Specialists of Tomsk Polytechnic university presented a physical model that increases efficiency and reduces harm from burning coal. This discovery may return interest in coal energy, but at a fundamentally new, environmentally friendly level.
Today, many countries are faced with rising electricity prices. This is forcing a new look at traditional sources such as coal. The main task is to minimize its negative impact on nature. The solution may be to switch to coal-water fuel – a mixture of coal and water. However, one problem prevented its widespread use.
For perfect combustion, tiny droplets of fuel with a diameter of about 0.1 mm are required. Existing spray systems cannot consistently achieve this figure due to the high viscosity of the mixture. Tomsk researchers studied this process in detail. In laboratory conditions simulating the operation of a real power plant, they heated the flow of oxidizing air to 1000 degrees Celsius. It turned out that upon contact with hot air, droplets of the coal-water suspension begin to intensively fragment on their own, achieving the desired dispersion.
This is a key observation. Small droplets burn almost completely, which significantly increases efficiency and reduces emissions of harmful substances. The development of Tomsk Polytechnics will form the basis of new spray systems for boiler houses and thermal power plants. Such installations will make it possible to obtain more energy from the same amount of coal, making its use more profitable and environmentally friendly.
The material was prepared with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science as part of the Decade of Science and Technology.
Source: @cdutek
