Coal Combustion Technology-I

MCT- 308 (Spring-2020)

 Why do we need an advanced technology?

• To extract more and more energy from the raw material

• Reduction of emissions

CO2, CO
Particulate emissions (unburned fuel particles, ash)
NOx
SOx
Unburned hydrocarbons
How does methane produces lesser amount of
CO2 emissions as compared to Coal?

Higher efficiency?
• Natural gas is a fossil fuel, though the global
warming emissions from its combustion are
much lower than those from coal or oil.
Natural gas emits 50 to 60 percent less carbon
dioxide (CO2) when combusted in a new,
efficient natural gas power plant compared
with emissions from a typical new coal plant
[1].
 Methane is good
• The lower greenhouse gas emission of natural
gas compared to coal comes from two effects.
When methane burns, CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 +
2H2O, about half of the energy comes from
the burning of the hydrogen,4 and that
produces no CO2.
 Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gas, any gas that has the property of
absorbing infrared radiation (net heat energy) emitted
from Earth's surface and reradiating it back to Earth's
surface, thus contributing to the greenhouse effect.
• Water vapor.
• Carbon dioxide.
• Methane.
• Ozone.
• Nitrous oxide.
• Chlorofluorocarbons.
 Power Plant Efficiencies
Net Plant
Nomenclature Conditions Efficiency

CFBC  29%
2400 psig (16.5 MPa)
Subcritical 35%
1050 F (565 C)
> 3600 psig (24.8 MPa)
Supercritical (SC) 38%
1075 F (585C)
>3600 psig (24.8 MPa)
Ultrasupercritical (USC) >42%
1150 F (621 C) and above
“Advanced” Ultrasupercritical 5000 psig (34.5 MPa) >45%
(A-USC) 1250 F(677C)
IGCC  52%
 IGCC
• An integrated gasification combined
cycle (IGCC) is a technology using a high
pressure gasifier to turn coal and other carbon
based fuels into pressurized gas—synthesis
gas (syngas). It can then remove impurities
from the syngas prior to the power generation
cycle.
Power Plant Efficiencies
Increasing Steam Temperature and Pressure
Increases Thermal Efficiency and Decreases
Emissions
 Conventional systems
• Updraft combustion
- Flame front travels in the same direction as the primary air
- Primary air from beneath the bed
- Secondary air from above the bed
Output:
Heat + plant food
Secondary (CO2, H2O)
air

Pyrolysis by the
upward moving
flame
Primary air
 Conventional systems
• Updraft combustion

In the upper part of the gasifier, heating and pyrolysis of the green coal (fresh
feed) occurs as a result of heat transfer by forced convection and radiation
from the lower zones. Volatiles produced from pyrolysis are not properly
mixed with the secondary air introduced resulting in in-efficient combustion

Not only inefficient system

But also produces environmental pollution
 Conventional systems
• Downdraft combustion
- Flame front travels in the direction opposite to the primary air
- Fuel is first dried, pyrolyzed and then oxidized to minimize inefficient
combustion.
- Flue gas evolves from the bottom

Because of the reduction zone just before the flue

gas leave the chamber, combustion is not
complete and hence the system is not as efficient
 Conventional systems
• Cross-draft combustion
- Primary air enters across the cross-section of the combustion chamber
- In coming coal is dried and pyrolyzed before it reaches the combustion
stage
- Combustion gases leave the chamber across it.
 Problems with fixed bed combustion

• Inefficient combustion
Decreased energy production
pollution emissions (related to combustion process)
3Ts in Combustion
 Time, Temperature and Turbulence are three major
requirements of a good combustion process.

