Research on Low Volatile Coal Burner

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Development of Low-Volatile Coal Firing Burner

WATANABE Shinji : Plant Engineering Department, Power Plant Division, Energy Plants Operations TAMURA Masato : Manager, Plant Engineering Department, Power Plant Division, Energy Plants Operations SUKO Toshiyuki : Plant Engineering Department, Power Plant Divisiont, Energy Plants Operations FUJIMORI Toshiro : Doctor of Engineering, Manager, Heat & Fluid Dynamics Department, Research Laboratory, Corporate Research & Development SUDA Toshiyuki : Doctor of Engineering, Manager, Heat & Fluid Dynamics Department, Research Laboratory, Corporate Research & Development

Bituminous coal has been increasingly used as the main fuel for pulverized coal ( PC )-fired boilers for thermal power plants in Japan, and demand for bituminous coal has also increased worldwide. Consequently, PC-fired boilers are now required to use not only bituminous coal but also low-volatile coals like semianthracite and anthracite. However, low-volatile coal is difficult to burn stably in existing PC-firing boilers. IHI has developed a new burner that can burn low-volatile coal without using assist oil. The aim of the new burner is increasing emissions of volatile components by recirculating high-temperature furnace gas into the burner. This resulted in improved stable combustion.

1. Introduction

Coal is one of the richest energy sources widely distributed on Earth, and its use will be indispensable in the future to ensure a stable supply of energy by energy mixing. Presently, our country is a prominent importer of coal that largely consists of high-quality bituminous coal. In consideration of the fact, however, that worldwide coal demand will increase due to the rapid economic growth in China and other Asian countries and the production and supply of good-quality coal will decrease in the future, it is considered necessary to accept a wide variety of coal types in addition to bituminous coal. In our country, the...