Accepted Manuscript

Optimizing calculation of particle size distribution of feeding coal for circulating

fluidized bed boiler

Su-xia Ma, Wei-ming Chang, Jian-chun Zhang, Ding-ling Luo

PII: S1359-4311(15)00380-4
DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.04.037
Reference: ATE 6556

To appear in: Applied Thermal Engineering

Received Date: 28 December 2014

Accepted Date: 13 April 2015

Please cite this article as: S.-x. Ma, W.-m. Chang, J.-c. Zhang, D.-l. Luo, Optimizing calculation of
particle size distribution of feeding coal for circulating fluidized bed boiler, Applied Thermal Engineering
(2015), doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.04.037.

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 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
Optimizing calculation of particle size distribution of feeding coal for
circulating fluidized bed boiler
Su-xia Ma1 Wei-ming Chang1 Jian-chun Zhang2 Ding-ling Luo3
1
Department of Thermal Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, China
2
Taiyuan Boiler Company Limited, Taiyuan, China
3
Shanxi Pingshuo Gangue Power Company Limited, Shuozhou, China
ABSTRACT
The particle size distribution (PSD) of feeding coal affects the solid concentration distribution, combustion

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fraction distribution and coal combustion behaviors in the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler. In engineering,
the particle size distributions for different feeding coals are determined empirically, such as the mean particle size
of anthracite is smaller, and the mean particle size of lignite is larger. But the specific research on the PSD of

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different feeding coal is still lacking. In the operation of CFB boiler, the PSD of feeding coal is not adjusted. By
optimizing the particle size distribution of feeding coal to adjust the mass ratio of fine particles in the dilute zone

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and coarse particles in dense zone, it is possible to obtain a good solid concentration distribution in the dilute zone
and to improve coal combustion performance. This can assure the output of boiler and reduce the carbon content
in ash, as well as reduce the friction of boiler and energy consumption of the fan. In this paper, an optimization

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model of the PSD of feeding coal of CFB boiler was developed, by setting the solid concentration of the furnace
outlet and the mean retention time of coarse feeding coal in the furnace as the optimization goal. This procedure is
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based on the experimental results of primary fragmentation, burnout and ash formation of coal, using wen-chen
hydrodynamic model. The optimized PSD of feeding coal had been calculated in some bed inventory, which
results in a optimum solid concentration distribution in furnace and lower carbon content in bottom ash. Before
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and after optimization results showed that when the bed pressure drop was 11.3kPa, the carbon content in bottom
ash was reduced from 2.14% to 0.77%, and the solid concentration in the furnace outlet increased from
2.6kg/Nm3 to 2.71 kg/Nm3. The calculation accuracy of the model was validated in a1060t/h CFB boiler.
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Keywords: particle size distribution; feeding coal; optimization; solid concentration distribution; carbon content
in bottom ash
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1. Introduction

Material balance plays an important role in design and operation of the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler
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[1-4]. The most important characteristic for the mass balance is the solid concentration distribution in dilute zone
[5-7], which determines the heat transfer coefficient distribution, combustion fraction distribution and the boiler
load [8-11]. The solid material in the dilute zone is obtained by elutriation and entrainment of material in the
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dense zone[12-14]. The properties of bed inventory such as bed material size distribution, bed material
composition and bed material amount have significant influence on elutriation and entrainment. The bed material
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size distribution is affected by feeding coal size distribution [15], ash formation properties of coal and separator
efficiency [16-18]. The separator performance is one of the most important factors in bed material size distribution
of CFB boiler, because the higher the efficiency of separator, the more and finer the circulating material, and the
better the bed quality. A comprehensive study of the ash formation of coal was described by Hai rui Yang. [19].
The particle size distributions for different coals are determined empirically in engineering, such as the mean
particle size of anthracite is smaller, the mean particle size of lignite is larger. But the specific research on the PSD
of different feeding coal of CFB boiler is still lacking.
Serious abrasion, high carbon content in ash, and high energy consumption of the fan were the most common
phenomenon in the operation of CFB boilers [20]. Adjusting the mass balance resulted in a higher heat transfer
coefficient, diminished furnace abrasion, and a higher combustion rate. In order to carry out energy-efficient
operations, it is necessary to study on the optimization techniques of mass balance of CFB boiler.
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A the furnace sectional area (m2) m& b a the mass flow rate of bottom ash (kg/s)
rate of mass change of bed material that caused
Ab the area of air distributor (m2) m& a tt
by attrition (kg/s)
AK the cross sectional area at bed surface (m2) Nonz the number of caps at air distributor
Ar Archimedes number pb bed pressure drop (kPa)
Cp the solid concentration (kg/m3) P0 the standard atmospheric pressure
Cba carbon content in bottom ash PSFC particle size of feeding coal

