A cyclone furnace is a type of coal combustor commonly used in large industrial

boilers A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

Background

Developed in the early 1942 by Babcock & Wilcox to take advantage of coal grades not suitable for pulverized coal combustion, cyclone furnaces feed coal in a spiral manner into a combustion chamber for maximum combustion efficiency. During coal combustion in a furnace, volatile components burn without much difficulty. Fuel carbon “char” particles (heavier, less volatile coal constituents) require much higher temperatures and a continuing supply of oxygen. Cyclone furnaces are able to provide a thorough mixing of coal particles and air with sufficient turbulence to provide fresh air to surfaces of the coal particles. Cyclone furnaces were originally designed to take advantage of four things #Lower fuel preparation time and costs #Smaller more compact furnaces #Less

fly ash Fly ash, flue ash, coal ash, or pulverised fuel ash (in the UK) plurale tantum: coal combustion residuals (CCRs)is a coal combustion product that is composed of the particulates (fine particles of burned fuel) that are driven out of coal-fired ...

and convective pass slagging #Flexibility in fuel types

Operation

A cyclone furnace consists of a horizontal cylindrical barrel attached through the side of a boiler furnace. The cyclone barrel is constructed with water cooled, tangential oriented, tube construction. Inside the cyclone barrel are short, densely spaced, pin studs welded to the outside of the tubes. The studs are coated with a

refractory material In materials science, a refractory material or refractory is a material that is resistant to decomposition by heat, pressure, or chemical attack, and retains strength and form at high temperatures. Refractories are polycrystalline, polyphase, ...

, usually silica or aluminium based, that allows the cyclone to operate at a high enough temperature to keep the

slag Slag is a by-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and used metals. Broadly, it can be classified as ferrous (by-products of processing iron and steel), ferroalloy (by-product of ferroalloy production) or non-ferrous/base metals (by-prod ...

in a molten state and allow removal through the tap. Crushed coal and a small amount of primary air enter from the front of the cyclone into the burner. In the main cyclone burner, secondary air is introduced tangentially, causing a circulating gas flow pattern. The products, flue gas and un-combusted fuel, then leave the burner and pass over the boiler tubes. Tertiary air is then released further downstream to complete combustion of the remaining fuel, greatly reducing

NOx In atmospheric chemistry, is shorthand for nitric oxide () and nitrogen dioxide (), the nitrogen oxides that are most relevant for air pollution. These gases contribute to the formation of smog and acid rain, as well as affecting tropos ...

formation. A layer of molten slag coats the burner and flows through traps at the bottom of the burners, reducing the amount of slag that would otherwise form on the boiler tubes. Cyclone Furnaces can handle a wide range of fuels. Low volatile

bituminous coal Bituminous coal, or black coal, is a type of coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen or asphalt. Its coloration can be black or sometimes dark brown; often there are well-defined bands of bright and dull material within the seams. It ...

s, lignite coal, mineral rich anthracitic coal,

wood chips Woodchips are small- to medium-sized pieces of wood formed by cutting or chipping larger pieces of wood such as trees, branches, logging residues, stumps, roots, and wood waste. Woodchips may be used as a biomass solid fuel and are raw material f ...

, petroleum coke, and old tires can and have all been used in cyclones. The crushed coal is fed into the cyclone burner and fired with high rates of heat release. Before the hot gases enter in the boiler furnace the combustion of coal is completed. The crushed coal is fed into cyclone burners. The coal is Burned by centrifugal action which is imparted by the primary air which enters tangentially and secondary Air which also enters in the top tangentially at high speed and tertiary air is admitted in the centre. Due to Whirling action of coal and air, a large amount of heat is generated (1500–1600 °C) and that covered the surface of cyclone and ashes are transformed into molten slag. The molten slag drained from the boiler furnace through a slag tap.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cyclone Furnace Power station technology Boilers Energy conversion Industrial furnaces