Effect of reactivity loss on apparent reaction order of burning char particles

Considerable debate still exists in the char combustion community over the expected and observed reaction orders of carbon reacting with oxygen. In particular, very low values of the reaction order (approaching zero) are commonly observed in char combustion experiments. These observations appear to conflict with porous catalyst theory as first expressed by Thiele, which suggests that the apparent reaction order must be greater than 0.5. In this work, we propose that this conflict may be resolved by considering the decrease in char reactivity with burnout due to ash effects, thermal annealing, or other phenomena. Specifically, the influence of ash dilution of the available surface area on the apparent reaction order is explored. Equations describing the ash dilution effect are combined with a model for particle burnout based on single-film nth-order Arrhenius char combustion and yield an analytical expression for the effective reaction order. When this expression is applied for experimental conditions reflecting combustion of individual pulverized coal particles in an entrained flow reactor, the apparent reaction order is shown to be lower than the inherent char matrix reaction order, even for negligible extents of char conversion. As char conversion proceeds and approaches completion, the apparent reaction order drops precipitously past zero to negative values. Conversely, the inclusion of the ash dilution model has little effect on the char conversion profile or char particle temperature until significant burnout has occurred. Taken together, these results suggest that the common experimental observation of low apparent reaction orders during char combustion is a consequence of the lack of explicit modeling of the decrease in char reactivity with burnout.     

The fate of char-N at pulverized coal conditions

The fate of char-N (nitrogen removed from the coal matrix during char oxidation) has been widely studied at fluidized bed conditions. This work extends the study of char-N to pulverized coal conditions. Coal chars from five parent coals were prepared and burned in a laboratory-scale pulverized coal combustor in experiments designed to identify the parameters controlling the fate of char-N. The chars were burned with natural gas (to simulate volatiles combustion) in both air and in a nitrogen-free oxidant composed of Ar, CO₂, and O₂. In some experiments, the char flames were doped with various levels of NO or NH₃ to simulate formation of NO_x from volatile-N (nitrogen removed during coal devolatilization). The conversion of char-N to NO_x in chars burned in the nitrogen-free oxidant was 50-60% for lignites and 40-50% for bituminous coals. In char flames doped with NO_x, the apparent conversion of char-N to NO_x (computed using the NO_x measurements made before and after the addition of char to the system) decreased significantly as the level of NO_x doping increased. With 900 ppm NO_x present before the addition of char, apparent conversion of char-N to NO_x was close to 0% for most chars. While there is no clear correlation between nitrogen content of the char and char-N to NO_x conversion at any level of NO_x in the flame, the degree of char burnout within a given family of chars does play a role. Increasing the concentration of O₂ in the system in both air and nitrogen-free oxidant experiments increased the conversion of char-N to NO_x. The effects of temperature on NO_x emissions were different at low (0 ppm) and high (900 ppm) levels of NO_x present in the flame before char addition.     

Gasification of a pulverized sub-bituminous coal in CO2 at atmospheric pressure in an entrained flow reactor

Char gasification by CO₂ may play an important role in oxy-fuel applications and affect particle temperature histories and overall reaction rates during combustion. This paper presents the results of a complete set of experiments of char gasification in CO₂ performed with a pulverized Indonesian sub-bituminous coal in an entrained flow reactor under realistic conditions; series of burnout curves at different reactor temperatures (1040–1300 °C) and CO₂ concentrations (0.7–100%) reveal consistent trends in the gasification rates. The study included also devolatilization and oxidation tests with this coal in the same experimental facility. The data are used to derive apparent kinetics for the three processes, in a manner similar to that followed in a previous work for the oxidation of a pulverized coal. The gasification kinetic parameters and reaction rates measured are then compared with values taken or derived from previous works by others, obtained by thermogravimetric analysis or experiments in entrained flow reactors. Finally, the relevance of char gasification in the overall reaction rate under conditions representative of those in an industrial boiler is explored, in particular for the case of oxy-coal combustion.     

