COMBUSTION

&
FUELS
 PROCESS FLOW IN
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
C H E M IC A L E N E R G Y IN F U E L

HEAT ENERG Y

M E C H A N IC A L E N E R G Y

E L E C T R IC A L E N E R G Y
 PROCESS FLOW IN
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
CHEMICAL ENERGY IN FUEL
COMBUSTION PROCESS
BOILER
HEAT ENERGY HEAT TRANSFER
TO WORKING
FLUID
TURBINE
MECHANICAL ENERGY

GENERATOR
ELECTRICAL ENERGY
 COMBUSTION
• Rapid chemical combination of oxygen
with the combustible elements of the
fuel in the process of which heat is
evolved with light combustion.
• With reference to the furnace it is also
defined as a series of continuous,
controlled explosion of fuel particles
with oxygen in the air causing evolution
of heat with light and formation of
product gases.
 COMBUSTION

Ignition Energy
REACTANTS PRODUCTS + HEAT
 COMBUSTION

• REACTANTS
– COMBUSTIBLES IN FUEL
• Carbon,Hydrogen,Sulphur
– OXYGEN
• IGNITION ENERGY
– HEAT
MAJOR SEGMENTS OF COMBUSTION
FOR CONSIDERATION

– Combustion Efficiency as indicated by

flame stability and complete carbon
burn out
– Slagging and fouling properties of Ash
– Potential for metal Corrosion and
Erosion characteristics of Fly Ash in
Gas stream
– Air Pollution control requirements of
the combustion product effluent
Gases (NOx,SOx)
 FACTORS AFFECTING
PERFORMANCE OF COMBUSTION

• SURFACE CONTACT AREA OF FUEL WITH

AIR
• AIR-FUEL RATIO
• RETENTION TIME
• COMBUSTION CHAMBER TEMPERATURE
• TURBULANCE IN COMBUSTION CHAMBER
• REMOVAL OF PRODUCTS OF
COMBUSTION
 SURFACE CONTACT AREA OF
FUEL WITH AIR
• Larger the particle size
lesser the molecular
contact
• Inner core of molecules
will be blanketed by ash
• To improve molecular
contact reduce size
• Solid Fuel
– Pulverisation
• Liquid Fuel
– Atomisation
 AIR-FUEL RATIO

• The quantity of air supplied must

be sufficient enough to provide the
necessary oxygen to the
combustibles of the fuel to get
them completed oxidized so that
all the chemical energy is
completely converted to heat
energy.
 AIR-FUEL RATIO
• INSUFFICIENT AIR
–Chemical Under burning
C + 02 CO2 + Heat (33820 kJ/Kg)

2C + 02 2CO + Heat (10200 kJ/Kg)

–Mechanical Under burning

– Carbon in Ash
 RETENTION TIME
• Combustion reaction needs
sufficient time to complete, during
which ignition energy must be
available to the fuel-air mixture.
As the ignition energy generally
will be available only in the
furnace, sufficient retention time
must be provided to the fuel-air
mixture in the furnace to complete
the combustion reaction
 RETENTION
COMBUSTIONTIME
– TIME REQUIRED/AVAILABLE
DEPENDS
• FUEL TYPE
• QUALITY
• SIZE
• FURNACE SIZE
• VELOCITY
– DRAUGHT
 TEMPERATURE
• EFFECTS THERMAL DIFFUSION OF
REACTING MOLECULES DUE TO
INCREASED VELOCITY OF MOLECULES
WITH INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE
• INFLUENCE THE RATE OF REACTION
• FACTORS AFFECTING TEMPERATURE
– Heat absorbed by furnace
– Heat absorbed by reactants to bring
them to ignition temperature
– Heat absorbed by nitrogen in air
 TURBULENCE

– Mechanical agitation of reactants to

bring them into physical contact
– Requirement is more at final stage of
combustion
– Lesser the turbulence more
mechanical under burning
– Achieved By
• Tangential Firing
• Supply of tertiary air in wall fired boilers
 TURBULENCE

• Opportunity For
Contact Between
Interacting
Molecules
– Are related to
Concentration
and Distribution
of Reactants in
a given Volume
 PREPARATION OF THE REACTANTS
AND MECHANICAL TURBULANCE

