Optimization of Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion Boiler by Computational Fluid Dynamics

Abstract

Viscose rayon is a natural fabric from regenerated cellulose derived from wood pulp, bamboo, or cotton linters. The viscose rayon industry relies on electricity to generate steam for textile production. This study aims to optimize the 45-ton-per-hour Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion (AFBC) boiler. Its efficiency is 78.16%, lower than the industry benchmark of 85.78%. Boiler efficiency decreases as the flue gas temperature increases, reaching 220 degrees Celsius, indicating suboptimal coal fuel utilization for water heating. The study explores two controllable variables: coal calorific value and combustion air mass flow rate for optimum efficiency. ANSYS Fluent 2021, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, is used for analysis. Boiler efficiency is calculated using the indirect method following ASME PTC 4.0. The research shows that adjusting the combustion air mass flow rate and coal calorific value increases efficiency to 81.04%.