Modeling of pulverized coal combustion stabilization by means of plasma torches

Abstract

Application of plasma-system for pulverized coal ignition and combustion stabilization in utility boiler furnaces promises to achieve certain savings compared to the use of heavy oil burners. Plasma torches are built in air-coal dust mixture ducts between coal mills and burners. Characteristics of processes in the ducts with plasma-system for pulverized coal combustion stabilization are analyzed in the paper, with respect to the modeling and numerical simulation of mass, momentum and heat transfer in two-phase turbulent gas-particle flow. The simulations have been performed for three different geometries of the air-coal dust mixture ducts with plasma torches, for TENTAI utility boiler and pulverized lignite Kolubara-Field "D". Selected results of numerical simulation of processes are presented. The plasma-system thermal effect is discussed regarding corresponding savings of liquid fuel. The results of numerical simulations have been analyzed with respect to the processes in the duct and especially with respect to the influence of the duct shape to a temperature field at the outlet cross section, as a basis for the duct geometry optimization. It has been emphasized that numerical simulation of processes can be applied in analysis and optimization of pulverized coal ignition and combustion stabilization and enables efficient and cost-effective scaling-up procedure from laboratory to industrial level.