• Influence the reaction rate

• Agitation permits greater opportunity for
molecular contact
• Agitation improves both the relative
distribution and energy imparted.
• Agitation assumes greater significance if
the relative concentration of the
reactants is approaching zero.
• Preparation and mechanical turbulance
are the main factors for the reaction rate.
 GENERATION OF FLAME
TURBULANCE

Thermal movement of molecules as a

consequence of high temperature flame.
Turbulence produced artificially.
Turbulence require much energy as the
viscosity of hot gases have attenuating
effect
Generally achieved by injecting
combustion air into the flame with high
velocity.
REMOVAL OF PRODUCTS OF
COMBUSTION
– Gases produced during the
combustion reaction should be
removed to accommodate the fresh
fuel-air mixture.
– As the product gases are inert, if they
are not removed from the combustion
chamber at the rate of which they are
formed, they infringe in the molecular
contact between the
fresh fuel and air particles.
 FUELS
• Combustibles
– Carbon
– Hydrogen
– Sulphur
• Non-combustibles
– Moisture
– Ash
 FUELS
• SOLID
– COAL
• Is a mixture of ORGANIC CHEMICAL and
MINERAL matters produced by a natural
process of GROWTH and DECAY,
ACCUMULATION of DEBRIS both
VEGETAL and MINERAL with some
SORTING and STRATIFICATION and
accomplished by CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL
and METAMORPHIC action
• The ORGANIC Chemical materials
produce heat when burned: the MINERAL
matterremains as residue called ASH
 FUELS
• SOLID
– COAL
• Anthracite
• Bituminous
• Sub bituminous
• Lignite
 FUELS
• SOLID
– BIOMASS
– Bagasse
– Peanut shell
– Paddy husk
– Coffee bean
– Wood chips
– Barks
– Wood
– Pet coke
– Municipal refuse
– Fused tires
 FUELS
• Liquid
– Light Diesel Oil (LDO)
– Furnace Oil (HFO)
– Low Sulphur Heavy Stock(LSHS)
– Refinary Process wastes
– Black liquor
 FUELS
• Gas
– Producer gas
– Blast Furnace gas
– Corex gas
– Natural gas
– LPG
– Coal gas
 COAL
High Ranking Coal
– Classification based on Carbon content in
Coal
Meta Anthracite - 98% Carbon
Anthracite - 92% Carbon
Semi Anthracite - 86% Carbon
Low Volatile Bituminous - 78% Carbon
Medium volatile Bituminous -69% Carbon
 COAL
Low Ranking Coal
– Classification based on the heat content

High Volatile Bituminous

Sub Bituminous
Lignite
 FUEL OIL
Distillate
Light Diesel oil
Residual Oil
Heavy Fuel Oil (Furnace oil)
Low Sulphur Heavy stock (LSHS)
 FUEL ANALYSIS
• PROXIMATE ANALYSIS
– Moisture
• Surface
• Inherent
– Volatile matter
– Ash
– Fixed Carbon
 FUEL ANALYSIS
• ULTIMATE ANALYSIS
– Carbon
– Hydrogen
– Sulphur
– Nitrogen
– Ash
– Oxygen
 FUEL ANALYSIS
PROXIMATE
MOI V.M ASH F.C.

SINGRAULI 16.0 21.6 30.0 32.4

RAMAGUNDAM 10.0 21.4 32.0 36.54

6
NEYVELI 53.3 24.3 3.3 19.1

SURAT 24.0 32.5 19.0 24.46

2
IMPORTED 8.3 24.7 13.6 53.3
 FUEL ANALYSIS
• TYPICAL ULTIMATE ANALYSIS
Carbon 43.2%
Hydrogen 2.5
Sulphur 0.27
Nitrogen 0.8
Oxygen 7.23
Moisture 16.0
Ash 30.0
 HEATING VALUE
• Number of heat
units liberated
when an unit
mass of fuel is
burnt at constant
volume in oxygen
saturated with
water vapour, the
original and final
products being
kept at constant
temperature
 HEATING VALUE
Sl.No ELEMENT HEAT
CONTENT
KJ/Kg
1) Carbon 33820

