The primary objective of this work is to determine
the forms of nitrogen in coal that lead to nitrogen release during
devolatilization. Experiments are to be performed in two existing
laminar flow reactors available at Brigham Young University, which are both
capable of temperatures (up to 2000 K), particle heating rates (104 to 105 K/s),and residence times (up to 500
ms) relevant to conditions commonlyencountered in industrial pulverized coal
combustors. The forms of nitrogen in coal, char, and tar samples are analyzed
using state-of-the-art techniques, including nuclear magnetic
resonance(NMR), X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and high
resolution nitrogen-specific chromatography. These sophisticated analysis
techniques are being performed in collaboration with other researchers at BYU,
the University of Utah, and industrial organizations. Coals have been obtained
as a function of rank, including eight coals from the University of Utah that are
to be used in pilot scale tests in support of the DOE Coal-2000 HiPPS(High
Performance Power Systems) and LEBS (Low-Emission BoilerSystems) programs.
Anticipated results from the proposed research are (a) nitrogen release
parameters during devolatilization for specific coals pertinent to the HiPPS and
LEBS projects, (b) better fundamental understanding of the chemistry of nitrogen
release,and (c) a nitrogen release submodel based on fundamental chemistry that
may be more widely applicable than existing empirical
relationships.
- Dominic Genetti's M.S. Thesis, BYU, 1999, "An Advanced Model of Coal Devolatilization Based on Chemical Structure," (PDF file - 720K)
- Eric Hambly's M.S. Thesis, BYU, 1998, "The Chemical Structure of Coal Tar and Char During Devolatilization," (PDF file - 480K)
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