Gas-particle flow and rapid load-up characteristics of a novel deep peak regulation burner
image: Structure of the prototype burner.
Credit: Chunchao Huang, Zhengqi Li, Yue Lu, Huacai Liu, Zhichao Chen & Xiangjun Long.
With the growing integration of renewable energy, thermal power plants face increasing pressure to provide flexible operation and deep peak regulation. However, existing swirl combustion technologies, especially when burning low-volatility or high-ash "faulty coal," struggle to maintain stable combustion below 50% of the rated load without auxiliary support such as oil. This limitation hinders the ability of power units to meet the current requirement of operating at 35%–30% load for deep peak shaving.
A study published in Frontiers in Energy by researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology and partner institutions introduces a novel deep peak regulation burner (DPRB). The authors developed the DPRB to achieve stable combustion at 15%–30% of the boiler’s rated load without auxiliary fuels. The research combines gas-particle flow experiments, industrial trials, and transient numerical simulations to evaluate the burner’s performance.
The DPRB eliminates the central air and bluff body used in conventional designs, instead employing gap-swirled secondary air to entrain straight primary air, forming a controllable recirculation zone (RZ). At full load, a central RZ with a length of 1.5d and diameter of 0.58d forms. Under low loads (40%–15%), the RZ transitions to an annular shape, maintaining a length of 1.0d and diameters between 0.30d–0.40d. Particle concentration rings further enhance ignition by accumulating pulverized coal in the central region.
During rapid load increases from 20% to 30%, the prototype burner extinguished at a 3%·min⁻¹ rate, while the DPRB maintained stable combustion. Temperature analysis showed that the DPRB’s central region reached 750°C at 0.65–0.70 m from the outlet, enabling earlier ignition compared to the prototype.
This study demonstrates that the DPRB improves combustion stability and load-adjustment flexibility in boilers firing faulty coal. By enabling stable ultra-low load operation and rapid load response, the technology supports the integration of renewable energy and contributes to the transition of the energy structure.
Original source:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11708-025-0994-4
https://journal.hep.com.cn/fie/EN/10.1007/s11708-025-0994-4
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