Low heat value coal usage is increasing as world coal quality steadily declines

GUJARAT, India - Oct. 30, 2014 - PRLog -- Coal remains the dominant fuel choice for power generation around in Asia.

Thermal power producers are more frequently forced to use lower heat value coal responding to economic necessities and fluctuating market conditions.

Burning low heat value coal is becoming costlier from an operations standpoint, as is controlling the pollution generated while burning it.

Today thermal coal is mined and sold across open international markets. Examples being Columbian coal burned in Korea and South African coal burned in India. Under international scenarios, boiler operators are burning many different types of coal outside their boilers anticipated design ranges. Burning coal types outside of a boilers design range can cause numerous challenges to maintain steady boiler operations.

As large power plants acquire coal from all points around the globe; the coal types and different coal chemistries vary widely. The different types and their individual chemical composition effect the coals firing conditions (how well the coal burns) and produces different polluting emissions which also vary widely. The quality of coal burned will directly affects the economics and profitability of a plant, affecting its ability to operate smoothly and meet its requisite environmental limits.

High ash low heat value coals have higher concentrations of non-combustible ash. Low heat value coal usually having non-combustible ash content of 40% or more. Its all the non-combustible minerals in the coal that create wall slag and stubborn deposits in many areas of the furnace.

High ash low heat value coals can cause problems across many areas in a boiler system; stubborn and clinging ash deposits onto boiler tube pendants and superheater areas, arches, burner eyebrows/beards and bull nose. Heavy deposits lead to gas path stoppage, slag falls, unscheduled outages which affect boiler reliability and boilers availability. Slagging issues occurring from use of low heat value high ash coal can be very costly. When a unit suffers from unscheduled outages and derating financial losses are occurring.

What determines a coal's likelihood to cause problems depends upon its ash fusion temperature. The ash fusion temperatures are dependent upon the coal ash mineral contents, firing conditions, and zonal temperature and their differences.

Its the ash fusion temperature which determines if ash will become a sticky semi-molten, plasticized form vs light friable ash that is easily removed by traditional soot blowing / air lances.

Low heat value coals with low ash fusion temperatures lead to creating sticky ash which clings to itself in a plasticized form. This ash builds, exposing more of the furnace to potential deposition. Continual ash deposition of sticky ash causes a myriad of problems. Sticky ash causes operational challenges like slagging, fouling, plugging, corrosion; which are costly problems to contend with.

Here is how to solve operational problems burning high ash low heat value coal. CC-88 raises ash fusion temperatures so ash will cool more quickly to become more friable, more porous resulting minimal potential for slagging.
The low heat value coal with low ash fusion temperatures can lead to high maintenance costs across a wide array of the plants operating equipment. It should be mentioned that low heat value coal with higher sulfur content and is sticky deposits on plant duct work which causes corrosion reducing the plant’s equipment life which raises operating equipment maintenance expenses and capital expenditures.

If you are a user of low heat value coal, a practical and cost effective solution is offered - CC-88 Combustion Catalyst. Asia Coal Catalyst Company is encouraging thermal power producers to utilize our simplistic and cost-effective technology to improve the burning characteristics of their low heat value coal. CC-88 combustion catalyst is a fireside chemical that increases a low heat value coal’s virtual heating value by catalyzing the carbon / oxygen reaction occurring during combustion, helping to burn more of the available combustible carbon content within each tonne burned. Functioning as a "combustion catalyst" CC-88 improves the heat release; allowing combustion to occur with less energy, igniting / combusting the fuel at a lower temperature than normal; this ultimately generating more steam per unit of fuel consumed, saving coal and saving money.

Asia Coal Catalyst Company's CC-88 improves boiler operations in a variety of ways which all directly affect the profitability of coal fired plant burning low heat value coal types. CC-88 will reduce boiler tube slagging which can occur frequently when using low heat value coal. CC-88 changes the porosity of slag making it much more friable and easier to remove using conventional soot blower and air lancing. CC-88 reduces the amount of ash that sticks to ID fans, thus reducing fouling. By reducing the amount of ash accumulation on heat transfer surfaces, operators can reduce the amount of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance required to remove the ash accumulation. This is an operational maintenance savings.

Please contact us to learn more about CC-88 and its ability to improve firing conditions of low heat value coal and improve your bottom line.

Please visit: http://www.coalcatalyst.com