Parameter for judging reactivity of coal and coke

To eliminate the judgment error of char reactivity arising from different carbon content of samples, a new parameter called specific maximum weight loss rate was introduced. It is defined as the quotient of the maximum weight loss rate in non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) experiment to the carbon content of the corresponding sample. The reactivity of different kinds of coal, the reactivity of the same coal type with different lithotype, and the reactivity of the char with different carbon conversion rates were checked by using the specific maximum weight loss rate, and the results were analyzed and compared with those obtained by using other criteria. The results show that the specific maximum weight loss rate can be used as a commonality parameter to evaluate and distinguish the reactivity of different coal and char. The heating rate selected in TGA experiment has no effect on the judgment.     

New experimental technique to determine coal self-ignition duration

An artificial neural network (ANN) model was adopted to simulate the relationship between self-ignition duration and sulfur content, ash content, oxygen consumption rate, carbon monoxide as well as carbon dioxide generation rate of coal at different temperatures of self heating process. The data from spontaneous combustion experiments were used for ANN training to obtain the connection strength between nerve cells. An oil-bath programmed temperature experiment device was designed and the experimental condition and the size of the test tube were determined for testing the oxygen consumption and the gases generation rate of coal during self-heating process. The sulfur content, the ash content and the data from the oil-bath experiment were taken as ANN inputs to calculate the experiment self-ignition duration of coal. Compared with spontaneous combustion experiment, less than 1% of coal sample and 10% of time are required with an error of less than 3 days to test self-ignition duration of coal. __________ Translated from Journal of Xi’an Jiao Tong University, 2006, 40(9): 1058–1061 [译自: 西安交通大学学报]     

生物质半焦气化的反应动力学

利用热重分析仪研究了CO2气氛下的生物质半焦的反应性。研究发现，所研究的4种生物质半焦都表现出了相同的反应性趋势。其反应性随着转化率的增加而增加。这可能是由于生物质焦样中的碱金属含量，尤其是钾的含量较高的原因。对比生物质气化反应动力学参数研究表明，4种焦样的气化行为可以用收缩核模型来描述，并求出了4种生物质焦样的反应动力学参数。在不同的CO2分压下进行了花生壳焦样的反应性实验研究，发现焦样的反应性正比于反应气体浓度，求出了花生壳焦样的反应动力学方程式。     

Comparative study on the electrochemical performance of coals and coal chars in a molten carbonate direct carbon fuel cell with a novel anode structure

Molten carbonate direct carbon fuel cells (MC-DCFCs) allow the efficient and clean use of coal. In this study, a novel anode structure is designed, and the performances of six coal-based fuels are investigated in MC-DCFC. The mechanisms of performance differences are investigated, as well as the effect of operating temperature on performance. The results reveal the fuel cell performance in the following order: meagre coal (109.8) ≈ bituminous coal (108.7) > bituminous coal char (98.1) > lignite coal (83.7) > lignite coal char (71.3) > meagre coal char (53.2) in mW cm^?2. Coal performs better because of its high carbon content, high volatile content, rich oxygen-containing functional groups, larger specific surface area, stronger thermal reactivity, and other factors. The electrochemical reactivity of coal fuel increased with higher reaction temperatures and varied throughout the temperature ranges. This study implies that using coal fuel to commercialize MC-DCFC could be a realistic alternative.     

Reactivity investigation on chemical looping gasification of biomass char using nickel ferrite oxygen carrier