Combustion kinetics of coal chars in oxygen-enriched environments

Oxygen-enhanced and oxygen-fired pulverized coal combustion is actively being investigated to achieve emission reductions and reductions in flue gas cleanup costs, as well as for coal-bed methane and enhanced oil recovery applications. To fully understand the results of pilot scale tests and to accurately predict scale-up performance through CFD modeling, accurate rate expressions are needed to describe coal char combustion under these unconventional combustion conditions. In the work reported here, the combustion rates of two pulverized coal chars have been measured in both conventional and oxygen-enriched atmospheres. A combustion-driven entrained flow reactor equipped with an optical particle-sizing pyrometry diagnostic and a rapid-quench sampling probe has been used for this investigation. Highvale subbituminous coal and a high-volatile eastern United States bituminous coal have been investigated, over oxygen concentrations ranging from 6 to 36 mol% and gas temperatures of 1320-1800 K. The results from these experiments demonstrate that pulverized coal char particles burn under increasing kinetic control in elevated oxygen environments, despite their higher burning rates in these environments. Empirical fits to the data have been successfully performed over the entire range of oxygen concentrations using a single-film oxidation model. Both a simple nth-order Arrhenius expression and an nth-order Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic equation provide good fits to the data. Local fits of the nth-order Arrhenius expression to the oxygen-enriched and oxygen-depleted data produce lower residuals in comparison to fits of the entire dataset. These fits demonstrate that the apparent reaction order varies from 0.1 under near-diffusion-limit oxygen-depleted conditions to 0.5 under oxygen-enriched conditions. Burnout predictions show good agreement with measurements. Predicted char particle temperatures tend to be low for combustion in oxygen-depleted environments.     

Combustion behavior in air of single particles from three different coal ranks and from sugarcane bagasse

Comparative combustion studies were performed on particles of pulverized coal samples from three different ranks: a high-volatile bituminous coal, a sub-bituminous coal, and two lignite coals. The study was augmented to include observations on burning pulverized woody biomass residues, in the form of sugarcane bagasse. Fuel particles, in the range of 75–90 μm, were injected in a bench-scale, transparent drop-tube furnace, electrically-heated to 1400 K, where they experienced high-heating rates, ignited and burned. The combustion of individual particles in air was observed with three-color pyrometry and high-speed high-resolution cinematography to obtain temperature–time–size histories. Based on combined observations from these techniques, in conjunction to morphological examinations of particles, a comprehensive understanding of the combustion behaviors of these fuels was developed. Observed differences among the coals have been striking. Upon pyrolysis, the bituminous coal chars experienced the phenomena of softening, melting, swelling and formation of large blowholes through which volatile matter escaped. Combustion of the volatile matter was sooty and very luminous with large co-tails forming in the wake of the particle trajectories. Only after the volatile matter flames extinguished, the char combustion commenced and was also very luminous. In contrast, upon pyrolysis, lignite coals became fragile and experienced extensive fragmentation, immediately followed by ignition of the char fragments (numbering in the order of 10–100, depending on the origin of the lignite coal) spread apart into a relatively large volume. As no separate volatile matter combustion period was evident, it is likely that volatiles burned on the surface of the chars. The combustion of the sub-bituminous coal was also different. Most particles experienced limited fragmentation, upon pyrolysis, to several char fragments, with or without the presence of brief and low-luminosity volatile flames; other particles did not fragment and directly proceeded to char combustion. Finally combustion of bagasse was once again very distinctive. Upon pyrolysis, long-lasting, low-luminosity, nearly-transparent spherical flames formed around slowly-settling devolatilizing particles. They were followed by bright, short-lived combustion of the chars. Both volatiles and chars experienced shrinking core mode of burning. For all fuels, flame and char temperature profiles were deduced from pyrometric data and burnout times were measured. Combustion rates were calculated from luminous carbon disappearance measurements, and were compared with predictions based on published kinetic expressions.     

Aerosol-based method for investigating biomass char reactivity at high temperatures

An aerosol-based method was proposed and developed to characterize particles fragmented from biomass chars during oxidation. The chars were prepared from both wood and miscanthus pellets under various pyrolysis conditions. Char fragments with aerodynamic diameters in the range of 0.5–10 μm were suspended and transported in a reactive gas through an aerosol reactor, which was heated by an electric oven. The oxidation of char particles in the reactor was investigated by determining on-line the particle size distributions before and after passage through the reactor using an aerodynamic particle sizer (APS) spectrometer. The interpretation of APS data was evaluated by both experiments and models in which the fine char particles were assumed to keep either constant density or constant diameter during the oxidation process. The results indicate that the aerosol-based method can be used to determine reaction kinetics of char particles in the high-temperature range, where oxidation is normally controlled by diffusion limitation if measuring with the conventional techniques. The application of the aerosol method indicated that high pyrolysis temperature and prolonged retention time will reduce the char reactivity.     

