COMPARISON OF LARGE-SCALE BOILER DATA WITH COMBUSTION MODEL PREDICTIONS

A three-dimensional comprehensive furnace model capable of predicting gas flow, coal-combustion; and radiative heat transfer is described. T he model has been validated using operational data from a tangentially coal fired 500-MW(e) boiler. The model validation and the results of two investigations which have been conducted by Pacific Power by apply ing the model to large coal-fired boilers are described. The results d emonstrate that the model has practical application for both the solut ion of operational problems and the optimization of the combustion per formance of utility furnaces. For a swirl burner wall-fired furnace th e model was able to illustrate the aerodynamic mechanisms which contri bute to burner throat ash deposition. A combustion optimization invest igation on a tangentially fired furnace indicates that potentially sig nificant improvements are possible via modification of boiler operatin g parameters.