An experimental study on combustion efficiency of low grade anthracite in AFBC

This is the basic study to develop a fluidized bed combustion boiler which can use low grade anthracite. In this study, the anthracite of about 3400 kcal/kg was burned in the bench scale non-recycling atmospheric fluidized bed combustor of 200mm diameter and 2215mm height with the static bed height of 250mm and the combustion temperature range of 800–950°C. During the combustion, the effect of factors such as the superficial gas velocity in bed, the air ratio, the coal supply location and the coal particle size on the combustion efficiency, the elutriation ratio and the unburned carbon content both in elutriated ash and in drained ash was thoroughly analyzed. When the superficial gas velocity in bed is 0.7～2.2m/s, the air ratio is 1.0～1.6 and coal supply locations are 300,500 and 700mm above the air distributor, the combustion efficiencies range from 66% to 83.5% for the mean coal particle size of 0.209mm, and from 71% to 88% for the case of 0.265mm. The combustion efficiency decreases as the superficial gas velocity in bed and the air ratio increase. The lower the coal supply location is, the better the combustion efficiency becomes in general.