Char oxidation at elevated pressures

Approximately 100 char oxidation experiments were performed at atmospheric and elevated pressures, with two sizes (70 and 40 μm) of Utah and Pittsburgh bituminous coal chars at 1, 5, 10, and 15 atm total pressure. Reactor temperatures were varied between 1000 and 1500 K with 5% to 21% oxygen in the bulk gas, resulting in average particle temperatures ranging from 1400 to 2100 K and burnoff from 15% to 96% (daf). Independently determined particle temperature and overall reaction rate allowed an internal check on the data consistency and provided insight into the products of combustion. The chars burned in a reducing density and reducing diameter mode in an intermediate regime between the kinetic and pore diffusion zones, irrespective of total pressure. Significant surface CO₂ formation occurred at particle temperatures below about 1800 K over the entire pressure range. Particle temperatures were strongly dependent on the oxygen and total pressures; increasing oxygen pressure at constant total pressure resulted in substantial increases in particle temperature, while increasing the total pressure at constant oxygen pressure led to substantial decreases in particle temperature. Increasing total pressure from 1 to 5 atm in an environment of constant gas composition led to modest increases in the reaction rate; the rate decreased with further increases in pressure. Results indicate that ambient pressure global model kinetic parameters cannot be accurately extrapolated to elevated pressures. The apparent reaction rate coefficients (based on the partial pressure form of the nth-order rate equation) showed significant pressure dependence, since both the activation energy and frequency factor decreased with increasing pressure. This suggests that the empirical nth-order rate equation is not valid over the range of pressures encountered in the experiments. However, simulations indicate that the global model can be used to model elevated pressure char oxidation provided pressure-dependent kinetic parameters are used.     

Formation of the structure of chars during devolatilization of pulverized coal and its thermoproperties: A review

The paper provides an overview of current studies on the behaviour of coal during devolatilization, especially the experimental studies and modelling efforts on the formation of char structure of bituminous coals in the open literature. Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in the world. It dominates the energy supply in the future and plays an increasing role particularly in the developing countries. Coal utilization processes such as combustion or gasification generally involve several steps: i.e., the devolatilization of organic materials, homogeneous reactions of volatile matter with the reactant gases and heterogeneous reactions of chars with the reactant gases. The devolatilization process exerts its influence throughout the life of the solid particles from the injection to the burnout, therefore is the most important step which needs to be understood. When volatile matter is generated, the physical structure of a char changes significantly during the devolatilization, some accompanying a particle's swelling. The complexity of a char's structure lies in the facts that the structure of a char itself is highly heterogenous inside an individual particle and between different particles and the chemistry of a char is strongly dependent on the raw coal properties. A char's structure is strongly dependent on the heating conditions such as temperature, heating rate and pressure. Understanding the swelling of coal and the formation of char's pore structure during the devolatilization of pulverized coal is essential to the development of advanced coal utilization technologies. During combustion and gasification of pulverized coal, the behaviour of individual particles differs markedly due to the variation of their maceral composition. Particles with different maceral constituents generate different types of char structure. The structure of a char has a significant impact on its subsequent heterogeneous reactions and ash formation. The review also covers the most recent studies carried out by the authors, including the experimental observations of the thermoplastic behaviour of individual coal particles from the density fractions using a single-particle reactor, the experimental analysis on chars prepared in a drop tube furnace using the density-separated coal samples, the development of a mathematical model for the formation of char's pore structure based on a simplified multi-bubble mechanism and the investigation on the effect of pressure on char formation in a pressurized entrained-flow reactor.     

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).     

