A comparison of the results obtained from grinding in a stirred media mill lignite coal samples treated with microwave and untreated samples

Various studies have been carried out on the effect of microwave-treatment on grinding different types of coal. However, the effect of microwave treatment on grinding coal samples −3.35 mm in size which can be considered to be fine is still under investigation. The purpose of this paper is to make contributions to these studies conducted. In the study, lignite coal samples with pyritic sulphur and 25% structural moisture were crushed below −3.35 mm particle size using jaw and cone crushers and then classified into three different mono size groups by Russel sieve. For a complete removal of the structural moisture from the lignite coal, a microwave application with 600 W needs approximately 35% more energy consumption than that with 850 W. The untreated coal samples and the ones treated with microwave at 850 W were ground for 5, 15, 30, 60, 120 s in a stirred media mill. The breakage rates of microwave-treated coal increased and accordingly the ground products of microwave-treated coal yielded finer particles than −106 μm as compared to untreated coals. The untreated and microwave-treated feed coals of −3350 μm and −1180 μm particle sizes were ground for 2 min in the stirred media mill. It was found that the increases in the rate of weight percentages for −106 μm particle size fraction after 2 min of grinding of untreated and microwave-treated feed coals of −3350 μm and −1180 μm were found to be 15.81% and 2.69%, respectively. Moreover, Hardgrove Index (HGI) test results of lignite coal showed that the HGI index value increased by approximately 23% after microwave treatment with 850 W.     

Olive cake combustion in a circulating fluidized bed

In this study, a circulating fluidized bed of 125 mm diameter and 1800 mm height was used to find the combustion characteristics of olive cake (OC) produced in Turkey. A lignite coal that is most widely used in Turkey was also burned in the same combustor. The combustion experiments were carried out with various excess air ratios. The excess air ratio, λ, has been changed between 1.1 and 2.16. Temperature distribution along the bed was measured with thermocouples. On-line concentrations of O₂, SO₂, CO₂, CO, NO_x and total hydrocarbons were measured in the flue gas. Combustion efficiencies of OC and lignite coal are calculated, and the optimum conditions for operating parameters are discussed. The combustion efficiency of OC changes between 82.25 and 98.66% depending on the excess air ratio. There is a sharp decrease observed in the combustion losses due to hydrocarbons and CO as the excess air ratio increases. The minimum emissions are observed at λ=1.35. Combustion losses due to unburned carbon in the bed material do not exceed 1.4 wt% for OC and 1.85 wt% for coal. The combustion efficiency for coal changes between 82.25 and 98.66% for various excess air ratios used in the study. The ash analysis for OC is carried out to find the suitability of OC ash to be used as fertilizer. The ash does not contain any hazardous metal.     

Gasification of lignite and hard coal with air and oxygen enriched air in a pilot scale ex situ reactor for underground gasification

The main goal of the study presented in the paper was an experimental comparison of the underground lignite and hard coal seams air gasification simulated in the ex situ reactor. In the study lignite and hard coal were gasified with oxygen, air and oxygen enriched air as gasification agents in the 50- and 30-h experiments, respectively, with an intrinsic coal and strata moisture content as a steam source. Application of air as a sole gasification agent was problematic for a resulting rapid decrease in temperatures, deterioration of gas quality and, finally, cessation of gasification reactions. Use of oxygen/air mixture of an optimum ratio led to valuable gas production. In lignite seam gasification with oxygen/air (of 4:2 volume ratio) the average H₂ and CO contents in product gas were 23.1 vol.% and 6.3 vol.%, respectively, and the calorific value was 4.18 MJ/m³, whereas in hard coal gasification with the oxygen/air ratio (of 2:3 volume ratio) the average H₂ and CO contents in produced gas were 18.7 vol.% and 17.3 vol.%, respectively, and product gas calorific value equaled 5.74 MJ/m³.     