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CO2 average oxygen content R load rate
dB diameter of bubble (m) Rc char combustion rate (kg/s)
dc coke diameter (m) Rg universal gas content (J/kmol.K)

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Dg diffusion coefficient (m2/s) ReT Reynolds number
d50 cut diameter of separator (m) Sc Schmidt number
d99 critical diameter of separator (m) sh Sherwood number

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E∞ the saturated entrained flow rate (kg/m2.s) T average temperature (℃)

E0 mass flow rate of bed surface (kg/m2.s) Tc char surface temperature (℃)

Ec apparent activation energy (kJ/mol)

U tp mean retention time of coarse feeding coal (s)
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2.
Eh the elutriated flow rate at height h (kg/m s) tburn burning time of coal (min)
g the gravitational acceleration (m/s2) ut the terminal velocity of the particles (m/s)
h the height above the dense zone (m) u0 the fluidization air velocity at bed suface(m/s)
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hden the height of dense zone (m) ug fluidization air velocity above dense zone (m/s)
Height furnace height (m) umf the minimum fluidization velocity (m/s)
kaf the attrition constant (1/m) X the mass fraction of bed material
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kc combustion reaction rate (m/s) Xc carbon content in solid material

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kd diffusion reaction rate (m/s) Greek symbols

ks chemical reaction rate (m/s) η the fractional collection efficiency of separator
M the bed inventory (kg) ηdrain the retention coefficient of bottom ash
variation of amount of material to material in
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m& a ttN ρg the fluidization air density (kg/m3)

next class because of attrition (kg/s)
m& a ttR the attrition rate of the particles (kg/s) µg the viscosity coefficient of gas (Pa.s)
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mc mass of coal (kg) ε voidage of the bed

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m& fs the mass flow rate of coal ash (kg/s) Subscripts

m& fa the mass flow rate of fly ash (kg/s) i the class of particles
m& fc the mass flow rate of feeding coal (kg/s) coarse coarse feeding coal

The solid material in CFB boiler can be roughly divided into two classes: the coarse particles in the dense zone
and the fine particles in the dilute zone. A certain amount of coarse particles can guarantee sufficient time for the
coarse feeding coal to burn fully to reduce the carbon content in bottom ash. A certain amount of fine particles as
well as a good distribution in dilute zone can guarantee sufficient heat transfer to meet the demands of the boiler
output. Because the dense zone is laid with anti-abrasion castables, the coarse particles in the dense zone make
little contribution to heat transfer [21, 22]. Thus, ensure stable operation and efficient combustion, the coarse
particles should be reduced as far as possible, and the fine particles in dilute zone should be provided to guarantee
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the heat transfer. Thus, heating surface abrasion can be minimized, and the energy consumption of the fan can be
reduced. Therefore, it is necessary when different feeding coal on different boiler loads to adjust the mass ratio of
fine particles in dilute zone to coarse particles in the dense zone. According to gas-solid hydrodynamics, the
properties of bed material influences the mass ratio and the particle size distribution. For a given CFB boiler, the
bed material size distribution is mainly influenced by the PSD and ash formation of feeding coal, as shown in
Figure1. By optimizing the PSD of feeding coal, a good solid concentration distribution can be obtained, and
carbon combustion performance can be improved. In this paper, an optimization model of the PSD of feeding coal
for CFB boiler was developed, based on the experimental results of primary fragmentation, burnout and ash
formation, the effects of the PSD of feeding coal and bed inventory on the solid concentration distribution in

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dilute zone and on the carbon content in bottom ash were studied. The calculation accuracy of this model was
validated in a 1060t/h CFB boiler.

