Improving the waste utilisation efficiency of combined heat and power plants by increasing the performance of dry-ash output units

The study aims to improve the efficiency of waste utilisation from the coal-fired power industry based on an analysis of the dry-ash output unit operating at the Novo-Irkutsk Combined Heat and Power Plant, JSC “Irkutskenergo”. The unit was tested under various operating conditions of steam generating blocks following the standard methods adopted at the enterprise. The tests showed that the station steam generating block No. 3 (with a steam load of 409.2 t/h and an electrostatic precipitator efficiency of 90.46%) provided an ash supply efficiency of 7.10 t/h. When the ash is supplied from the steam generating block No. 4, operating at a steam load of 421.8 t/h and an electrostatic precipitator efficiency of 94.72%, the ash supply efficiency amounts to 9.19 t/h. Under the simultaneous operation of the steam generating blocks No. 3 and 4 at a steam load of 397.6 and 380.7 t/h, respectively, and an electrostatic precipitator efficiency of 90.46 and 94.72%, respectively, the unit efficiency was 14.23 t/h. As a result, limitations in the unit operation were identified. Thus, the airspeed in the pneumatic ash pipeline during ash transporting was 8.0-8.5 m/s, which facilitated the operation of the dry-ash output unit in a pulsed cycle. It was, therefore, recommended to increase the airspeed by accelerating the flow rate through the jet pump or by using a smaller diameter pipe. The conducted analysis showed that the efficiency of the dry-ash output unit depends mainly on the steam capacity of steam generating blocks, as well as on the flue gas cleaning efficiency in the steam generator electrostatic precipitators. The obtained results were used to determine the technical state, efficiency and reliability of the dry-ash output unit of the Novo-Irkutsk Combined Heat and Power Plant.

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