宝日希勒褐煤的热压提质试验研究

介绍了气流干燥技术的优点,并利用HPU试验线对宝日希勒褐煤进行了热压提质研究。煤样热重分析表明宝日希勒褐煤适宜的干燥温度为105～371℃。通过分析干燥温度、给料频率对提质煤粉水分的影响及提质煤粉水分对型煤质量的影响,说明提质煤粉水分随干燥温度的升高而降低,随给料频率的增加而增大,宝日希勒褐煤适宜的干燥温度为220～320℃,给料频率为30～50 Hz;提质煤粉较适宜的水分范围为5%～13%,最佳水分为5%～8%,此时,型煤抗压强度可达900 N/个以上,落下强度超过80%。因此,以高温烟气为干燥介质,采用气流干燥技术对宝日希勒褐煤进行脱水干燥提质是可行的。试验结果为拓展宝日希勒褐煤的加工利用途径提供了依据,也为其他地区的褐煤提质提供参考。     

单颗粒褐煤高温烟气干燥过程数值模拟

褐煤干燥对于提高其品质具有重要意义。为了模拟高温烟气干燥这一高温差、变温差非稳态传热传质过程中褐煤内水分蒸发过程,采用有限体积法建立了一维球坐标系下蒸发界面向内迁移的单颗粒褐煤干燥数学模型,并利用该模型分析了初始烟气温度和颗粒粒径对单个褐煤颗粒干燥特性的影响。模型模拟结果与实验结果对比表明二者变化趋势一致,所建模型能较好地反映出高温烟气干燥过程中褐煤内水分蒸发过程。结果表明,初始烟气温度越高,颗粒粒径越小,蒸发界面向内迁移速度越快,水分脱除越快,干燥时间越短;蒸发界面平均迁移速度均与初始烟气温度和颗粒粒径呈线性关系;在初始烟气温度700℃下,较短的停留时间使得颗粒表面温度未达到挥发分析出温度,本研究中不同粒径褐煤颗粒在干燥过程中基本没有挥发分的析出。     

Investigation of co-combustion of coal and olive cake in a bubbling fluidized bed with secondary air injection

In this study, a bubbling fluidized bed of 102 mm inside diameter and 900 mm height was used to burn olive cake and coal mixtures. Tunçbilek lignite coal was used together with olive cake for the co-combustion tests. Combustion performances and emission characteristics of olive cake and coal mixtures were investigated. Various co-combustion tests of coal with olive cake were conducted with mixing ratios of 25%, 50%, and 75% of olive cake by weight in the mixture. Operational parameters (excess air ratio, secondary air injection) were changed and variation of pollutant concentrations and combustion efficiency with these operational parameters were studied. The results were compared with that of the combustion of olive cake and coal. Flue gas concentrations of O₂, CO, SO₂, NO_x, and total hydrocarbons (C_mH_n) were measured during combustion tests.For the setup used in this study, the optimum operating conditions with respect to NO_x and SO₂ emissions were found to be 1.35 for excess air ratio, and 30 L/min for secondary air flowrate for the combustion of 75 wt% olive cake and 25 wt% coal mixture. The highest combustion efficiency of 99.8% was obtained with an excess air ratio of 1.7, secondary air flow rate of 40 L/min for the combustion of 25 wt% olive cake and 75 wt% coal mixture.     

Fluidized bed gasification of Kingston coal and marine microalgae in a spouted bed reactor

Steam gasification experiments were performed using a low-rank coal from South Australia, a marine microalga, and a blend of leached microalgal biomass and coal, in a spouted, fluidized bed reactor. The effect of different operating conditions – air-to-fuel ratio (A/F), steam-to-fuel ratio (S/F) and bed temperature (T_b) – on the producer gas composition was investigated. Producer gas compositions were analyzed and samples of bed material were also examined to identify ash components formed during each experiment. The optimum operating conditions for coal gasification, in this system, were identified to occur with A/F = 1.82, S/F = 0.75 and T_b = 850 °C. These conditions resulted in a producer gas with the highest heating value (per mass of fuel fed), the highest extent of carbon conversion and the optimum H₂:CO ratio for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. In addition, preliminary attempts to gasify a sun-dried marine microalga are reported. The dried biomass, sieved to 1.0–3.35 mm, was gasified with air and steam. Preliminary experiments, utilizing the as-received biomass, proved unsuccessful due to rapid bed sintering. Leaching of the algal biomass to remove the extra-cellular salt and co-gasification of the resultant biomass (10 wt%) with low-rank coal also proved unsuccessful due primarily to blockages of the downstream product lines most likely due to attrition of the algae feed in the screw feeder and elutriation from the bed.     