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2. The optimization model
2.1 The objective functions for optimization of the PSD of feeding coal

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According to the steady state design theory and operational experiences for CFB boiler, when the solid
concentration of furnace outlet reaches an optimum value on any given load, the solid concentration distribution
in dilute zone can meet heat transfer needs; if it exceeds that value, excess material in dilute zone is abrasive to the

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heating surface causing unnecessary wear. On the other hand, a certain amount of coarse particles in the dense
zone can guarantee a long enough time for the coarse feeding coal to burn fully, reducing the carbon content in
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bottom ash. Here, the targets of optimization of the PSD of feeding coal were the solid concentration of furnace
outlet Cp and the mean retention time of coarse feeding coal tp. The objective functions for optimization were
expressed in Equation (1).
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C po = {C po min ( R ), C po max (R )}


t p min ≤ t p ≤ t p max (1)
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Where, Cpo was the solid concentration of furnace outlet which was related to the load rate R, and the range of

values for Cpo was 2.5kg/Nm3≤Cpo≤3.5kg/Nm3 under the rated load. The mean retention time tp of coarse feeding
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coal in CFB boiler was expressed as following:

M
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tp =
m& fc ⋅ X coarse (2)

& fc was the mass flow rate of feeding coal. Xcoarse was the mass fraction of coarse feeding coal.
Where, m
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The range of values for tp was determined based on the experimental data of burnout time for different coarse coal.
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In this work, the bed inventory M was changed to adjust the retention time tp.
2.2 The mass balance model
CFB boiler is a system of “one inlet and two outlets”. The bed material in the furnace is determined by the
balance among the feeding of feedstock including coal and desulfurizer, the escape of fly ash and the discharge of
bottom ash, as shown in Figure 1. In steady-state, the ash of feedstock is discharged out of furnace in the form of
bottom ash and fly ash, leaving the bed inventory unchanged. The bed material can be divided into N-particle
classes according to the particle diameter, and the balance of each class of bed material was expressed in Equation
(3).

m& fs ,i = m& fa ,i + m& ba ,i − m& att ,i


 X i = 1 (3)
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& fs,i is the mass flow rate of coal ash in class i,
Where, Xi is the mass fraction of bed material in class i. m

m& fa ,i is the mass flow rate of fly ash in class i, m& ba ,i is the mass flow rate of bottom ash in class i, m& att ,i is the
rate of mass change of bed material in class i that caused by attrition.

Fly ash
m& fa

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E∞ ,i
Fine particles

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in dilute zone

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Solid concentration Efficiency of
profile seperator

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E0,i
Feed coal with certain
particle size distribution Bed inventory with
certain bed particle
lating
& fs
m size distribution Circurticles
pa
M

Coarse particles
in dense zone
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& ba
m
Air Bottom ash
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Fig.1. Particle size distribution and mass balance

& fa ,i was
(1)The mass flow rate of fly ash m
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m& fa,i = (1 −ηi ) ⋅ E∞i ⋅ X i ⋅ A (4)

Where, the saturated entrained flow rate E∞i was given as [12]:
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 ( − 5.4
ut , i
)
 23.7 ρ g u0 e u0
ut ,i < u 0
E ∞i = 
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(5)
0 u t ,i ≥ u 0

Where, ut,i is the terminal velocity of the particles in class i, u0 is the fluidization velocity, ρg is the fluidization
air density.
The fractional collection efficiency of separator can be expressed as:

ηi = f ( R )(1 − e− ad )
m
i
(6)

Where, the f ( R ) is a function of fractional collection efficiency with load rate R. With the load increase, the

circulating mass flux and the solid concentration of separator inlet increase, and the fractional collection
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efficiency increase [23-24]. When 0<R≤100%, 0< f ( R ) ≤1, f ( R ) can be determined by test. The constants a

and m were calculated by cut diameter d50 and critical diameter d99 as:
ln(ln 0 . 5 / ln 0 .01 )
m=
ln( d 50 / d 99 ) (7)

a = − ln 0.5 / d50m (8)

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& ba ,i was calculated by
(2) The mass flow rate of bottom ash m

& ba,i = 1 −ηdrain,i  ⋅ m

m & ba ⋅ X i (9)

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In equation(9), ηdrain was the retention coefficient of bottom ash in class i which was acquired through
experiments by Hai-rui Yang [19]. ηdrain was relevant to the fluidization air velocity and particle size distribution

