Evolution of the Structure and Mechanical Strength of a Coal Particle During Combustion in the Atmosphere of Air and the Mixture of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide / Ewolucja Struktury Oraz Wytrzymałości Mechanicznej Ziarna Węgla Podczas Spalania W Atmosferze Powietrza Oraz Mieszaninie Tlenu I Dwutlenku Węgla

Abstract

The research was conducted on the basis of four different types of hard coal and one type of brown coal. There are typical coals commonly used as fuel in Polish CFB boilers. The combustion process was conducted at a temperature of 850°C and the atmosphere of ambient air as well as in the mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide in different proportions. The research was carried out using specially prepared cubical coal particles with measurements of 15×15mm and also 10×10 mm. The change of the mechanical properties was analyzed based on three parameters, i.e. compression strength, Vickers hardness and fracture toughness. The analysis was supplemented by microscopic images of the surface of the particles using an atomic force microscope. The results obtained clearly indicated the mechanical changes of the coal during its combustion, particularly at the moment of ignition of the char. Moreover, the results correlate very well with the processes of coal comminution that have been described by other authors (Basu, 1999;Chirone et al., 1991) during combustion in the circulating fluidized bed and also explain the sudden change of susceptibility to erosion in the conditions with and without combustion. The measured values can be used as strength parameters in the modelling of the mass loss of coal particles in conditions of circulating fluidized bed combustor that are hard to describe. Keywords: combustion, comminution, mechanical propertiesBadania przeprowadzono na podstawie czterech węgli kamiennych różnego typu oraz jednego węgla brunatnego. Są to typowe węgle energetyczne wykorzystywane powszechnie jako paliwo w kotłach fluidyzacyjnych w Polsce. Proces spalania był prowadzony w temperaturze 850°C w atmosferze powietrza atmosferycznego oraz w atmosferze mieszaniny tlenu oraz dwutlenku węgla w różnych proporcjach. Badania przeprowadzono na spreparowanych do tego celu sześciennych próbkach węgla o wymiarach 15×15 mm oraz 10×10 mm. Zmianę własności mechanicznych przeanalizowano w oparciu