Co-liquefaction of lignite and sawdust under syngas

Individual and co-liquefaction of lignite and sawdust (CLLS) under syngas was performed in an autoclave and the effects of temperature, initial syngas pressure, reaction time and ratio of solvent to coal and biomass on the product distribution of CLLS were studied. Sawdust is easier to be liquefied than lignite and the addition of sawdust promotes the liquefaction of lignite. There is some positive synergetic effect during CLLS. In the range of the experimental conditions investigated, the oil yield of CLLS increases with the increase of temperature, reaction time (10-30 min) and the ratio of the solvent to the feedstock (0-3), but varies little with the increase of initial syngas pressure. Accordingly, the total conversion, the yield of preasphaltene and asphaltene (PA + A) and gas, changes by the difference in operation conditions of liquefaction. The gas products are mainly CO and CO₂ with a few C₁-C₄ components. The syngas can replace the pure hydrogen during CLLS. The optimized operation conditions in the present work for CLLS are as follows: syngas, temperature 360 °C, initial cold pressure 3.5 MPa, reaction time 30 min, the ratio of solvent to coal and sawdust 3:1. Water gas shift reaction occurs between CO in the syngas and H₂O from coal and sawdust moisture during the co-liquefaction, producing the active hydrogen which increases the conversion of liquefaction and decreases the hydrogen consumption.     

The effect of fly ash on fluid dynamics of CO2 scrubber in coal-fired power plant

Uncaptured fly ash and/or suspended solids from wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) scrubbing solutions are one of several factors that will influence the performance and robustness of carbon dioxide capture systems in coal-fired power plants which will be installed prior to the exhaust stack. In this study, a 100 mm ID packed column scrubber was tested with different concentrations of ash in various chemical solutions to evaluate the influence of solids on the fluid dynamics of the packing material. Data reported here are collected from three solutions including water, 30 wt% MEA (monoethanolamine), and 20 wt% potassium carbonate. The packing selected for this study was a 16 mm polypropylene pall rings. Compressed air was used to simulate flue gas at near ambient temperature and pressure.     

Modeling the temperature in coal char particle during fluidized bed combustion

The temperatures of a coal char particle in hot bubbling fluidized bed (FB) were analyzed by a model of combustion. The unsteady model includes phenomena of heat and mass transfer through a porous char particle, as well as heterogeneous reaction at the interior char surface and homogeneous reaction in the pores. The parametric analysis of the model has shown that above 550 °C combustion occurs under the regime limited by diffusion. The experimental results of temperature measurements by thermocouple in the particle center during FB combustion at temperatures in the range 590-710 °C were compared with the model predictions. Two coals of different rank were used: lignite and brown coal, with particle size in the range 5-10 mm. The comparisons have shown that the model can adequately predict the histories of temperatures in char particles during combustion in FB. In the first order, the model predicts the influence of the particle size, coal rank (via porosity), and oxygen concentration in its surroundings.     