煤焦异相还原NO的实验研究

在U形石英管固定床反应器中实验研究了乌达煤焦对NO的异相还原作用。乌达煤焦在程序升温和快速升温条件下还原NO的实验结果表明,反应温度超过700°C时,NO的还原率开始迅速上升,在实验范围内,温度维持在800°C～1000°C之间,NO的还原率较高。反应区的初始氧气浓度越高,NO的还原率越低,表明煤焦与氧气的反应和煤焦还原NO的反应之间存在着较强的竞争作用。制焦温度越高、煤焦粒径越粗,NO的还原率越低,表明制焦条件对煤焦还原NO的反应性有较大影响。     

On the burning behavior of pulverized coal chars

A model that predicts the physical changes that pulverized coal char particles undergo during combustion has been developed. In the model, a burning particle is divided into a number of concentric annular volume elements. The mass loss rate, specific surface area, and apparent density in each volume element depend upon the local particle conditions, which vary as a consequence of the adsorbed oxygen and gas-phase oxygen concentration gradients inside the particle. The model predicts the particle's burning rate, temperature, diameter, apparent density, and specific surface area as combustion proceeds, given ambient conditions and initial char properties. A six-step heterogeneous reaction mechanism is used to describe carbon reactivity to oxygen. A distributed activation energy approach is used to account for the variation in desorption energies of adsorbed O-atoms on the carbonaceous surface. Model calculations support the three burning zones established for the oxidation of pulverized coal chars. The model indicates two types of zone II behavior, however. Under weak zone II burning conditions, constant-diameter burning occurs up to 30% to 50% conversion before burning commences with reductions in both size and apparent density. Under strong zone II conditions, particles burn with reductions in both size and apparent density after an initial short period (<2% conversion) of constant-diameter burning. Model predictions reveal that early in the oxidation process, there is mass loss at constant diameter under all zone II burning conditions. Such weak and strong burning behavior cannot be predicted with the commonly used power-law model for the mode of burning employing a single value for the burning mode parameter. Model calculations also reveal how specific surface area evolves when oxidation occurs in the zone II burning regime. Based on the calculated results, a surface area submodel that accounts for the effects of pore growth and coalescence during combustion under zone I conditions was modified to permit the characterization of the variations in specific surface area that occur during char conversion under zones II conditions. The modified surface area model is applicable to all burning regimes. Calculations also indicate that the particle's effectiveness factor varies during conversion under zone II burning conditions. With the adsorption/desorption mechanism employed, a near first-order Thiele modulus-effectiveness factor relationship is obeyed over the particle's lifetime.     

煤再燃过程中燃料特性对NO还原的影响

在小型流动反应器中研究了不同煤粉及其煤焦对富燃料再燃区NO异相还原的影响。实验中选用的再燃燃料为小龙潭褐煤、富拉尔基褐煤和大同烟煤及其煤焦,以及添加不同催化剂的大同烟煤焦。实验在初始NO浓度为1000×10     

Combustion behavior of single particles from three different coal ranks and from sugar cane bagasse in O2/N2 and O2/CO2 atmospheres

The combustion behavior of single fuel particles was assessed in O₂/N₂ and O₂/CO₂ background gases, with oxygen mole fractions in the range of 20–100%. Fuels included four pulverized coals from different ranks (a high-volatile bituminous, a sub-bituminous and two lignites) as well as pulverized sugarcane-bagasse, a biomass residue. Particles of 75–90 μm were injected under laminar flow in a bench-scale, transparent drop-tube furnace (DTF), electrically-heated to 1400 K where, upon experiencing high heating rates, they ignited and burned. The combustion of individual particles was observed with three-color optical pyrometry and high-speed high-resolution cinematography to obtain temperature and burnout time histories. Based on combined observations from these techniques, a comprehensive understanding of the behaviors of these fuels was developed under a variety of conditions, including simulated oxy-fuel combustion. The fuels exhibited distinct combustion behaviors. In air, the bituminous coal particles burned in two distinctive modes; the volatiles burned in bright envelope flames surrounding the devolatilizing char particles followed by heterogeneous char combustion. The volatile matter of sub-bituminous coal particles burned either in subdued envelope flames, surrounding devolatilizing and occasionally fragmenting chars, or heterogeneously at the char surface. Lignite particles typically burned with extensive fragmentation, and their volatiles burned simultaneously with the char fragments. The volatiles of bagasse particles burned in spherical and transparent envelope flames. Increasing the oxygen mole fraction in N₂, increased flame and char surface temperatures, and decreased burnout times; particles of all fuels burned more intensely with an increasing tendency of the volatiles to burn closer to the char surface. When the background gas N₂ was substituted with CO₂, the combustion of all fuels was distinctly less intense; at moderate O₂ mole fractions (<30%) most particles did not ignite under active flow conditions in the furnace (they did ignite under quiescent gas flow conditions in the DTF). Increasing the oxygen mole fraction in CO₂ increased the likelihood of combustion and its intensity. Combustion of volatiles in envelope flames was suppressed in the presence of CO₂, particularly under active gas flow in the DTF.     