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in the dense zone of CFB primarily. Due to the segregation of bed material in the dense zone of a CFB boiler, the
larger bed material is mostly discharged and it’s retention coefficient is smaller; the smaller bed material is
slightly discharged and it’s retention coefficient is larger.
(3) The rate of mass change of bed material due to attrition[19] was:

 N

 m& attN ,2 + ∑ m& attR , m U

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i =1
m=2
 (10)
m& att ,i =  m& attN ,i +1 − m& attN ,i − m& attR ,i i = 2, N − 1
 − m&
 attN , N − mattR , N i=N
&
M



Where, m& attN ,i is the variation of amount of bed material in class i to bed material in next class because of
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attrition, m& attR ,i is the attrition rate of the particles in class i. They were calculated by

m& attR ,i = k af ⋅ [u0 − umf ,i ] ⋅ M ⋅ X i (11)

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di
m& attN ,i = m& attR ,i (12)
3 × ∆d i
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2.2.1 The elutriation and entrainment model

(1) The elutriated flow rate at bed surface was given by the Wen-Chen model [25], which was expressed as
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following:

ρ g3.5 g 0.5
E0i = 3.07 ×10−9 × AK d B (u0 − umf )2.5 X i (13)
µg 2.5

In which, u0 was the fluidization air velocity at bed surface. umf was the minimum fluidization velocity. The
bubble diameter dB was calculated applying Darton model [26]:

0.54 Ak 0.8
dB = 0.2
(u0 − umf )0.4 (hden + 4 ) (14)
g N onz
Where, hden is the height of dense zone. Ak is cross sectional area at bed surface. Nonz is the number of caps at air
distributor.
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(2) The entrained flow rate at h freeboard height

Ehi = E∞i + ( E0i − E∞i )e − ai h (15)

Where, the exponent ai was obtained by field test. It varied with load and it was 0.079 on rated load.
2.2.2 The solid concentration
The solid concentration of the dilute zone at any height h was calculated by Eq (16).
n

∑E h,i
C p, h = i =1
(16)
A ⋅ (u g − ut )

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Where, Cp,h was the mean solid concentration in freeboard height h. ug was the fluidization air velocity above the
dense zone. ut was the terminal velocity of particles.

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2.2.3 The combustion model
In this paper, the Field model [27] was applied to calculate char combustion rate Rc,i, it was described as

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following.
6 M ⋅ X c ,i ⋅ P0 ⋅ CO2
Rc ,i = k c ,i (17)
800d c ,i ⋅ Rg ⋅ T

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Where, Xc was carbon content in solid material. P0 was the standard atmospheric pressure. CO2 was the average
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oxygen content. dc was coke diameter. Rg was universal gas content. T was the average temperature. The
combustion reaction rate kc was calculated by

1 1 1
M

= + (18)
kci kdi ksi
Here, kd was diffusion reaction rate, it was calculated by
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sh ×Dg
kd = (19)
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dc
Here, sh was Sherwood number, Dg was diffusion coefficient. The Sherwood number is empirically given as
0.5
sh = 2 + 0.6ReT ×SC
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(20)

Here, ReT was Reynolds number, Sc was Schmidt number. They were expressed as following:
Ar e 4.75
C

ReT = 0.5
(21)
18 + 0.61(Ar e 4.74 )
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mg
SC = (22)
r g Dg
Where, Ar was Archimedes number, ε was voidage of the bed. The diffusion coefficient was calculated by

æ T ö÷1.75
Dg = 3.13´ 10- 4 çç (23)
çè1500 ø÷
÷

The chemical reaction rate ks was expressed by

EC
T + TC - Rg ´ TC
ks = 595.62 e (24)
2
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Where, Ec was apparent activation energy, Tc was char surface temperature.

TC = T + 6.6´ 104 CO2 (25)

3. The experimental results of coal burnout

The combustion of coal in CFB boiler includes the processes of primary fragmentation, secondary
fragmentation, burnout and ash formation. These processes were carried out by experiments in this paper to
obtain the character parameters of the following coals for optimization. Four coals found in China were chosen to
undergo the processes mentioned above: Pingshuo gangue, Shuozhou lean coal, Zhengzhou bitumite and Neimeng
lignite.

