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Topic 2&3 - Fuels
Topic 2&3 - Fuels
Power Plants
ME-430
• All of the fossil fuels were produced from the fossilization of the
carbohydrate compounds
• These compounds with a general formula of Cx(H2O)y were formed by
plants through photosynthesis, converting solar energy into chemical
energy
• Most of the fossil fuels were produced some 325 million years ago
during the Carboniferous period
• The plant carbohydrates were converted under high pressure and heat,
in the absence of oxygen, into hydrocarbon compounds with a general
formula of CnHm
Coal
4
Fixed carbon:
• Mass of original sample – (Volatile matter + moisture + ash)
Volatile matter:
• The portion of coal which escapes during a test, by heating a sample at
1750oF for 7 minutes in the absence of oxygen.
Moisture:
It is obtained by drying a sample in an oven in a standard test.
Ash:
Determined by the combustion of dried coal at 1380oF.
Ultimate Analysis
11
80.7
Example
15
Coal Firing
16
• It is the most widely used among the mechanical stokers and cover a big
range of capacity (9.5 – 50 kg/s).
• It can burn a wide variety of fuels, ranging from high grade coal such as
bituminous to lignite. Wood waste, pulpwood and bark.
Mechanism:
• Hopper gives fuel to the individual feeder-distributor units, which have
curved blades
• The coal is fed as a projectile on to a moving or stationary grate
• Forced daft fans are always used to feed air into the furnace in two ways;
undergrate air & overfire air.
• Removal of ash is a major problem in case of stationary grate.
Spreader Stokers
19
Traveling Grate Stokers
20
Ring crusher
Hammer-mill Coal Crushers
26
Bradford Breaker
27
Drying:
• Dryers are the important integral part of the pulverizers.
• Air from the air-preheater is fed to the dryer (pulverizer) at ~650oF.
Pulverizer:
• Mechanism of grinding: Impact + crushing + attrition
1. Low speed (<75 rpm): the ball tube mill.
2. Medium speed (75 – 225 rpm): i) ball & race , ii) roll & race.
3. High speed (>225 rpm): Impact/hammermill, attrition mill.
Low-speed Ball Tube Mill
31
• These are mostly used with low rank coals with high
moisture content.
• Flue gas is used for drying.
Classifiers:
• After exit from the pulverizer the fine coal enters a cyclone
with internal vanes.
• The heavier coal particles are separated and fed back to the
pulverizer.
Pulverized Coal System
34
Bin system
Pulverized Coal System
35
Purpose:
• To mix the fuel-primary air mixture with secondary air (main
combustion air) and sustain a flame
• The fineness requirement varies (from burner to burner) but not too
much
A usual case:
• A pulverized coal with 80% passing a 200-mesh screen
• And 99.5% passing a 50-mesh screen possesses a surface area of
approximately 1500cm2/g with more than 97% of that surface area
passing through the 200-mesh screen
Burners
37
Arrangements:
1. Burners independent of
each other creating
individual flame
envelopes
2. Burners arranged to
create a single flame
envelope
Burners
38
Advantages:
1. Reduces erosion and fouling of the steam generator surfaces
2. No pulverization is required, crushing is sufficient
3. Also suitable for other fossil fuels (oil and gas)
Disadvantages:
1. Formation of NOx
2. Higher forced draft pressures (high power requirements)
3. Maintenance of the burner (erosion resistant materials are used as
burner liners, e.g. tungsten carbide)
Fluidized Bed Combustion
42
• It improves atomization.
• Reduces soot and prevents fouling.
• Reduces excess air requirements and improves combustion efficiency.
Coal-oil and Coal-water mixtures (COM & CWM)
46
• These are gaseous and liquid fuels produced from coal or biomass.
• Abundance of coal and its unclean combustion has resulted in efforts to
make clean burning synthetic fuels from coal.
1. Town gas: The volatile portion of the coal is heated and separated to
be used as fuel gas.
• It is a by-product of the coke making industry. Coal is converted to
coke by destructive distillation (pyrolysis) to be used for the smelting
of iron.
• Town gas is also known as “coke-oven gas”.
• Its heating value is: 550 – 600 Btu/scf.
Coal Gasification
49
Coal gasification product gases are graded on the basis of their heating values.
1. Low Btu (180 – 350 Btu/scf)
The resulting gas mixture contains CO, H2, N2 and some CO2. It may also contain some
H2O, CH4 and C2H6.
Grades of Coal Gases
52
CO+H 2 O → CO 2 +H 2
The CO2 is removed.
ii. Methanation:
CO+3H 2 → CH 4 +H 2O
The H2O is removed.
This gas is free from SO2. Its combustion has low temperature due to H2O and CO2, hence
low NOx formation.
Coal Liquefaction
54
nC+(1+n)H 2 → Cn H 2n+2
C 2 H 6 +3.5O 2 → 2CO 2 + 3H 2 O
2C+3H 2 → C 2 H 6 + 1211.38Btu/lb m
C+O 2 → CO 2 +3846.7Btu/lb m
Enthalpy of Formation at Standard State
56
Enthalpy of Formation at Different Temperatures
57
Combustion
58
U R + Q = U P + Wnf
H U + PV = U + nRoT
(nMh
R
f − nRoT ) + Q = (nMh f − nRoT ) + Wnf
P
Heating Values
59
• If all the heat of reaction increases the temperature of the gases, this temperature will be
the theoretically maximum temperature the products can achieve.
• This can be achieved, in an adiabatic rigid vessel (no work and no heat loss)
• Thus, such a product gas temperature is called adiabatic flame temperature.
(nMh ) = (nMh )
P R
( F / A) actual
=
( F / A) S
= 1; stochiometric
1; fuel lean
1; fuel rich