What the study found
Coal-biomass co-firing in a 1000 MW tangential-fired tower boiler could maintain normal and stable operation across a wide range of loads. The results also show that biomass injection position and co-firing ratio change temperature distribution, emissions, and burnout performance.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors say biomass co-firing is an important technical pathway for reducing carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. They also state that understanding its combustion behavior under frequent and deep load changes is crucial for flexible operation as renewable energy is accommodated.
What the researchers tested
The researchers developed a numerical model of a 1000 MW tangential-fired tower boiler with biomass injected through standby burners. They simulated coal-biomass co-firing under different load conditions and examined flue gas temperature, major product concentrations, and burnout ratio for different biomass injection positions and co-firing ratios.
What worked and what didn't
Under co-firing conditions, the furnace remained stable, flue gas temperature at the furnace outlet dropped by up to 76 K, and wall heat flux decreased. The total burnout ratio improved by 0.1–1.7 percentage points and reached a maximum of 99.9%, while biomass injection via bottom burners performed better than top burners, especially at medium-low loads. Increasing the co-firing ratio from 10% to 20% improved temperature uniformity and lowered NO emissions, but it also reduced total burnout ratio; the abstract says combustion stability was especially enhanced at lower loads, while under medium-high loads burnout ratio deteriorated by up to 1.4 percentage points.
What to keep in mind
This summary is based on numerical simulations rather than direct plant operation. The abstract does not describe experimental validation or other limitations beyond the modeled load range and injection configurations.
Key points
- A numerical model was built for coal-biomass co-firing in a 1000 MW tangential-fired tower boiler.
- The furnace stayed stable under co-firing across a wide range of load conditions.
- Bottom-burner biomass injection performed better than top-burner injection, especially at medium-low loads.
- Raising the co-firing ratio from 10% to 20% improved temperature uniformity and reduced NO emissions, but lowered burnout ratio.
- The abstract recommends co-firing ratios of 10%–15% for higher loads and 15%–20% for lower loads.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Coal-biomass co-firing stayed stable across wide boiler loads
- Authors:
- Lingxiao Chen, Meihong Wang, Xiao Wu
- Institutions:
- Southeast University, University of Sheffield
- Publication date:
- 2026-04-18
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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