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The elemental analyses and technical analyses of the four coals were shown in Table 1. In which, ar stands for
received basis, daf stands for dry ash-free basis.

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Table 1 The elemental analyses and technical analyses of the four coals
Car Har Oar Nar Sar Aar Mar Vdaf Qnet.ar

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(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (kJ/kg)

Pingshuo gangue 31.21 2.38 9.53 0.35 1.13 45.88 9.52 40.97 11678

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Shuozhou lean coal 43.33 2.21 2.40
AN 0.29 2.68 41.60 7.49 16.00 16137

Zhengzhou bitumite 27.66 1.94 3.82 0.55 0.37 60.08 5.58 29.88 10024

Neimeng lignite 37.38 2.28 12.76 0.32 0.13 8.00 39.13 46.65 13047
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Fig.2 illustrates that the burnout time of Zhengzhou bitumite was 35 minutes, the burnout time of Shuozhou
lean coal and Neimeng lignite were about 50 minutes, Pingshuo gangue was 60 minutes and burned the longest
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among the four coals.

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10 Shuozhou lean coal

9 Zhenzhou bitumite
Pinshuo coal gangue
8
Neimeng lignite
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7
6
mc (g)

5
C

4
3
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2
1
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
tburn (min)

Fig.2. The burnout time of the four coals

The experimental results of primary fragmentation and ash formation of the four coals are beyond the scope of
this research and are not be described in this paper. [28].
4. Model validation
4.1 The comparisons between the measured and the calculated
For the sake of calculation accuracy, the model was verified firstly based on the hot test data on rated load
from 1060t/h CFB boiler which is in Shanxi Pingshuo Gangue Power plant. The feeding coal was Pingshuo
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gangue, with elemental analysis was shown in Table 1 and the PSD of feeding coal was shown in Table 2 (case 3).
Table 2 Five PSDs of feeding coal

0~0.5mm 0.5~1mm 1~2mm 2~3.2mm 3.2~6mm 6~8mm >8mm

case 1 17.48% 8.82% 2.88% 17.29% 21.22% 14.96% 17.35%

case 2 21.48% 12.82% 6.88% 14.29% 18.22% 11.96% 14.35%
Pingshuo
case 3 25.48% 16.82% 10.88% 11.29% 15.22% 8.96% 11.35%
gangue

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case 4 29.48% 20.82% 14.88% 8.29% 12.22% 5.96% 8.35%
case 5 33.48% 24.82% 18.88% 5.29% 9.22% 2.96% 5.35%

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Fig. 3 gave the comparison between the measured solid concentration distribution and the calculated solid
concentration distribution under rated load with the bed pressure drop of 8.45kPa. The average error was 5.2%.

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Fig.4 gave the comparison between the measured carbon-content in bottom ash and the calculated carbon content
under different bed pressure drop, the average error was 3.5%. These comparisons indicated that the model used in
this paper had a higher credibility.

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22
99.86% load
20
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measured
18 calculated
16
Cp (kg/Nm3)

14
M

12
10
8
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6
4
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2
5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Height (m)

Fig. 3. The comparison between the measured and the calculated Fig. 4. The comparison between the measured and the
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for solid concentration distribution calculated for carbon content in bottom ash
4.2 The effects of the PSD of feeding coal
Based on the actual PSD of Pingshuo gangue, case 3 in Table 2, by means of adjusting the mass ratio of fine
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particles to coarse particles in feeding coal around case 3, four PSDs of feeding coal shown in Table 2 were
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designed to calculate the effect of PSD (case1,case 2, case 4 and case 5).
4.2.1 The effect of PSD of feeding coal on the solid concentration distribution
Focusing on the above five PSDs of feeding coal, using the developed model, the five corresponding solid
concentration distributions in dilute zone were carried out under rated load with the bed pressure drop of 8.45kPa.
Figure 5 showed that the different PSD of feeding coal would result in a different solid concentration distribution.
From case 1 to case 5, with the increasing of the mass ratio of fine particles to coarse particles in feeding coal, the
solid concentration in the dilute zone increased gradually, as the solid concentration of furnace outlet increased
from 2.19 kg/m3 to 2.76 kg/m3, shown in the close-up image in Figure 5.
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Fig.5. The effect of the PSDs of feeding coal on

