Influence of secondary air blade angle and oxygen-rich combustion characteristics of an improved Babcock swirl burner

• Published in: Applied thermal engineering 2024-03, Vol.241, p.122383, Article 122383
• Main Authors: Huang, Chunchao, Li, Zhengqi, Wang, Yufei, Fang, Fan, Liu, Huacai, Chen, Zhichao, Liu, Yujie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Flow characteristics; Low–load stabilized combustion; Oxygen–enriched combustion; Swirl burner
• ISSN: 1359-4311
• DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.122383

•On an industrial scale, the Babcock swirl burners are modified with oxygen-enriched combustion.•The improved burners can achieve stable combustion at cold start process without any auxiliary means.•Oxygen-assisted combustion significantly increases the flue gas temperature in the burner central region.•It provides support for enhancing the flexibility of low-quality coal fired boilers. Innovations in research methods and stable combustion technologies were urgent to enhance flexibility in faulty coal-fired boiler. Focusing boiler start-stop processes was vital for effective peak shaving in power plants. The integration of enriched oxygen stable combustion with swirling techniques showed promise in improving low-load performance. In the cold single–phase experiment, the influence of secondary blade angle on the flow field of an improved Babcock burner was observed. Industrial experiments were conducted on a 700 MW boiler, exclusively implementing the improved burners in the lower layer of the boiler front wall. Stable annular recirculation zones were observed at the burner outlet with blade angles of 30°, 45°, 60°, and 75° for the secondary air. Increasing the blade angle expanded the recirculation zone length and decreased the gas net flow ratio. The angle, between 45° and 60°, facilitated air mixing and protected against outlet slagging and high-temperature corrosion. During cold start–up process of the boiler, supplying 0 kg·s−1 of pure oxygen to a single improved burner increased the flue gas temperature by about 50 °C within 0.4 m of the primary air duct outlet. Increasing the oxygen flow rate to 0.2456 kg·s−1 steadily raised the flue gas temperature at 405 MW. The gas temperature in the burner central region was generally lower than the secondary air zone, resulting in a longer ignition distance for the pulverized coal. Higher oxygen levels intensified the heating rate and reduced the ignition distance in the central region.