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Plasma Ignition System to Start Up Pulverized Coal Boilers: Experimental Simulation and Full-Scale Test

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Abstract

The conditions of coal ignition and combustion with application of plasma ignition system have been studied experimentally. Research on plasma ignition of coal fuel flow was carried out on a pilot setup. The conditions were close to the industrial ones used for start-up of coal boilers. The operating range of the velocities of pulverized coal flow in the electric arc unit has been determined. It has been established that a stable process of ignition and further combustion of coal is possible at these flow velocities in the electric arc unit. The experimental setup was started up from a cold state and heated to a temperature of 1000°C; the start-up time did not exceed 200 s. Based on the obtained experimental results, an industrial prototype of plasma ignition system (PIS) was designed and tested with a TP-10 boiler with a capacity of 220 tons of steam per hour. The boiler was started up from a cold state by means of the PIS technology without use of fuel oil; the start-up time was 5 hours. After the pass of pulverized coal through the PIS, stable ignition and combustion of pulverized coal flame with a temperature of 1350°C was observed in the boiler. For the first time, a technology for ignition of pulverized coal boilers without use of fuel oil was created and implemented on the basis of a starting burner with plasma ignition of fuel. The technology features positive economic and environmental parameters in comparison with the widespread technology of starting up coal-fired boilers with liquid fuel combustion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kutateladze Institute of Thermophysics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia

    E. B. Butakov, A. P. Burdukov & S. V. Alekseenko

  2. Open Joint-Stock Company Sibtechenergo, Novosibirsk, Russia

    E. N. Yaganov

Authors
  1. E. B. Butakov
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  2. A. P. Burdukov
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  3. S. V. Alekseenko
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  4. E. N. Yaganov
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Correspondence to E. B. Butakov.

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Butakov, E.B., Burdukov, A.P., Alekseenko, S.V. et al. Plasma Ignition System to Start Up Pulverized Coal Boilers: Experimental Simulation and Full-Scale Test. J. Engin. Thermophys. 31, 375–383 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1810232822030018

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1810232822030018

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