lost, and fatalities have decreased significantly in
the past years.
Disadvantages of Coal-Fired Power Plants

On the other hand, there are also some significant disadvantages of coal fired plants including
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions, mining destruction, generation of millions of tons of waste,
and emission of harmful substances.

Greenhouse gas emissions. It cannot be denied that coal leaves behind harmful byproducts upon
combustion. These byproducts cause a lot of pollution and contribute to global warming. The
increased carbon emissions brought about by coal fired plants has led to further global warming
which results in climate changes.
Mining destruction. Mining of coal not only results in the destruction of habitat and scenery,
but it also displaces humans as well. In many countries where coal is actively mined, many
people are displaced in huge numbers due to the pitting of the earth brought about by
underground mining. Places near coal mines are unsafe for human habitation as the land could
cave in at anytime.

Generation of millions of tons of waste. Millions of tons of waste products which can no longer
be reused are generated from coal fired plants. Aside from the fact that these waste products
contribute to waste disposal problems, these also contain harmful substances.

Emission of harmful substances. Thermal plants like coal fired plants emit harmful substances
to the environment. These include mercury, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, mercury, selenium,
and arsenic. These harmful substances not only cause acid rain but also are very harmful to
humans as well.
References:
https://www.brighthubengineering.com/power-plants/115683-advantages-and
disadvantages-of-coal-for-power-plants/
https://www.brighthubengineering.com/power-plants/26547-how-does-a-circulating
fluidized-bed-boiler-work/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7249/mg1147netl.11?seq=8#metadata_info_tab_contents
https://www.tva.com/energy/our-power-system/coal/how-a-coal-plant-works
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/coal/mining-and-transportation.php