A COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS (CFD)-BASED STUDY TO PREDICT THE FLOW AND COMBUSTION CHARACTERISTICS OF PULVERIZED COAL IN A TANGENTIALLY-FIRED BOILER

COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITI TENAGA NASIONAL 2008

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Problem identification

Malaysia's power generation sector has started utilizing coal as its combustion fuel since 1988 upon commissioning of 2x300MW coal-fired units at Kapar Power Station. By 2010, the total generation was estimated to be 7,200MW with commissioning of more power plants utilizing coal as fuel. In order to be able to analyze and solve combustion-related problems, it is essential to get a better understanding of coal combustion characteristics. Looking at this scenario, a comprehensive model which can serve as a base model for predicting the flow and combustion in coal-fired boiler during actual plant operation need to be developed. In addition, the coals utilized in the power generation sector are from variety of sources and each has its own unique composition, which results in different flow and combustion profile. Apart from the fuel source, the operating parameters such as burners firing and tilting angles will also influence the boiler performance. In view of this, an extended studies need to be conducted to give a prediction to power plant operators on how their selection of operating parameters will effect the overall boiler performance and help to control problems in coal-fired boilers. However, due to furnace geometry complexity and safety factors, conducting actual field experiments at power plants are not a good approach. This has prompted research works to be undertaken to develop a computer simulation model of a coal-fired utility boiler, which is capable to simulate various combustion characteristics and serve as a base model for parametric studies.

1.2 Objectives of research works

The followings are the objectives of the current work: i) To create a base model using theoretical definitions of coal combustion model. ii) To use the base model to predict the flow and combustion characteristics when the furnace is fired with coal of different volatiles matter (VM) and char contents. iii) To predict the effect of changing fuel firing angle on the flow and combustion characteristics of the coal-fired boiler. iv) To predict the effect of changing fuel tilt angle on the flow and combustion characteristics of the coal-fired boiler.

1.3 Scope of work and limitations

In the current work, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software will be used to develop a full-scale tangentially-fired utility boiler model with pulverized coal as the combustion fuel. The proximate and ultimate analysis for the coal used and the furnace geometry was based on the geometry of the 700MW boiler at TNB Janamanjung Power Station (Figure 1.1). The boiler was designed to fire coals within the bituminous rank for full load capacity of 700 MW. The combustion circuit consists of a single furnace, with direct tangential firing. Light fuel oil burners are used for boiler start-up and for coal ignition or combustion stabilization.

Figure 1.1: TNB Janamanjung Power Station

1.2 Objectives of research works

The followings are the objectives of the current work: i) To create a base model using theoretical definitions of coal combustion model. ii) To use the base model to predict the flow and combustion characteristics when the furnace is fired with coal of different volatiles matter (VM) and char contents. iii) To predict the effect of changing fuel firing angle on the flow and combustion characteristics of the coal-fired boiler. iv) To predict the effect of changing fuel tilt angle on the flow and combustion characteristics of the coal-fired boiler.

1.3 Scope of work and limitations

In the current work, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software will be used to develop a full-scale tangentially-fired utility boiler model with pulverized coal as the combustion fuel. The proximate and ultimate analysis for the coal used and the furnace geometry was based on the geometry of the 700MW boiler at TNB Janamanjung Power Station (Figure 1.1). The boiler was designed to fire coals within the bituminous rank for full load capacity of 700 MW. The combustion circuit consists of a single furnace, with direct tangential firing. Light fuel oil burners are used for boiler start-up and for coal ignition or combustion stabilization.

Figure 1.1: TNB Janamanjung Power Station

In line with the objective of the current work which is to investigate the flow and combustion characteristics inside the boiler furnace, the region of interest is mainly the furnace section without the superheaters plates installed. The sole source of fuel for the model is pulverized coal and during the injection of fuel into the combustion domain, it was assumed that there has been an established flame inside the furnace from the start-up process where oil is being used. Parametric studies will be conducted using the base model which will be established at the beginning of the work. For all simulation sets, the furnace was assumed to be operating at full load condition. The purpose of the first parametric study is to investigate the difference in combustion characteristics when coals of different volatiles matter (VM) and char contents are being used. In power plants, coals of different elemental composition are being used and thus, the first parametric study will be beneficial to predict the combustion characteristics in the furnace upon firing with various type of coal.

The purpose of changing the firing angle of the jet flame in the second parametric study is to see the changes in the fireball size and locations of heat release. In the third parametric studies, changes in the fireball locations and temperature of flue gas leaving the furnace and entering the superheaters plates region will be studied by changing the burners tilting angle. According to literatures, these two parameters (burners firing angle and tilt angle) are the factors which affect the characteristics of ash slagging problems in a tangentially fired furnace.

