Experimental study on the comprehensive behavior of combustion for blended coals

The combustion behaviors and kinetic parameters of two parent coals (lignite and bituminous) and their blends were evaluated to meet specifications of power plants. Nonisothermogravimetric experiments were conducted in air atmosphere. The flow rate was set at 100 ml/min within the temperature range from ambient temperature to 1100 degrees C and heating rate at 20 degrees C/min. The particle size used in the experiment was smaller than 0.09 mm. The combustion performance of blended coals, such as the ignition temperature and maximum weight loss rate, can be improved by the co-combustion of the blends. Thermal analysis, burnout and combustibility index S of the coal samples were used to demonstrate the impact of blending ratio on the combustion characteristic of blended coals; results of blends displayed the nonadditive effect of the parent coals. (c) 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.