Thermogravimetric characteristics of char obtained at high heat rate

Abstract

Coal reactivity during combustion is determined by the thermogravimetric characteristics of char. The thermogravimetric characteristics of chars obtained in a droptube furnace were studied in this work. Chars from the devolatilisation of three bituminous coals were obtained at three times (100, 150 and 300 ms), three temperatures (900, 1,000 and 1,100ºC) and at high heat rate (104 K/s). The chars were burned using non-isothermal thermogravimetry (heated to 900ºC) and isothermal thermogravimetry at 700ºC, 800ºC and 900ºC to obtain their combustion profiles. Characteristic temperatures (ignition, peak and final temperatures) were determined by non-isothermal thermogravimetry; it was found that chars from La Yolanda coal gave the highest figures for the characteristic temperatures. Isothermal thermogravimetry revealed that the combustion rate for the three coals decreased with increased devolatilisation time and combustion temperature.