1.4 Research methodology

In order to meet the objectives of the current work, the methodology as shown in Figure 1.2 will be implemented. The boiler geometry and the coal elemental composition are provided by the TNB Janamanjung Power Station. Model development begins with geometry creation and meshing of the computational domain. This is followed by the definitions of the sub-models which are the discrete particle model, turbulence flow model, coal combustion model and radiation heat transfer model. The full-scale base case model is then completed with the definition of material properties and boundary conditions specifications. The results of the base
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model will then be verified using documented works from previous studies of the similar scope. Upon verifications, the base model will be used to conduct three parametric studies to meet the objectives of the current work.

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Problem identification

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Power plant / boiler geometry data collection

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Base model development

Fuel data acquisition

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i) Geometry creation and meshing of computational domain ii) Sub-models definitions iii) Development of full-scale coal-fired boiler model (base case) iv) Results verification Parametric Studies i) PI: Volatiles matter (VM) and char content variation ii) P2: Firing angle variation (+5 and _5) iii) P3: Tilt angle variation (+30 and -30) Figure 1.2: Research Methodology

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CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Boiler Definition

A definition provided by Steingress (1986) stated that boiler is an enclosed vessel in which water is heated and circulated, either as hot water or as steam. The steam generated may be used directly as a heating medium, or as the working fluid to convert thermal energy to mechanical work, which in turn may be converted to electrical energy.

There are many types of boilers but the focus of current work is the tangentially-fired boilers which use coal as its fuel. The model will be based on the 700MW Utility Boiler at TNB Janamanjung Power Plant, Manjung, Perak, Malaysia which uses pulverized coal as the fuel source to generate steam in a tangentially-fired boiler.

2.2 Tangentially-fired boiler

According to Yin et al (2003), tangentially-fired boilers are widely used in power generation sector. The reason for this that was further explained by Epple and Benim (2003) is mainly due to its flexibility for different types of fuel, especially for high slagging coals. This is due to the fact that in a tangential firing, the areas close to furnace walls are receiving high excess air to avoid an oxygen-poor environment known as reducing atmosphere,. This leads to a lower flue gas temperature at these

areas to minimize slagging and avoid corrosion at the furnace wall. Other advantages of tangentially-fired boiler furnace which was reported by Belosevic et al (2006) are the uniform heat flux to the furnace walls and low NOx emissions compared to other firing types.

2.3 Flow and combustion aerodynamics inside a tangentially-fired furnace

Inlet

Inlet

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Inlet Figure 2.1: Tangential firing

Inlet

In tangentially-fired furnace, fuel and air are admitted from the inlets located at all the four comers of the furnace (Figure 2.1). Generally, there are two types of air used for combustion inside the furnace, which are the primary and secondary air. The primary air is mixed with fuel before entering the furnace via the same inlet. The secondary air inlets are located adjacent to the primary air inlet. Ideally, primary and secondary air should enter the furnace at a similar velocity. However, the absolute value of primary and secondary air inlet velocities depends on the fuel and boiler design.

In tangentially-fired furnace, jet-flames from the inlets are directed towards an imaginary circle at the center of the furnace, which creates a vortex. According to Epple and Benim (2003) the formation of the central vortex minimizes "dead zone" in the furnace comers. The direction of the fuel and air injections into the furnace can be varied by varying the tilt angle and/or firing angle. By varying the tilt and firing

angle of the burners, the vertical position of the flame as well as the diameter of the vortex core region can be altered. Changing the tilting angle allows the fireball to travel up/down the furnace, which will change the temperature distribution inside the furnace. On the other hands, changing the firing angle of the jet flame changes the flow profile in terms of fireball diameter and locations of heat release. These changes will have influence on the characteristics of ash slagging in a tangentially fired furnace which according to Fan et al (2001), Epple and Benim (2003), and Hao et al (2002), a high near walls temperature will increase the tendency of slagging on the furnace walls and in the bottom ash hopper. The reason as explained by Naruse et al (2005) is because at the high temperature region, a portion of the ash from coal combustion would still be in a molten state, thus will continue to burnt on the furnace walls and causing slagging.

The gas flow and combustion air present in a tangentially-fired furnace can be explained based on the book by Lawn (1987). According to this literature, there are two types of gas flow in the furnace which are the gases that are moving mainly along the furnace walls and retarded by these walls, and the gas that rotates intensely in the central part of the furnace. A central zone of low pressure is formed into which gases are sucked. The ratio of the burner height to width affects the aerodynamics of tangentially-fired. If the ratio is higher than four, the gas stream is readily attached to the walls, causing gas corrosion and slagging. Reducing this ratio increases the stability of the gas stream leaving the burners and of the central vortex flow.

