A prediction method for coal-fired furnaces

Abstract A prediction method is described applicable to pulverised fuel-fired cylindrical furnaces. It is based on the “particle-source-in-cell” approach in which representative coal-particle trajectories are determined in a separately computed gas field. The presence of the particles is made known to the gas field through mass, momentum, etc., by “source” appended to the equations governing the gas flow. The particle and gas-flow computations proceed iteratively, and in parallel. Phenomenological physical modelling is incorporated for the particle drag and convective heat transfer, devolatilisation rate, volatiles combustion rate, char combustion rate, particle diffusion, and the gaseous and particle radiation. Some parametric studies are made fot a hypothetical furnace and a few useful engineering conclusions are drawn.