Effect of agglomeration on pulverized-coal combustion

The effect of coal particle agglomeration during pulverized coal combustion is studied using a plug-flow model of a practical coal combustor. The model incorporates turbulent agglomeration, in addition to the combustion equations, to explore certain combustor and coal parameters that may be used for optimizing a chosen output parameter (e.g., burnout time). This routine has been used to develop relations describing the effects of turbulent agglomeration on pulverized coal combustion as an aid in combustor design or retrofitting. The results of this work indicate that, in agreement with general observations, agglomeration will have little impact on pulverized coal combustion in typical combustors.