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solid concentration distribution
But the mass ratio of fine particles to coarse particles in feeding coal cannot be too large, otherwise after a

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period of time for mass balance, the dense zone will disappear, the gas and solid in bed will be in pneumatic
conveying state, and the fluidization in CFB boiler will be changed fundamentally.
4.2.2 The effect of PSD of feeding coal on the carbon content in bottom ash

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The impact of PSD of feeding coal on the carbon content in bottom ash is reflected in the retention time of
coarse feeding coal in furnace. The retention time was determined by supra formula (2). According to the above
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five PSDs of feeding coal, the corresponding changing curves of carbon content in bottom ash had been worked
out in different bed pressure drop under the rated load. They were presented in Figure 6.
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Fig.6. The effect of the PSDs of feeding coal on

carbon content in bottom ash
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Figure 6 showed that for the same PSD of feeding coal, the carbon content in bottom ash was inversely
proportional to bed pressure drop, The reason was that the higher the bed pressure drop, the longer the retention
time of coarse feeding coal, and the smaller the quality of unburned carbon. For different PSDs of feeding coal
under same bed pressure drop, the carbon content in bottom ash decreased with the increase of the mass ratio of
fine particles to coarse particles in feeding coal. Hence, under same bed pressure drop, the less the flow rate of
coarse feeding coal, the longer the retention time tp.
5. Optimization of the PSD of feeding coal
According to the optimization objective function shown in formula (1), for the 1060t/h CFB boiler, the
optimized PSD of feeding coal was obtained by adjusting the mass ratio of fine particles to coarse particles in
feeding coal as shown in Figure 7. Figure 8 and Figure 9 illustrated the changes of the solid concentration
distribution and carbon content in bottom ash before and after optimization of the PSD of feeding coal
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respectively.

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Fig.7. The optimized particle size distribution of feeding coal Fig.8. The solid concentration distribution before and after

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optimization
Figure 8 showed that keeping by the bed pressure drop unchanged as 11.3kPa, the average solid concentration
in dilute zone increased after optimization, with the solid concentration of furnace outlet increased from 2.6
kg/Nm3 to 2.71 kg/Nm3. This can guarantee the better heat transfer performance and boiler load providing.

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Meanwhile, although the material amount in dense zone decreased, because of the decrease of the mass of coarse
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feeding coal, the carbon content in bottom ash decreased from 2.14% to 0.77%, as was shown in Figure 9.
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Fig.9. The carbon content in bottom ash

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before and after optimization

Figure 9 showed that all the carbon content in bottom ash decreased after optimization in different bed pressure
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drops. This process displays that with the decrease of carbon content in bottom ash, the combustion efficiency of
CFB boiler can increase, and with the decrease of bed pressure drop, the energy consumption of the primary air
blower decreases, and the operational efficiency of CFB boiler is improved.
6. Conclusions
(1) An optimization model for the PSD of feeding coal of CFB boiler was established in which the solid
concentration of furnace outlet Cp and the mean retention time of coarse feeding coal tp were defined as the
optimization goal.
(2) Different PSDs of feeding coal corresponded to different solid concentration distributions and different
carbon content in bottom ash for CFB boiler. Keeping bed inventory unchanged, with the increasing of the mass
ratio of fine particles to coarse particles in feeding coal within a specific range, the average solid concentration in
dilute zone increased, and the carbon content in bottom ash decreased.
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(3) For the 1060t/h CFB boiler , by adjusting the mass ratio of fine particles to coarse particles in feeding coal,
an optimal solid concentration distribution was obtained, the solid concentration of furnace outlet increased from
2.6 kg/Nm3 to 2.71 kg/Nm3. Meanwhile, the carbon content in bottom ash decreased from 2.14% to 0.77%.
Acknowledgement
This work was supported by Science and Technology Key Project of Shanxi Province (Grant 2013071049). And
the authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the staff of Shanxi Pingshuo Gangue Power plant for technical
support during the measuring campaigns and with supplying operating data.
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Highlights

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The optimized particle size distribution of feeding coal had been worked out.

The mass ratio of the upper fine particles to lower coarse particles was adjusted.

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The solid concentration in dilute zone increased after optimization.

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The carbon content in bottom ash decreased after optimization.
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The burnout time of the four coals were given by experiments.
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