3Ts and Fluidized bed combustion

 These three requirements are adequately met in a FB combustor, whose
excellent mixing of hot solids with gas at the combustion temperature
provides a long enough residence time to the fuel particles

16
 Fluidized Bed Combustion

• Fluidized bed combustion (FBC) is a combustion technology

used in power plants.
• Fluidized beds suspend solid fuels on upward-blowing jets of air
during the combustion process. The result is a turbulent mixing of
gas and solids. The tumbling action, much like a bubbling fluid,
provides more effective chemical reactions and heat transfer.
• FBC plants are more flexible than conventional plants in that they
can be fired on coal, biomass among other fuels. These boilers
operate at atmospheric pressure as well as at high pressure
 Fluidized Bed Combustion

• FBC evolved from efforts to find a combustion process able to

control pollutant emissions without external emission
controls (such as scrubbers).
• The technology burns fuel at temperatures of 760 to 930 °C,
well below the threshold where nitrogen oxides form (at
approximately 1370 °C).
• The mixing action of the fluidized bed brings the flue gases into
contact with a sulphur-absorbing chemical, such as limestone or
dolomite. (> 95% of the sulfur pollutants in coal can be captured
inside the boiler by the sorbent)
• Commercial FBC units operate at competitive efficiencies, cost
less than today's units, and have NOx and SO2 emissions below
levels mandated by Federal standards.
 Scrubber
• Scrubber systems are a diverse group of air pollution
control devices that can be used to remove some
particulates and/or gases from industrial exhaust
streams.
• A scrubber works by spraying a wet slurry of limestone
into a large chamber where the calcium in the
limestone reacts with the SO2 in the flue gas. There are
some variations in design of scrubbers. For example,
some scrubbers may use other chemicals such as lime or
magnesium oxide to react with the SO2 in the flue gas.
 Fluidized Bed Combustion
Bed Material
Sand (for boilers burning low-ash fuels such as woodchips)
Fresh or spent limestone (for boilers with high sulphur coal)
Ash from coal (for boilers with high ash coal)

Generally the size of bed material 0.1 to 5mm depending upon the
type of fluidized boiler
Ratio of bed material to fuel particles is greater than 18:1

Type of FB boilers
1. Bubbling fluidized bed (BFB)
2. Circulating fluidized bed (CFB)
 Fluidized Bed Combustion

Bubling fluidized bed (BFB)

• Fluidized Bed Combustion takes place when the forced draught fan
supplies air to the furnace of the boiler. Bed is placed in the furnace and is
heated before fluidization, the air enters the bed from the nozzles fitted
beneath the bed where bed material (sand) opposes the upward motion of
the air.
• But at sufficient velocities, when the pressure applied by the air becomes
equal to the weight of the sand, fluidization of the sand occurs.
• Now the fuel supplied by fuel conveyor is fed to the preheated bubbling
sand and gets combusted away. This phenomenon also ensures complete
combustion of the Fuel.
• The heat released during combustion heats up the surrounding boiler tubes
and generates steam. The major advantages of Bubbling Fluidized Bed
Combustion are the enhanced thermal efficiency, easy ash removal
 Fluidized Bed Combustion

Circulating fluidized bed (CFB)

• Another type is the Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion; it is
applied to fuels with higher heating values.
• In this, the unburned fuel is fed again to the furnace with the help
of a forced draught fan, ensuring enhanced combustion and higher
heating and provides excellent fuel flexibility.
• Also, the fluidizing velocity of Air in CFB is comparatively
higher than that of BFB which increases power consumption in
CFB case.
 Fluidized Bed Combustion

Sections of the Fluidizing vessel

1. Bed (also known as boiler section):
combustion and heat exchange takes
place in this section
2. Free board (accommodates heat
transfer surfaces, secondary air
section)
3. Back-pass or convective section
(remaining heat transfer to increase
efficiency)
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Schematic of bubling fluidized bed
 Fluidized Bed Combustion

Coal Limestone

Steam out
Cyclone

Air inlet
Water in

Steam out
Coal & Fly-ash
limestone Water in recycling
feed
Grate

Schematic of circulating fluidized bed

 Fluidized Bed Combustion
Advantages

• Low CO levels
• Lower unburnt particles
• Controlled NOx formation
• Lesser SO2 emissions
• No ash melting problems
• Fuel flexibility
• Compact area