Fuel conversion characteristics of black liquor and pyrolysis oil mixtures: Efficient gasification with inherent catalyst

Alkali metals inherent in black liquor (BL) have strong catalytic activity during gasification. A catalytic co-gasification process based on BL with pyrolysis oil (PO) has the potential to be a part of efficient and fuel-flexible biofuel production systems. The objective of the paper is to investigate how adding PO into BL alters fuel conversion under gasification conditions. First, the conversion times of single fuel droplet were observed in a flat flame burner under different conditions. Fuel conversion times of PO/BL mixtures were significantly lower than PO and comparable to BL. Initial droplet size (300–1500 μm) was the main variable affecting devolatilization, indicating control by external heat transfer. Char oxidation was affected by droplet size and the surrounding gas composition. Then, the intrinsic reactivity of char gasification was measured in an isothermal thermogravimetric analyser at T = 993–1133 K under the flow of CO₂–N₂ mixtures. All the BL-based samples (100% BL, 20% PO/80% BL, and 30% PO/70% BL on mass basis) showed very high char conversion. Conversion rate of char gasification for PO/BL mixtures was comparable to that of pure BL although the fraction of alkali metal in char decreased because of mixing. The reactivities of BL and BL/PO chars were higher than the literature values for solid biomass and coal chars by several orders of magnitude. The combined results suggest that fuel mixtures containing up to 30% of PO on mass basis may be feasible in existing BL gasification technology.     

The combustion characteristics of high-heating-rate chars from untreated and torrefied biomass fuels

Torrefaction of biomass is of great interest at the present time, because of its potential to upgrade biomass into a fuel with improved properties. This study considers the fundamentals of combustion of two biomass woods: short rotation willow coppice and eucalyptus and their torrefied counterparts. Chars were prepared from the untreated and torrefied woods in a drop tube furnace at 1100 °C. Fuels and chars were characterised for proximate, ultimate and surface areas. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to derive pyrolysis and char combustion kinetics for the untreated and treated fuels and their chars. It was found that the untreated fuels devolatilise faster than their torrefied counterparts. Similarly, the chars from the untreated biomass were also found to be more reactive than chars from torrefied fuels, when comparing reaction rates. However, the activation energy value (Ea) for combustion of the untreated eucalyptus char was higher than that for the torrefied eucalyptus chars. Moreover, the eucalyptus chars were more reactive than the willow char analogues, although they had seen a lower extent of burn off, which is also a parameter indicative of reactivity. Similar trends in were also observed from their intrinsic reactivities; i.e. chars from the untreated fuel were more reactive than chars from the torrefied fuel and eucalyptus chars were more reactive than willow chars. Chars were also studied using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. This latter method enabled a semi-quantitative analysis of char potassium contents, which led to an estimation of potassium partitioning during char formation and burnout. Results show a good correlation between potassium release and percent burnout. With respect to the effect of torrefaction on fuel-N, findings suggest that torrefaction would be beneficial for pf combustion in terms of nitrogen emissions, as it resulted in lower fuel-N contents and ∼72–92% of the fuel-nitrogen was released with the volatile fraction upon devolatilisation at 1100 °C.     

煤粉再燃过程中NO异相还原机理的重要性

用两种褐煤的一种烟煤及其煤焦作为再燃燃料，实验研究了再燃环境下NO的还原。通过比较煤粉和煤焦对NO还原过程的不同，分析了异相机理对NO还原的重要性。结果表明，褐煤及其煤焦是有效的再燃燃料。褐煤作为再燃燃料时，煤焦的异相还原机理对NO还原起重要作用。煤中的金属氧化物对NO还原具有催化作用。     

Kinetics of devolatilization and oxidation of a pulverized biomass in an entrained flow reactor under realistic combustion conditions

