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Article

Numerical Investigation of Combustion and Nitric Oxide Formation in a 130 t/h Pulverized-Coal Boiler Under Lignite–Bituminous Coal Blending

Department of Quality Management and Inspection Testing, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, China
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Processes 2025, 13(10), 3187; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13103187
Submission received: 5 September 2025 / Revised: 30 September 2025 / Accepted: 4 October 2025 / Published: 7 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Chemical Processes and Systems)

Abstract

Coal blending has become a common practice in large-scale boilers due to fluctuations in fuel supply, and it has an important impact on combustion and nitric oxide (NO) formation. To clarify these effects, this study numerically investigates the combustion characteristics and NO generation in a 130 t/h tangentially fired pulverized-coal boiler under boiler maximum continuous rating (BMCR) conditions. A three-dimensional furnace model was developed based on the actual boiler geometry, and combustion was simulated using coal combustion sub-models coupled with the discrete phase model (DPM). The results indicate that increasing the proportion of bituminous coal raises the peak furnace temperature from 1856 K under unblended firing to 1959 K at 80% blending and increases the outlet NO concentration from 357 mg/m3 to 457 mg/m3. Furthermore, coal blending shifts flame intensity toward the furnace wall, enhances carbon monoxide (CO) formation in oxygen-deficient near-wall regions, and promotes NO generation in wall-adjacent high-temperature zones. These findings demonstrate that coal blending significantly influences combustion performance and pollutant emissions, highlighting the need for optimized air distribution and blending strategies in tangentially fired boilers.
Keywords: pulverized-coal boiler; coal blending; comfbustion characteristics; nitric oxide; numerical simulation pulverized-coal boiler; coal blending; comfbustion characteristics; nitric oxide; numerical simulation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhou, C.; Zhang, W.; Wu, B.; Liu, Z. Numerical Investigation of Combustion and Nitric Oxide Formation in a 130 t/h Pulverized-Coal Boiler Under Lignite–Bituminous Coal Blending. Processes 2025, 13, 3187. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13103187

AMA Style

Zhou C, Zhang W, Wu B, Liu Z. Numerical Investigation of Combustion and Nitric Oxide Formation in a 130 t/h Pulverized-Coal Boiler Under Lignite–Bituminous Coal Blending. Processes. 2025; 13(10):3187. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13103187

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhou, Chuan, Wei Zhang, Binqian Wu, and Zihan Liu. 2025. "Numerical Investigation of Combustion and Nitric Oxide Formation in a 130 t/h Pulverized-Coal Boiler Under Lignite–Bituminous Coal Blending" Processes 13, no. 10: 3187. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13103187

APA Style

Zhou, C., Zhang, W., Wu, B., & Liu, Z. (2025). Numerical Investigation of Combustion and Nitric Oxide Formation in a 130 t/h Pulverized-Coal Boiler Under Lignite–Bituminous Coal Blending. Processes, 13(10), 3187. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13103187

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