Effect of Jet Velocity on the Formation of Moderate or Intense Low-Oxygen Dilution Combustion of Pulverized Coal

Moderate or intense low-oxygen dilution (MILD) combustion of pulverized coal is regarded as a new combustion technology with great potential due to its advantages of reducing NO emission and improving the uniformity of heat flux in the furnace. Increasing the jet velocity has been proved to be an important technical means to achieve MILD oxy-coal combustion, especially without a high level of preheat, but the transition mechanism of coal combustion modes with the increase of jet velocity is not clear enough. In this work, a high-velocity coal-laden jet combustion system on the basis of a flat-flame burner was designed to study the effect of jet velocity on the formation of MILD combustion of pulverized coal. The combustion mode transition of the pulverized coal jet is revealed by analyzing the flame structure, temperature, radiation, and reaction intensity through a variety of optical measurement methods. Theoretical criteria for combustion mode were applied to predict the formation of MILD combustion and were validated by the experimental data. In the environment with an ambient temperature of 1600 °C, the transition velocity of the coal jet into the MILD combustion regime is about 50 m/s and about 100 m/s at 5 and 15% O₂ molar fraction, respectively. The dilution effect, jet entrainment, and turbulent mixing in the high-velocity jet, as the key factors to achieve an MILD combustion regime, were analyzed theoretically and experimentally. The dilution effect inherent in the jet significantly reduces the reactant concentration and ultimately reduces the reaction intensity and flame brightness while the entrainment of the jet promotes the radial dispersion of particles and the flame uniformity, which is dominant at lower jet velocities. Strong turbulent mixing promotes the ignition and volatile combustion, which is dominant at higher jet velocities.