Influence of Coal Blending on Ash Fusibility in Reducing Atmosphere
Coal blending is an effective way to organize and control coal ash fusibility to meet different requirements of Coal-fired power plants. This study investigates three different eutectic processes and explains the mechanism of how coal blending affects ash fusibility. The blended ashes were prepared by hand-mixing two raw coal ashes at five blending ratios, G:D = 10:90 (G10D90), G:D= 20:80 (G20D80), G:D = 30:70 (G30D70), G:D = 40:60 (G40D60), and G:D = 50:50 (G50D50). The samples were heated at 900 °C, 1000 °C, 1100 °C, 1200 °C, and 1300 °C in reducing atmosphere. XRD and SEM/EDX were used to identify mineral transformations and eutectic processes. The eutectic processes were finally simulated with FactSage. Results show that the fusion temperatures of the blended ashes initially decrease and then increase with the blending ratio, a trend that is typical of eutectic melting. Eutectic phenomena are observed in D100, G10D90, and G30D70 in different degrees, which do not appear in G100 and G50D50 for the lack of eutectic reactants. The main eutectic reactants are gehlenite, magnetite, merwinite, and diopside. The FactSage simulation results show that the content discrepancy of merwinite and diopside in the ashes causes the inconsistent eutectic temperatures and eutectic degrees, in turn decrease the fusion temperature of the blended ash and then increase them with the blending ratio.
Slag Behavior in Gasifiers. Part I: Influence of Coal Properties and Gasification Conditions
In the entrained-flow gasifiers used in integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plants, the majority of mineral matter transforms to liquid slag on the wall of the gasifier and flows out the bottom. However, a small fraction of the mineral matter is entrained (as fly ash) with the raw syngas out of the gasifier to downstream processing. This molten/sticky fly ash could cause fouling of the syngas cooler. To improve gasification availability through better design and operation of the gasification process, a better understanding of slag behavior and the characteristics of the slagging process is needed. Char/ash properties, gas compositions in the gasifier, the gasifier wall structure, fluid dynamics, and plant operating conditions (mainly temperature and oxygen/carbon ratio) all affect slagging behavior. Because coal has varying ash content and composition, different operating conditions are required to maintain the slag flow and limit problems downstream. In Part I, we review the main types and the operating conditions of entrained-flow gasifiers and coal properties used in IGCC plants; we identify and discuss the key coal ash properties and the operating conditions impacting slag behavior; finally, we summarize the coal quality criteria and the operating conditions in entrained-flow gasifiers. In Part II, we discuss the constitutive modeling related to the rheological studies of slag flow.
Flow properties of low-rank coal ash slags: Implications for slagging gasification
Abstract For predicting satisfactory operation in slagging fixed-bed gasification, a slag should have a viscosity of