Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
PF 05-07 Profiles
Online analysis and
coal-fired power plant
‘Online analysis can play ‘The performance of online ‘Repeatability combined
a major role in analysers depends strongly with speed, ease of
minimising generation on initial installation and integration and reliability
costs’ maintenance’ are important’
Coal quality and constituents from fired power plant is determined by grind quality, fuel/air distribution and
the same mine can vary enormously. In obtaining a suitable sample and sending fitting of combustion modification
the past, obtaining accurate it to a laboratory for detailed analysis systems such as low NOx burners
measurements to determine coal using standard methods. Obtaining (LNBs). SO2 emission reduction are
properties such as ash, moisture and representative samples of the many usually achieved either with the
elemental content could be a time thousands of tonnes of coal in a installation of flue gas desulphurisation
consuming and lengthy process. Online consignment is difficult. Coal taken (FGD) systems or switching to lower
coal analysers began to be developed in from the top or sides of a pile will sulphur coals. NOx emissions are
earnest in the late 1970s in Australia, almost always be different in quality reduced by combustion modifications
Europe and the United States. They from the rest of the pile due to size or the installation of NOx abatement
have been in use, mainly by coal- segregation and weathering/oxidation. and control systems. The Australian
producers, in coal mines and handling Furthermore, onsite as well as off-site Coal Association Research Program
and preparation facilities since the mid- laboratory analyses can be time (ACARP) manual of modern coal
1980s and more recently in coal-fired consuming and hence do not testing methods, states that the use of
power plants. Their task is to provide necessarily reflect current operating online analysis techniques may assist in
almost instantaneous information on conditions. The results are therefore not resolving some of the problems when
properties, mainly ash, moisture and only delayed, but also in many cases, firing thermal coal in utility boilers.
elemental composition. Today, online non-representative due to the The type of coal fired in a boiler
analysers are also used to improve coal continuing change in the coal fed into impacts steam generating equipment,
flow and distribution, carry out in- the boilers and the size of the sample performance and total plant emissions.
duct/boiler outlet gas measurement as tested. They can also be unreliable As properties of coals and their ash,
well as carbon in ash monitoring. because of the combined potential for moisture and elemental content vary
error in sampling, preparation and widely, it is advisable that all coals that
Development of online
laboratory analysis. Online analysers may be fired in a boiler should be
analysis
sample larger volumes and provide tested and monitored to indicate
Since the late 1980s, application of faster and therefore more representative chemical analyses, heating value and
coal analysers in coal-operations plants information on the coal feed. Realtime grindability. Today, online analysers
shifted from merely monitoring to information on coal quality helps are becoming more widely used in coal-
process control and shipment efficient management of coal stockpiles fired power plants. A more recent
verification (consignment quality). and improves plant performance. development in the use of online
Changes in heavy-media gravity, silo analysis is to measure coal flow into the
Coal quality impacts
blend proportions and haul truck boiler, not only to improve efficiency
dispatch, among other operations began It has been said that of all the coal by balancing coal flow distribution to
to be based on immediate results gained quality impacts the most important is burners for uniform combustion but
from the online analysers. Many pollutant emissions. Other coal quality also to reduce the emissions from these
producers realised rapid payback on impacts on boiler involve corrosion, units.
their analyser investment by reducing deposition, combustion stability,
CO2 emissions
the variability in coal quality. The burnout and unburnt carbon in ash (see
greater product consistency results in figure). Ash deposition and slagging CO2 emission trading in the
improved recovery, better mine can cause problems with some coals European Union began in January 2005.
utilisation, lower costs and more (such as Powder River Basin (PRB) The CO2 emission calculation is based
contract flexibility. coals). Unburnt carbon in ash can be on three factors which are multiplied
Traditionally, coal quality in coal- impacted by mill performance and together. These are: activity data,
heat tranfer
combustion
stability and
burn out
pollutant
formation
pf pipework
erosion
handleability
mill wear
and
explosions