Investigation of the Combustion Process of Solid Fuel in Furnaces with Direct-Flow Burners

The optimization of the boiler furnace’s aerodynamics is considered in order to increase the efficiency of burning power-generating fuel by the example of burning lean Kuznetsk coal in a solid slag removal scheme. Combustion options have been proposed and investigated in schemes with direct injection of coal dust and with an intermediate coal dust hopper. The schemes use direct-flow burners with an counter-displaced arrangement and nozzles with a downward inclination, and staged combustion of fuel is used. A study of the furnace’s aerodynamics on an isothermal bench was carried out. The results of physical modeling were compared with the data of numerical modeling of an isothermal bench. It is noted that combustion schemes differ in the intensity of vortex formation in the active combustion zone. A numerical simulation of fuel combustion in the boiler furnace was performed using the two indicated combustion schemes. The purpose of the simulation was to obtain the distribution of temperatures, gas velocities, concentrations of combustion products, nitrogen oxide emissions, degree of burnout in the furnace volume and other characteristics that affect the efficiency, reliability, and environmental safety of the boiler. The results of model studies showed that the developed schemes provide high efficiency of burning lean Kuznetsk coal with solid slag removal and, at the same time, low emissions of nitrogen oxides. An additional verification of the numerical model was carried out by comparing the gas temperatures by the height of the furnace obtained by its numerical simulation and thermal zone calculations. A comparison of the temperatures of the gases at the outlet of each zone showed their good agreement (the difference was no more than 30°C).