Chemical looping gasification (CLG) involves the use of an oxygen carrier (OC) which transfers oxygen from air to solid fuel to convert the fuel into synthesis gas, and the traditional gasifying agents such as oxygen-enriched air or high temperature steam are avoided. In order to improve the reactivity of OC with biomass char, facilitating biomass high-efficiency conversion, a compound Fe/Ni bimetallic oxide (NiFe₂O₄) was used as an OC in the present work. Effect of OC content and oxygen sources on char gasification were firstly investigated through a TG reactor. When the OC content in mixture sample attains 65 wt.%, the sample shows the maximum weight loss rate at relatively low temperature, indicating that it is very favorable for the redox reactions between OC and biomass char. The NiFe₂O₄ OC exhibits a good performance for char gasification, which is obvious higher than that of individual Fe₂O₃ OC and mechanically mixed Fe₂O₃ + NiO OC due to the Fe/Ni synergistic effect in unique spinel structure. According to the TGA experimental results, effect of the steam content and cyclic numbers on char gasification were investigated in a fixed bed reactor. Either too low steam content or too high steam content doesn't facilitate the char gasification. And suitable steam content of 56.33% is determined with maximum carbon conversion of 88.12% and synthesis gas yield of 2.58 L/g char. The reactivity of NiFe₂O₄ OC particles shows a downtrend within 20 cycles (～64 h) due to the formation of Fe₂O₃ phase, which is derived from the iron element divorced from the Fe/Ni spinel structure. Secondly, the sintering of OC particles and ash deposit on the surface are also the reasons for the deactivation of NiFe₂O₄ OC. However, the carbon conversion and synthesis gas yield at the 20th cycle are still higher than those of the blank experiment. It indicates that the reactivity of NiFe₂O₄ OC can be maintained at a relatively long time and NiFe₂O₄ material can be used as a good OC candidate for char gasification in the long time running.     

Mechanism study on cellulose pyrolysis using thermogravimetric analysis coupled with infrared spectroscopy

Based on the investigation of the polysaccharide structure of cellulose by using Fourier transform spectrum analysis, the pyrolysis behaviour of cellulose was studied at a heating rate of 20 K/min by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Experimental results show that the decomposition of cellulose mainly occurs at the temperature range of 550–670 K. The weight loss becomes quite slow when the temperature increases further up to 680 K and the amount of residue reaches a mass percent of 14.7%. The FTIR analysis shows that free water is released first during cellulose pyrolysis, followed by depolymerization and dehydration. Glucosidic bond and carbon-carbon bond break into a series of hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, acids, etc. Subsequently these large-molecule compounds decompose further into gases, such as methane and carbon monoxide. __________ Translated from Journal of Zhejiang University (Engineering Science), 2006, 40(7): 1 154–1 158 [译自: 浙江大学学报 (工学版)]     

Optimization of Venturi tube design for pipeline pulverized coal flow measurements

A Venturi flow meter was designed to accurately measure the mass flow rate of pulverized coal in power plant pipelines. Numerical simulations of the dilute turbulent gas-solid two-phase flow in a horizontal Venturi tube were used to study the effects of Venturi tube geometry on the pressure distribution in the mixture. The results show that Venturi tube geometry strongly influences the metering of the dilute gas-particle two-phase flow. The geometry can be optimized to improve the precision of the measurement and ensure stable measurements. Furthermore, the geometries of three types of Venturi tubes were optimized for an experimental study of pulverized coal mass flow rate measurements. __________ Translated from Journal of Tsinghua University (Sci & Tech), 2007, 47(5): 666–669 [译自: 清华大学学报( 自然科学版)]     

Impacts of char structure evolution and inherent alkali and alkaline earth metallic species catalysis on reactivity during the coal char gasification with CO2/H2O

In this work, we studied the effects of char structural evolution and alkali and alkaline earth metallic species (AAEMs) catalysis on the reactivity during the char gasification with CO₂, H₂O, and their mixture. The gasified chars with different carbon conversion levels were prepared, and their physicochemical structures were characterized via nitrogen adsorption and FT‐Raman techniques. The concentrations of AAEMs in different modes were obtained by the sequential chemical extraction method. The reactivities of the raw and gasified chars were analyzed by the thermogravimetric analysis. The gasification atmospheres had varied effects on the physicochemical structure of coal char. The gasified char obtained in the CO₂ atmosphere had a lower aromatic condensation degree compared with that obtained in the H₂O atmosphere, irrespective of the temperature. The impact of the atmospheres on the specific surface area of the char varied with the temperature because H₂O and CO₂ have different routes of development of pore structure with coal char. A large specific surface area facilitates the exposure and dispersion of more AAEMs on the surface of the channel, which is conducive to their contact with the gasification agent to play the catalytic role. Thus, the reactivity of the gasified char is well correlated with its specific surface area at different gasification temperatures. In the absence of AAEMs, the chemical structure of coal char becomes the dominant factor affecting the reactivity.     