2) Hydrogen 1,44,000

3) Sulphur 9304
 HEATING VALUE
HIGHER HEATING VALUE
= 33820C + 144000(H-O/8) + 9304S
kJ/Kg

LOWER HEATING VALUE

= HHV - 2442 (M+9H) kJ/Kg
 STOCHIOMETRIC AIR
• Air required to burn a fuel as per
the Stochiometric equations.
• Oxygen required
= 8/3C + 8(H-O/8) + S
• Stochiometric Air required
= 100/23 [8/3C + 8(H-O/8) + S]
Kg/Kg fuel
 STOCHIOMETRIC AIR
Substance St.Reqt./gm Product gms/gms
O2 Air CO2 H2O N2 CO
Carbon 2.67 11.49 3.67 8.82
Carbon 1.33 5.75 4.42 2.3
Hydrogen 8.0 34.48 9.0 26.48
• Air Requirement Per One Million Kcal. Heat
Input
– Coal 1360 Kg
– Oil 1325 Kg
– Gas 1300 Kg
 EXCESS AIR
• AIR SUPPLIED IN ADDITION TO
STOCHIOMETRIC AIR FOR
COMPLETE COMBUSTION OF FUEL
• OPTIMUM EXCESS AIR DEPENDS
ON
– FUEL QUALITY
– FIRING SYSTEM DESIGN
 EXCESS AIR
– MORE THAN OPTIMUM
INCREASES WD AND SO
DRY GAS LOSS
– LESS THAN OPTIMUM
INCREASES CARBON
LOSS
– OPTIMUM EXCESS AIR
IS DETERMINED
THROUGH FIELD
TESTS
– OPTIMUM EXCESS AIR
CAN BE MAINTAINED
THROUGH F.G.
ANALYSIS
 PROCESS PRECEEDING COMBUSTION
• LIQUID
• First converted into gaseous state
• Ready for combustion only when they have
been mixed with 02 carrier and heated to
ignition temperature.
• EVAPORATION - SLOWEST LINK
• Depends on volatility and molecular
composition of oil.
• Different hydrocarbons vaporise at different
temperature.
 PROCESS PRECEEDING COMBUSTION

 Due to more rapid evaporation of lighter H 2

containing fractions molecules are
generally enriched with carbon leading to
soot formation.
• TO AVOID SOOT
Droplets of atomised oil must be brought
to high temperature as quickly as possible
so that they can burn immediately.
 LIQUID FUELS
• TO ACCELERATE EVAPORATION
Needs burner which gives fine
atomisation and adequate enlargement
of surface area. of fuel (30 to 200
micron)
• COMBUSTION EFFICIENCY IS GREATLY
INFLUENCED BY IGNITION AND
BURNER FLOW PATTERN.
 COAL COMBUSTION
 HETROGENEOUS SURFACE REACTION
• DEVOLATALISATION
 P.F. in flame jet is heated by convection as it
entrains and mixes with hot gases
 Also heated by radiation.
 On heating above 500OC coal starts to
decompose and evolves a mixture of
combustible and non-combustible gases.
 Surface area dictates the rate of gasification.
 At temp. above 900OC most of the volatiles are
evolved.
 COAL COMBUSTION

When given adequate air this volatile

matter mix into the jet and its
combution sustain the ignition of flame
The remaining char residue then burns
slowly in the flame and furnace.
 COAL COMBUSTION
• THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF COAL
 Coal particles are porous contrast to
homogeneous oil droplets which are subject to
surface tension.
 Gasifying medium penetrate into pores and
react with the combustible substance
 Internal pore walls are also included in the
reactive surface.
 These pores widen on heating and as volatiles
leave, enlarge the cavities in the particles
 Also explode under internal pressure and
disintegrate into several fragments.
 COAL COMBUSTION
• STEPS OCCURING
On introduction into furnace p.f. is
dried, devolatalised and ignited.
Volatile matter are momentarily trapped
inside.
Gases diffuse both away from coal
particle and into porous mass of coal.
 COAL COMBUSTION
• REQUIREMENTS
Flame temperature should be above
ignition temperature
To support combustion flame
temperature should not fall below the
limiting value
High temperature allow high burnout
rate of coal thereby avoid the need of
unduly large furnace
Upper limit on high temperature to
prevent volatalisation of ash