Chemical and Process Engineering: New Frontiers

The impact of the fuel feeding mode (continuous or periodic with different stand-by/operation time ratios) on carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NO, NOx) concentration values in the flue gas was analysed for coniferous wood pellet firing. Experiments were performed in a 25 kW water boiler equipped with an over-fed wood pellet furnace located in a full scale heat station simulating real-life conditions. Influence of oxygen concentration and temperature in the combustion chamber on carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide concentrations was presented in diagrams. Dust and hydrocarbon concentrations were also monitored. It was concluded that the commonly used periodic fuel supply does not necessarily cause a significant increase of carbon monoxide concentration, as compared to the continuous fuel feeding mode. Continuous fuel supply can even induce higher carbon monoxide concentrations when fuel mass stream is not chosen properly. Each time new fuel type is used in a specific furnace, one should perform experiments to determine the adequate settings (stand-by/operation time ratio, fuel mass streams, air stream) to obtain the optimal, lowest possible emission for a certain boiler heat output

Generally, the temperature of flue gases at the furnace outlet is not measured. Therefore, a special computation procedure is needed to determine it. This paper presents a method for coordination of the numerical model of a pulverised fuel boiler furnace chamber with the measuring data in a situation when CFD calculations are made in regard to the furnace only. This paper recommends the use of the classical 0-dimensional balance model of a boiler, based on the use of measuring data. The average temperature of flue gases at the furnace outlet tk" obtained using the model may be considered as highly reliable. The numerical model has to show the same value of tk" . This paper presents calculations for WR-40 boiler. The CFD model was matched to the 0-dimensional tk" value by means of a selection of the furnace wall emissivity. As a result of CFD modelling, the flue gas temperature and the concentration of CO, CO2, O2 and NOx were obtained at the furnace chamber outlet. The results of numerical modelling of boiler combustion based on volumetric reactions and using the Finite-Rate/Eddy-Dissipation Model are presented.

The paper aims to confirm the syngas application as a reburning fuel to reduce e.g. NO emission during natural gas combustion. The main aim of this modelling work was to predict pollutants generated in the exhaust gases and to indicate the influence of the syngas on the natural gas combustion process. The effect of residence time of fuel-air mixture was also been performed. Calculations were made with CHEMIKN-PRO for reburning process using syngas. The boundary conditions of the reburning process were based on experimental investigations. The addition of 5, 10, 15 and 19% of reburning fuel into natural gas combustion was studied. The effects of 0.001 to 10 s of residence time and the addition of 5, 10, and 15% of syngas on combustion products were determined. The performed numerical tests confirmed that co-combustion of the natural gas with syngas (obtained from sewage sludge gasification) in the reburning process is an efficient method of NOx reduction by c.a. 50%. Syngas produced from sewage sludge can be utilised as a reburning fuel.

The purpose of this work is to find a correlation for heat transfer to walls in a 1296 t/h supercritical circulating fluidised bed (CFB) boiler. The effect of bed-to-wall heat transfer coefficient in a long active heat transfer surface was discussed, excluding the radiation component. Experiments for four different unit loads (i.e. 100% MCR, 80% MCR, 60% MCR and 40% MCR) were conducted at a constant excess air ratio and high level of bed pressure (ca. 6 kPa) in each test run. The empirical correlation of the heat transfer coefficient in a large-scale CFB boiler was mainly determined by two key operating parameters, suspension density and bed temperature. Furthermore, data processing was used in order to develop empirical correlation ranges between 3.05 to 5.35 m·s-1 for gas superficial velocity, 0.25 to 0.51 for the ratio of the secondary to the primary air, 1028 to 1137K for bed temperature inside the furnace chamber of a commercial CFB boiler, and 1.20 to 553 kg·m-3 for suspension density. The suspension density was specified on the base of pressure measurements inside the boiler’s combustion chamber using pressure sensors. Pressure measurements were collected at the measuring ports situated on the front wall of the combustion chamber. The obtained correlation of the heat transfer coefficient is in agreement with the data obtained from typical industrial CFB boilers.

The paper presents precipitation results from cold thermal water deposits that are the main cause of clogging in absorbent geothermal wells and borehole areas. As a result of physical and chemical analysis, laboratory tests and observation of the operation of a geothermal installation, a new method was developed to prevent the precipitation of sludge from cooled thermal water. The method being a modification of soft acidising was tentatively named as a super soft acidising method

The paper is focused on the idea of a combustion modelling of a large-scale circulating fluidised bed boiler (CFB) during coal and biomass co-combustion. Numerical computation results for three solid biomass fuels co-combustion with lignite are presented in the paper. The results of the calculation showed that in previously established kinetics equations for coal combustion, some reactions had to be modified as the combustion conditions changed with the fuel blend composition. Obtained CO2, CO, SO2 and NOx emissions are located in borders of ± 20% in the relationship to the experimental data. Experimental data was obtained for forest biomass, sunflower husk, willow and lignite cocombustion tests carried out on the atmospheric 261 MWe COMPACT CFB boiler operated in PGE Turow Power Station in Poland. The energy fraction of biomass in fuel blend was: 7%wt, 10%wt and 15%wt. The measured emissions of CO, SO2 and NOx (i.e. NO + NO2) were also shown in the paper. For all types of biomass added to the fuel blends the emission of the gaseous pollutants was lower than that for coal combustion.

The paper presents the basic input data and modelling results of IGCC system with membrane CO2 capture installation and without capture. The models were built using commercial software (Aspen and GateCycle) and with the use of authors’ own computational codes. The main parameters of the systems were calculated, such as gross and net power, auxiliary power of individual installations and efficiencies. The models were used for the economic and ecological analysis of the systems. The Break Even Point method of analysis was used. The calculations took into account the EU emissions trading scheme. Sensitivity analysis on the influence of selected quantities on break-even price of electricity was performed

Preliminary lab-scale investigations were conducted on slagging abatement in biomass-firing by fuel mixing. Three agriculture biomass fuels and olive cake were used in the experiments. Polish lignites and bituminous coals were examined as anti-sintering additives. The effects of chlorine release, potassium retention and ash sintering were examined by heating samples of biomass fuels and additives in the muffle oven and, next, firing them in the laboratory down-fired furnace at the temperature in the range of 800-1150ºC. The obtained slag samples were analysed on: chlorine and potassium content, sintering tendency and crystalline components. Among the examined coals lignite from Turów mine and bituminous coal from Bolesław Śmiały mine appeared to be the most effective in potassium retention in aluminosilicate and chlorine release from slag. Possibly the major factor of these coals which reduced ash sintering was relatively high content of kaolinite