NOx control in large-scale power plant boilers through superfine pulverized coal technology

Superfine pulverized coal technology can effectively reduce NO _x emission in coal-fired power plant boilers. It can also economize the cost of the power plant and improve the use of the ash in the flue gas. Superfine pulverized coal technology, which will be widely used in China, includes common superfine pulverized coal technology and superfine pulverized coal reburning technology. The use of superfine pulverized coal instead of common coal in large-scale power plants will not only reduce more than 30% of NO _x emission but also improve the thermal efficiency of the boiler. __________ Translated from Journal of Shanghai University of Electric Power, 2006, 22(4): 333–337 [译自: 上海电力学院学报]     

Detailed kinetic analysis and modelling of the dry gasification reaction of olive kernel and lignite coal chars

The dry gasification process of solid fuels is a promising pathway to mitigate and utilize captured CO₂ emissions toward syngas generation with tailored composition for several downstream energy conversion and chemical production processes. In the present work, comprehensive kinetic analysis and reaction modelling studies were carried out for olive kernel and lignite coal chars gasification reaction using pure CO₂ as gasifying agent. Chars reactivity and kinetics of the gasification reactions were thoroughly examined by thermogravimetric analysis at three different heating rates and correlated with their physicochemical properties. The reactivity of olive kernel char, as determined by the mean gasification reactivity and the comprehensive gasification characteristic index, S, was almost three times higher compared to that of the lignite coal char. It was disclosed that the fixed carbon content and alkali index (AI) have a major impact on the reactivity of chars. The activation energy, E_a, estimated by three different model-free kinetic methods was ranged between 140 and 170 kJ/mol and 250–350 kJ/mol for the olive kernel and lignite coal chars, respectively. The activation energy values for the lignite coal char significantly varied with carbon conversion degree, whereas this was not the case for olive kernel char, where the activation energy remained essentially unmodified throughout the whole carbon conversion range. Finally, the combined Malek and Coats-Rendfrem method was applied to unravel the mechanism of chars-CO₂ gasification reaction. It was found that the olive kernel char-CO₂ gasification can be described with a 2D-diffusion mechanism function (D2) whereas the lignite coal char-CO₂ gasification follows a second order chemical reaction mechanism function (F2).     

Interaction between biomass and different rank coals during co-pyrolysis

Effects of biomass on the pyrolytic decomposition of different rank coals were investigated by non-isothermal Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) method from ambient to 900 °C with a heating rate of 40 °C/min under nitrogen. Hazelnut shell (HS) which is a woody biomass species was added as much as 10 wt% to coals such as peat, lignite, bituminous coal, and anthracite to obtain coal/biomass blends for co-pyrolysis runs. Effects of HS present in the blends were evaluated regarding the apparent decomposition rates and the char yields. It was found that the addition of thermally reactive HS led to some increases in the volatilization rates of coals especially at temperatures below 500 °C. Besides, the char yields revealed unexpected variations in case of low rank coals. Although, HS addition did not play significant role on the char yields of bituminous coal and anthracite, considerable deviations from the theoretical char yields were detected in the case of peat and lignites. The presence of HS led to increasing char weight for peat, while the char weights for lignites decreased seriously. These variations were interpreted, and it can be concluded that these variations cannot be explained by simple additive behavior, and the existence of synergistic interactions should be taken into account.     

