Modeling for on-line monitoring of carbon burnout coefficient in boiler under partial load

Combustion stability of boiler deteriorates under low load, making carbon burnout coefficient decrease, further reducing boiler thermal efficiency. The online monitoring methods of carbon burnout coefficient and boiler thermal efficiency can track energy efficiency levels of boiler in real-time under low loads. It is of great practical significance to optimize and adjust combustion conditions of boilers and upgrade boiler real-time energy efficiency. Nevertheless, extremely difficult challenge for online monitoring technology of carbon burnout coefficient seriously restricts the online monitoring of boiler thermal efficiency. In this background, an innovative theoretical model between excess air coefficient and carbon burnout coefficient is derived according to incomplete combustion equation inside furnace. Calculation method of excess air coefficient is proposed with a brand new perspective on energy balance of economizer. Subsequently, on-line monitoring model of carbon burnout coefficient and boiler thermal efficiency is constructed and verified. The online monitoring results of a 600 MW unit indicate, lower carbon burnout coefficient magnifies the degree of virtual height of calculation results and calculation error from traditional methods of national standard for calculating excess air coefficient. This operating mode results in a significant shortage of actual air flow into boiler under partial load. Carbon burnout coefficient, showing an upward trend with unit load increasing, is as high as 0.99 with unit load of 489 MW. As unit load decreases to 161 MW, carbon burnout coefficient decreases to 0.80. Additionally, combustion conditions fluctuation is greatly influenced by changing in coal quality. Under partial load, volatility in carbon burnout coefficient increases with electrical load below 300 MW. Combustion stability and combustion efficiency of boiler under low load significantly decrease. The variation in exhaust flue gas heat loss of boiler with unit load changes is relatively small due to opposite effect by exhaust gas temperature and excess air coefficient. Actually, changing trends and fluctuation degree of boiler thermal efficiency are mainly influenced by carbon burnout coefficient with a variation in load. Overall, boiler thermal efficiency, affected by heat loss of incomplete solid on combustion, fluctuates greatly at low loads. The implementation of online monitoring for carbon burnout coefficient provides a quantitative basis for improving boiler energy efficiency under low load conditions.