In this paper the results of a complete set of devolatilization and combustion experiments performed with pulverized (∼500 μm) biomass in an entrained flow reactor under realistic combustion conditions are presented. The data obtained are used to derive the kinetic parameters that best fit the observed behaviors, according to a simple model of particle combustion (one-step devolatilization, apparent oxidation kinetics, thermally thin particles). The model is found to adequately reproduce the experimental trends regarding both volatile release and char oxidation rates for the range of particle sizes and combustion conditions explored. The experimental and numerical procedures, similar to those recently proposed for the combustion of pulverized coal [J. Ballester, S. Jiménez, Combust. Flame 142 (2005) 210-222], have been designed to derive the parameters required for the analysis of biomass combustion in practical pulverized fuel configurations and allow a reliable characterization of any finely pulverized biomass. Additionally, the results of a limited study on the release rate of nitrogen from the biomass particle along combustion are shown.     

Coal conversion submodels for design applications at elevated pressures. Part I. devolatilization and char oxidation

Numerous process concepts are under development worldwide that convert coal at elevated pressure. These developments rely heavily on CFD and other advanced calculation schemes that require submodels for several stages of coal chemistry, including devolatilization, volatiles combustion and reforming, char oxidation and char gasification. This paper surveys the databases of laboratory testing on devolatilization and char oxidation at elevated pressure, first, to identify the tendencies that are essential to rational design of coal utilization technology and, second, to validate two well-known reaction mechanisms for quantitative design calculations.Devolatilization at elevated pressure generates less volatile matter, especially tar. Low-rank coals are no less sensitive to pressure variations than bituminous coals; in fact, coal quality is just as important at elevated pressure as it is at atmospheric pressure. Faster heating rates do not enhance volatiles yields at the highest operating pressures. The FLASHCHAIN^® predictions for the devolatilization database depict the distinctive devolatilization behavior of individual samples, even among samples with the same nominal rank. The only sample-specific input requirements are the proximate and ultimate analyses of the coal. There were no systematic discrepancies in the predicted total and tar yields across the entire pressure range. Char oxidation rates increase for progressively higher O₂ partial pressures and gas temperatures, but are insensitive to total pressure at constant O₂ mole fraction. Char burning rates become faster with coals of progressively lower rank, although the reactivity is somewhat less sensitive to coal quality at elevated pressure than at atmospheric pressure. An expanded version of the carbon burnout kinetics model was able to represent all datasets except one within useful quantitative tolerances, provided that the initial intrinsic pre-exponential factor was adjusted for each coal sample.     

Effect of Carbonization Temperature on Combustion Reactivity of Bagasse Char

Abstract

The combustion reactivity of bagasse chars was investigated under isothermal conditions at 400°C in air. The bagasse char samples were prepared by carbonizing bagasse in a fixed bed reactor at temperatures between 500°C and 800°C. It was observed that raising the carbonization temperature resulted in a significant decrease in reactivity of bagasse char. This was manifested by the decrease in the values of the maximum reaction rate, average rate based on 50% burnout and conversion achieved in 30 minutes with the increase in carbonization temperature. The decrease in reactivity of bagasse char with carbonization temperature was attributed to changes in the reactive components of bagasse.     

Experimental studies of ash film fractions based on measurement of cenospheres geometry in pulverized coal combustion

In pulverized coal particle combustion, part of the ash forms the ash film and exerts an inhibitory influence on combustion by impeding the diffusion of oxygen to the encapsulated char core, while part of the ash diffuses toward the char core. Despite the considerable ash effects on combustion, the fraction of ash film still remains unclear. However, the research of the properties of cenospheres can be an appropriate choice for the fraction determination, being aware that the formation of cenospheres is based on the model of coal particles with the visco-plastic ash film and a solid core. The fraction of ash film X is the ratio of the measuring mass of ash film and the total ash in coal particle. In this paper, the Huangling bituminous coal with different sizes was burnt in a drop-tube furnace at 1273, 1473, and 1673 K with air as oxidizer. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) and cross-section analysis have been used to study the geometry of the collected cenospheres and the effects of combustion parameters on the fraction of ash film. The results show that the ash film fraction increases with increasing temperature and carbon conversion ratio but decreases with larger sizes of coal particles. The high fraction of ash film provides a reasonable explanation for the extinction event at the late burnout stage. The varied values of ash film fractions under different conditions during the dynamic combustion process are necessary for further development of kinetic models.