A DNS study on temporally evolving jet flames of pulverized coal/biomass co-firing with different blending ratios

Biomass co-firing within the existing pulverized coal boiler is thought as a practical near-term way of biomass utilization, while its detailed combustion characteristics and pollutant formation have not yet been fully understood. In the present study, we report a Carrier-phase Direct Numerical Simulation study coupled with detailed mechanism to provide a deep insight into the coal/biomass co-firing (CBCF) jet flames under different blending ratios. It is found that compared with the pure coal flame, the CBCF could (i) prompt the volatiles ignition, produce higher H₂O and similar CO₂ mass fractions at blending ratios of 20% and 40%, and obviously reduce the gas temperature and CO₂ mass fraction at the blending ratio of 50%; (ii) prompt the coal devolatilization and char burnout at blending ratios of 20% and 40%, while the char burnout is reduced when blending ratio is 50% due to the local enrichment of large particles and lack of oxygen; (iii) reduce the thermal, prompt, NNH and N₂O-intermediate routes of NO formation, but show limited effect on the NO-reburning route of NO destruction, therefore, resulting in an obvious NO reduction.