Flame temperatures and species concentrations in non-stoichiometric oxycoal flames

The oxyfuel technology offers the possibility for CO₂ sequestration from coal fired power plants. One drawback is the need for a high external flue gas recirculation to avoid inadmissible high flame temperatures. The concept of controlled staging with non-stoichiometric burners (CSNB) allows a significant reduction of the commonly proposed flue gas recirculation rate while fulfilling all requirements on temperature limitations. The concept aims at a more efficient oxyfuel process with a higher degree of freedom for heat-flux adjustments suitable for a new generation of oxyfuel boilers. The steam generator size could be reduced and in this way a more cost effective steam generator concept is possible. Additionally the energy demand for the flue gas recirculation is lowered.This paper presents the experimental investigations of non-stoichiometric oxycoal flames. Temperature and gas profiles were taken to analyze the combustion behavior of coal with high oxygen concentrations in the oxidizer under oxygen deficiency and accordingly oxygen excess. In addition an optical flame monitoring system allowed a comparison of ignition, flame shape and stability. In the test rig lignite was burned under different stoichiometries ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 and different oxygen concentrations in the oxidant ranging from 30 to 40 vol.%. The thermal input of the burner was 70 kW at a total thermal input of 140 kW and a dry flue gas recirculation was used. The results were compared to a conventional air-blown combustion and showed that similar temperature ranges can be reached even with oxygen concentrations in the oxidizer as high as 40 vol.%.     

Cobenefit of SO3 reduction on mercury capture with activated carbon in coal flue gas

Parametric experiments were carried out to study the interactions of mercury, SO₃, and injected activated carbon (AC) in a coal flue gas stream. The levels of SO₃ vapor in flue gas were altered by individually varying flue gas temperature, moisture, or sodium fume injection in the flue gas. Meanwhile, mercury emissions with AC injection (ACI) upstream of an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) were evaluated under varied SO₃ concentrations. SO₃ measurements using a condensation method indicated that low temperature, high moisture content, and sodium fume injection in flue gas shifted SO₃ partitioning from the vapor to particulate phase, subsequently improving mercury capture with ACI. 0.08 g/m³ of DARCO^® Hg-LH injection only provided approximately 20% mercury reduction across the ESP in a bituminous coal flue gas containing 28 ppm SO₃, but mercury capture was increased to 80% when the SO₃ vapor concentration was lowered less than 2 ppm. Experimental data clearly demonstrate that elevated SO₃ vapor is the key factor that impedes mercury adsorption on AC, mainly because SO₃ directly competes against mercury for the same binding sites and overwhelmingly consumes all binding sites.     

褐煤低温干燥特性的实验研究

中国褐煤储量丰富,但较高水分极大地限制了其开采和利用,对其进行脱水提质是解决褐煤高效利用的关键。通过热重分析仪（TGA）对HL和YN的不同粒径褐煤,分别在50,80和110℃等温干燥2h。结果表明：在每个干燥温度下煤样都能达到恒重,随着温度的升高煤样总失重增加,说明煤中水分与煤表面之间具有不同的结合强度;随着水分的降低,水分蒸发所需能量增加,煤水之间的相互作用加强,其中包括氢键和微孔对水的束缚力。粒径0．250～0．150mm、水分26．61％的HL褐煤在50c（二干燥后,水分降至6．96％,此时水分以分子层水的形式存在;干燥温度升至110℃时,煤中水分并未明显降低,说明煤中官能团与水分子间形成的氢键对水分有强烈的吸附作用。HL褐煤50℃干燥后,0．150～0．074mm和0．074～0．038mm煤样残留水分分别为6．52％和3．93％,均低于0．250～0．150mm煤样的6．96％,说明0．250～0．150mm煤样中不能脱除的残留水是孔隙水,被禁锢在狭小空间内。     

Dynamic experimental simulation of hydrogen oriented underground gasification of lignite

The main goal of the study presented in the paper was to experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of lignite gasification to hydrogen-rich gas under the underground conditions simulated in the ex situ reactor. The in situ gasification conditions were simulated both in respect to the coal seam and the surrounding stratum. In the 54-h experiment the process of lignite gasification with oxygen and steam as gasifying medium was tested. The experiment was initially divided into three stages: the ignition stage, the oxygen stage and the steam stage.The gas produced in the steam gasification stage was characterized by the calorific value of 7.8 MJ/m³ and average hydrogen content of 46.3 vol.%. Unfortunately a rapid decrease in the temperature levels and in the amount of produced gas proved that the tested lignite of 53 vol.% moisture content was not suitable for steam gasification. A great amount of thermal energy was consumed for water evaporation which led to a considerable heat loss. An addition of stoichiometric amount of water in the system by adding steam caused the seam to extinguish. Thus only oxygen could be used as the gasifying medium in the gasification of the tested lignite. The average calorific value of gas produced in the stable operation during oxygen gasification stage equaled 5.2 MJ/m³ with the average gas production rate of 16.0 m³/h and the average hydrogen content in the produced gas of 26.4 vol.%.     

