Open Access

ARTICLE

Investigation of the Effects of a Large Percentage of Dried Sludge on the Operation of a Coal-Fired Boiler

Jialin Tong^1,2, Yan Zhang², Ruikang Wu¹, Xiaojuan Qi¹, Xuemin Ye^2,*

1 Hangzhou E-Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, 310014, China
2 North China Electric Power University, Baoding, 071003, China

* Corresponding Author: Xuemin Ye. Email:

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2023, 19(4), 1027-1041. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2022.022303

Received 03 March 2022; Accepted 30 May 2022; Issue published 02 November 2022

Abstract

A 600 MW coal-fired boiler with a four-corner tangential combustion mode is considered here to study the combustion features and pollutant emissions at different loads for large-percentages of blending dried sludges. The influence of the over-fired air (OFA) coefficient is examined and the impact of the blending ratio on the boiler operation is explored. The results show that for low blending ratios, a slight increase in the blending ratio can improve the combustion of bituminite, whereas a further increase leads to the deterioration of the combustion of blended fuels and thus reduces the boiler efficiency. Enhancing the supporting capability of the secondary air effectively reduces the slagging degree in the bottom ash hopper and improves the burnout rate of coals. For a large-percentage blending case at full load, it is found that the OFA coefficient must be reduced appropriately, otherwise, a secondary high-temperature combustion zone can be generated in the vicinity of the furnace arches, causing high temperature slagging and superheater tube bursting. Considering the influences of combustion and pollutant emissions, the recommended OFA coefficient is 0.2. Blending dried sludge under low loads increases the flue gas temperature at the furnace exit. While reducing the flue gas temperature in the main combustion region, which is beneficial to the safe operation of the denitrification system. Increasing the blending ratio and reducing load lead to an increase in NOx concentration at the furnace exit Sludges with low nitrogen content are suggested for the practical operation of boilers.

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