Big data analysis of unburned carbon in fly ash for the optimization in a coal-fired power plant

The improvement for the efficiency of the coal combustion in a thermal power plant was crucial for the safe and economical production. In this paper, the big data analysis of unburned carbon (UBC) in fly ash was studied for raising the efficiency of the combustion on a boiler of China Resources Power Co. Ltd (CRP). The output power and the produced UBC was compared. The effects of the calorific value, the volatile matters, the moisture, and the ash of the fuel was investigated, and the combustion process was discussed. The results showed that output power had a weak influence for decreasing the UBC in fly ash. The UBC in fly ash was at the range of 5-10%, and the calorific value of the fuel varied mainly from 5000 Kcal/kg to 6000 Kcal/kg. There were not obvious relationship between the volatile matters/moisture contents in the fuel and the UBC in fly ash, but the variation of the UBC in fly ash was decided by the fuel ash. The result improved the combustion process for a completed coal combustion in the industrial thermal power plant.