A LOW NITROGEN OXIDE HIGH PERFORMANCE POWER SYSTEMS (HIPPS) COAL/GAS BURNER

THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE AN INNOVATIVE BURNER FOR THE CONTROL OF OXIDES OF NITROGEN (NOX) FROM THE COMBUSTION OF FOSSIL FUEL, I.E., COAL AND NATURAL GAS, AND IN THE FUTURE EXTEND TO 100 PERCENT COAL TO MEET OR EXCEED THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE HIGH PERFORMANCE POWER SYSTEM (HIPPS). THE HIPPS IS A COMBINED CYCLE POWER PLANT CONSISTING OF AN INDIRECTLY FIRED BRAYTON TOPPING CYCLE AND A CONVENTIONAL RANKINE BOTTOMING CYCLE WITH GOALS OF AN OVERALL EFFICIENCY OF 47 PERCENT AND NOX LEVELS AT OR BELOW 0.15 LB/MMBTU (=100 PPM). THE GOAL OF PHASE I IS TO TEST AN ADVANCED PRIMARY COMBUSTOR DEVELOPED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE SPACE INSTITUTE AND CONFIGURED WITH INTERNAL NATURAL GAS REBURNING WHICH IN CONCEPT COULD BE USED IN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE ADVANCED FURNACE IN THE HIPPS PROGRAM AS WELL AS A REPLACEMENT FOR CONVENTIONAL WALL-MOUNTED BURNERS IN PULVERIZED-COAL FIRED UTILITY BOILERS. ADDITIONALLY IN PHASE I, THE COMBUSTOR WILL BE SCALED UP FROM THE CURRENT 6 MMBTU/HR TO A 25 MMBTU/HR FURNACE-WALL-MOUNTED CONFIGURATION AND TESTED DURING PHASE II, IN A 25 TO 50 MMBTU/HR TEST FACILITY. A PREVIOUS SHORT-TERM TEST USING THIS COMBUSTOR CONFIGURATION HAS PRODUCED NOX EMISSIONS WITH COAL FIRING THAT WERE SLIGHTLY BELOW 0.3 LB/MMBTU WHEN PROPANE REBURNING SUPPLIED 14% OF THE TOTAL BTU INPUT. BY TESTING IN PHASE I WITH LOWER PRIMARY STOICHIOMETRY AND INCREASED REBURNING RATE, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE NOX EMISSIONS OF 0.15 LB/MMBTU OR LOWER WITH PROPANE OR NATURAL GAS REBURNING SUPPLY EQUAL TO 35% OF THE TOTAL BTU INPUT. DURING TESTING OF THIS COMBUSTOR 99.3% CARBON CONVERSION WASH ACHIEVED IN LONG TERM 100% COAL FIRING TESTS. THE BURNER-REPLACEMENT WHICH WILL BE SCALED UP TO A 100 MMBTU/HR COMMERCIAL CONFIGURATION BY THE END OF PHASE II, REPRESENTS AN ADVANCED CONCEPT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ULTRA-LOW NOX IN A FURNACE-WALL-MOUNTED CONFIGURATION.