影响煤焦比表面和孔隙特性因素的灰色关联分析

煤焦比表面积和孔隙特性直接决定着煤焦的反应性和煤焦的燃尽时间。影响煤焦比表面积和孔隙特性的因素很多,其关系也相当复杂。本文对实验测得的不同煤种煤焦的比表面积和平均孔径与各影响因素之间的关系进行了灰色关联分析。结果发现,水分、挥发分和矿物质对煤焦的比表面积影响较大,而镜质组含量、固定碳和灰分对煤焦的孔隙特性有较大影响。     

焦炭体系下添加剂对CO2重整CH4特性的影响

利用固定床试验装置,以SiO2、MgO和CaO为添加剂,在焦炭体系下进行了CO2重整CH4活性的试验研究,并分析了反应温度和CaO含量对重整反应的影响.利用热重分析仪和扫描电镜分别对重整过程中焦炭失重和反应后焦炭微观形貌进行研究,探讨了反应机理.结果表明:加入SiO2后,制得的焦炭催化活性降低,加入CaO和MgO后,制得的焦炭催化活性提高,且CaO优于MgO;温度对重整反应影响显著,随着温度升高,反应气转化率增加;CaO添加剂含量控制在15%~20%之间对反应速率的提高较合适,且CaO的添加使焦炭失重速率也有所提高.     

Gasification reactivity and synergistic effect of conventional and microwave pyrolysis derived algae chars in CO2 atmosphere

This research focuses on the isothermal and non-isothermal CO₂ gasification of an algal (Chlorella) char prepared via two different thermal processing systems, i.e. conventional and microwave-assisted pyrolysis. It was found that chars prepared via microwave irradiation showed higher CO₂ gasification reactivity than that of chars prepared via the conventional method. Meanwhile, the activation energy of microwave char was found to be 127.89 kJ/mol, which was 46.3 kJ/mol lower than that of conventional char, indicating improved reactivity of microwave char. The systematic characterisation of both conventional and microwave chars shows that the higher reactivity of microwave char could be attributed to its large BET surface area, low crystalline index and high active sites. In addition, it was found that microwave heating contributed to high reactivity of chars through generating large amount of primary char, the formation of hot spot and high specific surface area and pore volume. Results of co-gasification under isothermal conditions revealed the existence of greater synergistic effects between coal char and microwave algae char than those of coal char and conventional algae char. Furthermore, based on the relative Rs (average gasification rate), a novel index proposed to quantify the interactions in co-gasification process, Australian coal char/microwave assisted char blend experienced 10% higher interactions compared to Australian coal char/conventional assisted char blend.     

转炉粉尘碳热快速还原过程的研究

通过减重焙烧实验研究了不同配碳量和焙烧温度条件下转炉粉尘碳热快速还原过程。实验结果表明,随着配碳量的增加,转炉粉尘的还原度先升高而后降低,当配碳质量分数为20％时,转炉粉尘的还原度达到最大值。1400～1500℃内转炉粉尘碳热快速还原过程与挥发分的挥发主要集中于球团入炉前200S。随着焙烧温度的升高,转炉粉尘达到最大还原失重率所需的时间明显减少,1500℃条件下仅需150S。     

Hydrogen production from co-gasification of coal and biomass in supercritical water by continuous flow thermal-catalytic reaction system

Hydrogen is a clean energy carrier. Converting abundant coal sources and green biomass energy into hydrogen effectively and without any pollution promotes environmental protection. The co-gasification performance of coal and a model compound of biomass, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) in supercritical water (SCW), were investigated experimentally. The influences of temperature, pressure and concentration on hydrogen production from co-gasification of coal and CMC in SCW under the given conditions (20–25 MPa, 650°C, 15–30 s) are discussed in detail. The experimental results show that H₂, CO₂ and CH₄ are the main gas products, and the molar fraction of hydrogen reaches in excess of 60%. The higher pressure and higher CMC content facilitate hydrogen production; production is decreased remarkably given a longer residence time. Translated from Journal of Xi’an Jiao Tong University, 2005, 39(5): 454–457 [译自: 西安交通大学学报]     

