An improved model of sulfur self-retention by coal ash during coal combustion in FBC

During combustion of coal a significant amount of sulfur may be retained in ash due to the reactions between mineral matter in coal and sulfur oxides. This process is known as sulfur self-retention and its significance lies in the fact that a part of sulfur oxides, one of the main pollutants during combustion of coal, is not released in the atmosphere. Sulfur self-retention is influenced by parameters that depend on coal characteristics and combustion conditions. The interest for this process was enhanced with the introduction of fluidized bed combustion (FBC) technology since the temperatures and other conditions are favorable for sulfur self-retention. Investigation of this process, primarily modeling, is the subject of this work. The presented model is based on the previously developed model for the combustion of porous char particles under FBC conditions, along with a changing grain size model of sulfation of the CaO grains dispersed throughout the char particle volume. Incorporating the phenomena of sintering, reduction of the produced CaSO4 with CO, thermal decomposition of the produced CaSO4, as well as allowing for the different reactivity of various forms of calcium make major improvements of the model. A temperature dependent relation for the CaO grain radius takes sintering into account. Reductive and thermal decomposition were taken into account by the corresponding reaction rate constants of the Arrhenius type. The reactivity of the calcium forms in coal was considered by different initial radius of the CaO grains. The model was verified by the experimental results of sulfur self-retention of three Serbian coals during combustion in a fluidized bed combustion reactor. The comparison with the experimentally obtained results showed that the model can adequately predict the levels of the obtained values of sulfur self-retention efficiencies, as well as the influence of temperature, coal type and coal particle size.