Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Effect of the size distribution of coal on fluidized-bed combustion

Journal Article · · Int. Chem. Eng.; (United States)
OSTI ID:5967064

To study the effect of the particle-size distribution on its combustion characteristics, coal was burned in a 0.25 m-square fluidized-bed combustor with a 3-m freeboard. A higher fines content increased the loss of unburned coal by elutriation, but reduced the loss from overflow from the bed surface. The overall combustion efficiency varied only slightly with the size distribution; the efficiency of combustion within the bed was reduced, but more combustion took place in the freeboard, both for 9.5-25 mm particles, owing to segregation in the bed, and for <2 mm particles, owing to elutriation. NO/SUB/x emission for two-stage combustion with these two size ranges was considerably higher than for particles within the broader range <25 mm. Since segregation of coarse particles and elutriation of unburned finer particles increase NO/SUB/x emission and reduced the bed combustion efficiency, it is desirable to use coal with a broad particle-size distribution.

OSTI ID:
5967064
Journal Information:
Int. Chem. Eng.; (United States), Journal Name: Int. Chem. Eng.; (United States) Vol. 24:3; ISSN INCEA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English