Further explanation on combustion air in a tangentially-fired furnace was offered by Borman and Ragland (1998). According to this literature, in a tangentially-fired furnace, the fuel and primary air exit the burner nozzle at 75C and

25m1s. The secondary air is preheated to 300C and exits the swirl vanes at about
40mls. However, the actual value of combustion air temperature will differ from one
boiler design to another.

In the work by Borman and Ragland (1998), the authors have also highlighted
that the temperature distribution inside a tangentially-fired furnace was affected by the primary and secondary air velocities. According to their investigations, it was found that the peak temperature near the nozzles may reach 1650C and the 7

temperature drops gradually to 1100C before entering the convection section due to radiant heat transfer to the walls. Low primary and secondary air velocities (16 20ms- l ) are not suitable for high-volatiles coals because ignition will starts near or at the burner exhaust. This can cause slagging and thermal distortion of the burners. High air velocities can overcome this problem but must be carefully controlled because large particles may be thrown past the active combustion region into the wall region where they are removed in the ash or slag, increasing the losses due to unburned carbon.

2.4

Coal

Coal is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. Coal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black rock. It is composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen with assorted other elements, including sulfur. Coal is primarily used as a solid fuel to produce electricity and heat through combustion. When coal is used for electricity generation, it is usually pulverized and then burned in a furnace with a boiler. The furnace heat converts boiler water to steam, which is then used to spin turbines which tum generators and create electricity.

2.5

Coal as energy source

In the early of 20th century, coal has become one of the world main energy

sources for industrial, transportation and house-used. However, the emerging of oil and natural gas as new source of energy in the 1960' s has set off the interest in coal. The attractive features of oil and gas mainly in the fuel-handling technology compared to solid-fuels, and operation cost making it competitive rivals for coal. Coal made a comeback after the middle-east oil crisis in 1973 that causing a gigantic surge in oil prices.

As the demand for coal as fuel is growing intensively, the scope of coal scientific research has expanded to a wider field and issues, and conducted using variety of methodology. Among the famous research interests are the environmental protection, pollutants from coal-combustion-product, clean-coal technology and
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continuous study to improve coal utilization through analytical or experimental method and the latest methodology, which is the computer modeling of coal combustion.

In Malaysia, coal has been identified as one of the major energy sources under the government's long-term development for a sustainable energy supply as highlighted in the Four-Fuel Policy formulated in 1981. This is due to the reason that coal is competitively priced and supply is relatively stable due to abundance of supply worldwide. The electricity industry plays the leading role in increasing utilization of coal as energy source for power generations. Utilization of coal in power generation started in year 1988 upon commissioning of 2x300MW coal-fired units at Kapar Power Station with unit consumption of 1.5 million ton per annum (Mtpa). Based on the 9th Malaysia Plan (2006), the total Malaysia annual coal consumption was estimated to increase to 19.0 Mtpa by 2010 with the commissioning of three new power plants with total capacity of 7,200.00 MW.

2.6

Classifications of coal

Coal which was formed back to 360 millions years ago is a combustible, sedimentary and organic rock which is composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. According to the World Coal Institute (2005) publication on coal classification, this fuel can be categorized into two groups, i.e. low rank coal and high rank coal. Low rank coals are typically softer, friable materials with a dull and earthy appearance. They are characterized by high moisture levels and low carbon content, and therefore low energy content. Examples of low rank coal are lignite and sub-bituminous coals. Higher rank coals are generally harder and stronger and often have a black vitreous luster. They contain more carbon, have lower moisture content, and produce more energy. Bituminous, anthracite and graphite are types of high-rank coal. Figure 2.2 shows the classification of coal according to its rank.

For the current work, coals from the sub-bituminous and bituminous rank are being studied due to the reason that the Janamanjung Power Plant is utilizing a few brands of coal from these two coal ranks.

CARBONI ENERGY

OF COAL

LOWEST

: 4,

COAL RANK

Figure 2.2: Coal classification according to coal rank

Being a complex fuel, coal cannot be represented by a umque chemical formulation. According to Borman and Ragland (1998), the elemental composition required for chemical formulation of coal can be determined from its proximate analysis data conducted according to ASTM D3172 and ultimate analysis data conducted according to ASTM D3176. In an article by Stranges (2004) the author quoted that proximate analysis was based on the published work by France Scientist, Henri-Victor Regnault (1837) to determine the moisture content, volatiles matter, fixed carbon and the ash composition. On the other hand, ultimate analysis is based on the work by British coal scientist, Clarence A. Seyler (1899) to determine the content of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen. Although the chemical formulation varies between each coal sample of different ranks, Turns (1999) has provided the following range of elemental composition for coal as the indication of the relative elemental composition presented in coal (refer Table 2.1).

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