逐级萃取对准东煤的热解特性影响

为探究洗煤对准东煤热解特性的影响机理,采用逐级萃取法对准东煤进行洗煤处理。利用热重分析仪对比研究了洗煤对准东煤热解的影响规律,结合煤样热解前后样品的微观结构分析了洗煤对准东煤热解过程的作用机理,并采用分布活化能模型对煤样的热解反应动力学参数进行了计算。结果表明:脱除与煤中有机质结合的矿物质可以使煤样中产生大量新的多孔结构;洗煤会影响煤孔隙结构与官能团结构,导致煤样在热解初始阶段与热缩聚阶段失重量与失重率减少,主热解阶段失重量与失重率增大,并有利于煤焦微晶结构向石墨化进程演化;分布活化能模型可以较好地描述煤样的热解过程,随着洗煤程度的加深,活化能的分布曲线f(E)极大值对应的活化能由265.32升高至377.20 kJ/mol,说明热解反应活化能的主要分布区间向活化能较高的区域移动。     

Effect of ignition timing and hydrogen fraction on combustion and emission characteristics of natural gas direct-injection engine

An experimental study on the combustion and emission characteristics of a direct-injection spark-ignited engine fueled with natural gas/hydrogen blends under various ignition timings was conducted. The results show that ignition timing has a significant influence on engine performance, combustion and emissions. The interval between the end of fuel injection and ignition timing is a very important parameter for direct-injection natural gas engines. The turbulent flow in the combustion chamber generated by the fuel jet remains high and relative strong mixture stratification is introduced when decreasing the angle interval between the end of fuel injection and ignition timing giving fast burning rates and high thermal efficiencies. The maximum cylinder gas pressure, maximum mean gas temperature, maximum rate of pressure rise and maximum heat release rate increase with the advancing of ignition timing. However, these parameters do not vary much with hydrogen addition under specific ignition timing indicating that a small hydrogen fraction addition of less than 20% in the present experiment has little influence on combustion parameters under specific ignition timing. The exhaust HC emission decreases while the exhaust CO₂ concentration increases with the advancing of ignition timing. In the lean combustion condition, the exhaust CO does not vary much with ignition timing. At the same ignition timing, the exhaust HC decreases with hydrogen addition while the exhaust CO and CO₂ do not vary much with hydrogen addition. The exhaust NOx increases with the advancing of ignition timing and the behavior tends to be more obvious at large ignition advance angle. The brake mean effective pressure and the effective thermal efficiency of natural gas/hydrogen mixture combustion increase compared with those of natural gas combustion when the hydrogen fraction is over 10%. __________ Translated from Transactions of CSICE, 2006, 24(5): 394–401 [译自:内燃机学报]     

Study on combustion characteristics of blended coals

Power plants in China have to burn blended coal instead of one specific coal for a variety of reasons. So it is of great necessity to investigate the combustion of blended coals. Using a test rig with a capacity of 640 MJ/h with an absolute milling system and flue gas online analysis system, characteristics such as burnout, slag, and pollution of some blended coals were investigated. The ratio of coke and slag as a method of distinguishing coal slagging characteristic was introduced. The results show that the blending of coal has some effect on NO _x but there is no obvious rule. SO _x emission can be reduced by blending low sulfur coal. Translated from Proceedings of the CSEE, 2005, 25(18): 97–103 [译自: 中国电机工程学报]     

煤焦气化反应动力学研究

气流床气化技术是煤炭清洁、高效转化的重要途径和发展方向之一。利用热天平,采用等温热重法对抽样选出的煤种在800℃～1 400℃温度范围内进行了煤焦CO2气化反应动力学特性研究。研究结果表明:高温下煤焦的气化反应特性不同于低温时的反应特性,在900℃～1 000℃时气化反应逐步由化学反应控制过渡到过渡区控制,在1 100℃～1 300℃时气化从反应过渡区控制逐步到扩散区控制;不同粒径的煤粉气化反应,在相同的时间内,1 000℃时的碳转化率、气化反应速率比950℃时的碳转化率、气化反应速率高很多,950℃时的碳转化率、气化反应速率比900℃时的碳转化率、气化反应速率高。