Development of an oxycoal swirl burner operating at low O2 concentrations

This work is to clarify the underlying mechanisms of burning pulverised coal in a mixture of CO₂/O₂. The performance of two different burner designs, single central orifice-type (SCO) and single annular orifice-type (SAO), under oxycoal conditions was examined in a down-fired test facility. Based on detailed in-flame measurements, combined with numerical simulations, the main parameters influencing the stability of a CO₂/O₂ pulverised coal swirl flame were investigated. The oxycoal flame was stabilised at the burner quarl by: increasing the O₂ concentration above 34 vol% without changes to the air-firing burner design and by modifications of the burner geometry thus changing its aerodynamics. The modification of the burner allowed a decrease of the O₂ concentrations to 23 vol% for SCO burner and to less than 21 vol% for SAO burner. Comprehensive measurement data for axial and tangential velocity, flue gas temperature and oxygen concentration for stable oxy-firing at 21 vol% O₂ is presented. The results reported can be used as a guideline for a development of an industrial swirl burner capable of stable operation in both regimes, namely: air and oxycoal.     

Pipe reactor gasification studies of a south african bituminous coal blend. Part 1 - Carbon and volatile matter behaviour as function of feed coal particle size reduction

The Sasol-Lurgi fixed-bed dry-bottom (FBDB) MKIV gasifiers are proven to be robust as far as acceptable coal properties are concerned, in particular its ability to accommodate a range of particle size distributions (PSD) fractions. Over the years, the findings from a number of studies conducted at Sasol have played a key role in the optimization of the Sasol-Lurgi gasifiers as far as the limited amount of coal preparation by crushing and screening is concerned. The continued optimization efforts by Sasol over many years have led to a robust and reliable gasification technology for coal conversion, and more improvements are envisaged for the near future.In this study, gasification profiles inside real coal beds were investigated experimentally using a pilot scale combustor unit (pipe reactor), where the top size of the coal blend was systematically reduced from 75 mm, 53 mm and 37.5 mm. The pilot scale combustor has an inside diameter of 400 mm, is approximately 3 m long and the combustion rate is controlled by regulating the oxygen/nitrogen ratio of the gas feed. Ash is not removed continuously, so the combustion front moves upwards through the coal bed with time, resulting in a temperature gradient across the bed. The combustion process can be stopped at any point in time by removing all of the oxygen from the feed gas (i.e. quenching with nitrogen). The combustor was constructed so that it can be tilted onto its side and opened up like a coffin to allow sample taking and visual inspection of the combustion profile. In this case, equivalent sized slices were taken across the length of the reactor bed contents and the samples were analysed for PSD, proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, Fisher assay and coal char CO₂ reactivity. This paper focuses on the coal property transformational behaviour (as characterized by the proximate analysis and Fischer tar results) through packed coal beds of different feed coal size distributions.The proximate analysis results showed clear reaction zone profiles to be occurring within the pipe reactor, i.e. drying, pyrolysis, reduction and combustion (ash bed) zones, in agreement with the SL-FBDB MKIV commercial-scale findings. It was found that a decrease in feed coal particle size resulted in better heat transfer across the particles with ensuing faster volatile matter and tar evolution.     

