Numerical simulation study on hydrogen blending combustion performance of coal powder boiler at 30% load

With the increasing global demand for carbon reduction, hydrogen-coal co-firing technology has become one of the important ways to reduce coal power emissions. This study used numerical simulation methods to investigate the performance of hydrogen-coal co-firing in a pulverized coal boiler at 30% load, focusing on the impact of hydrogen as a supplementary fuel on combustion efficiency, temperature field distribution, and NOx emissions. The furnace full-scale model was established using the ANSYS software, and calculations were performed using the P1 radiation model and the finite rate/eddy dissipation model, among others. The results showed that after hydrogen co-firing, the temperature in the main combustion zone increased to around 1500K, the ignition distance was shortened from 0.41m to 0.32m, the temperature distribution became more uniform, the combustion efficiency was significantly improved, and the NOx generation was reduced. In addition, through the sensitivity analysis of H2 consumption and CO generation, key mechanism reactions affecting the combustion process were identified. Reactions R39 (2H + M ↔ H2 + M) and R3 (H + O2 ↔ OH + O) promoted the generation of H2, while R84 (H2 + OH ↔ H2O + H) significantly consumed H2. The generation of CO was mainly controlled by R284 (CO + OH ↔ CO2 + H) and R122 (C + O2 ↔ CO + O). These analyses provide an important theoretical basis for optimizing the hydrogen co-firing technology. This study provides technical support for the low-carbon transformation and application of clean and efficient combustion technology for pulverized coal boilers.