循环流化床中烟气飞灰汞迁移规律

在小型热态循环流化床试验台上进行褐煤、烟煤、无烟煤燃烧试验,研究3种典型煤的烟气气态汞和飞灰颗粒汞迁移规律。试验结果表明：褐煤、烟煤、无烟煤在燃烧过程中,炉膛温度、空截面风速、给煤量以及煤颗粒大小变化时,汞元素在烟气和飞灰之间的迁移规律相似;降低炉膛密相区温度和增大炉膛空截面风速可促进烟气气态总汞Hg^T（g）迁移到飞灰颗粒汞Hg（p）中,同时也促进烟气气态零价汞Hg⁰（g）向烟气气态二价汞Hg²⁺（g）和Hg（p）转化;增加给煤量,烟气气态总汞Hg^T（g）和烟气气态零价汞Hg⁰（g）减少,飞灰颗粒汞Hg（p）含量增加,并且影响Hg⁰（g）的转化;选择合适的煤颗粒粒度可以促进Hg⁰（g）的转化以及Hg^T（g）向Hg（p）迁移。随燃烧工况的变化,3种煤Hg^T（g）、Hg（p）和Hg⁰（g）含量变化趋势相似,但含量相差较大,Hg⁰（g）占Hg^T（g）的比例y值也不同,其中无烟煤的y值高于烟煤和褐煤的y值。     

GASIFICATION OF GREEK LIGNITE IN AN INDIRECT HEAT (ALLOTHERMAL) ROTARY KILN GASIFIER

This work reports the performance results of a pilot-size lignite gasification plant. The feed material was Greek lignite (Megalopolis), currently being employed for electricity generation in pulverized lignite-fired thermoelectric stations. Low energy conversion efficiency, low station availability, and environmental issues call for developing improved processes, e.g., an IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle). An indirect heat (allothermal) rotary kiln was selected as the lignite gasification reactor for developing an overall gasification process of improved efficiency. Weeklong gasification runs, at near atmospheric pressure and maximum temperature in the range 900-950°C, validated high DAF lignite conversions, i.e., 90-95%, and the production of a medium heating value synthesis gas (i.e., 11-13 MJ/Nm 3 dry basis), despite the use of air for burning recycled product gas for process heating. Gas composition is equivalent to that of autothermal gasifiers (e.g., Lurgi, Winkler, Koppers-Totzek), which operate on oxygen, under pressure and strict moisture and particle size specifications. Similarly, the kiln gas is comparable to that of an allothermal, high-pressure, fluidized bed gasifier running with a high rank coal feed. The data indicate satisfactory gasification efficiency and a good thermal efficiency that should be improved further through heat integration of a scaled-up process based on an indirect heat rotary kiln gasifier.     

Study on NO heterogeneous reduction with coal in an entrained flow reactor

The effects of coal types with a wide range of volatile matter content including lignite, bituminous coal, and lean coal, as well as the effects of reaction temperature, coal particle size, the primary-zone stoichiometry (SR1) and reburning-zone stoichiometry (SR2), etc. on NO reduction efficiency were carried out systematically in an entrained flow reactor. The heterogeneous NO reduction mechanism was analyzed. The results indicate that the NO reduction efficiencies increase with decreasing SR2 and coal particle size, and with increasing reaction temperature. The char contributions to the total NO reduction efficiency increase with increasing proximate volatile matter, coal particle size, and with decreasing reaction temperature. The char contribution can be reached more than 40% when SR2 is larger than 1.06 or less than 0.92 for XLT lignite. The char contribution at the conditions of SR1 = 1.0 and SR1 = 1.2 is significantly larger than that at SR1 = 1.1 for coals with high-volatile matter at a fixed reburning fraction.     

褐煤干燥后水分复吸的实验研究

空气湿度是产生复吸的重要条件,湿度越高复吸的程度越高;自然条件下,温度越高复吸速度越快;产物粒度越小复吸速度和复吸程度越大。深度干燥煤的复吸水主要发生在煤堆表面。研究了高温烟气干燥褐煤的水分复吸性能,结果表明,在6％～11％的全水含量范围内,干燥煤复吸后水分升高幅度基本一致。在此全水范围内干燥煤全水高低不会影响复吸结果。