Clinkers have been a recurring problem in all coal-fired boilers
for as long as humanshave operated coal boilers. Clinkers occur in
small stoves used for heating a home and ingiant
commercial/industrial boilers. Clinkers, also known as slag,
consist of thenoncombustible elements and minerals found in coal
that melt and fuse together as lumpyashes from coal combustion.
Boiler operators consider clinkers to be miserable stuff. Havea
question? Get an answer from a Handyman now!
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Explanation of Fluidized Bed Coal Boiler Controls
1. Clinker Problem
o Clinkers resemble volcanic ash and lava !he" occur in the
hi#h$temperaturefurnace area of the boiler Clinkers form as a
result of interaction amon# coal %ualit"& boiler
desi#n and boiler operation Coal boilers draw their combustion
air from the bottom& upthrou#h the combustion #rate 'ots of
lar#e clinkers on the combustion #rate can hinder airpassa#e&
increase operation and maintenance costs and even force shutdowns
of the boilerfor cleanin# out the clinkers
How They Form
o Coal clinkers form when noncombustible elements contained in
coal such asiron& calcium& silicon& aluminum and sodium
interact with sulfur and carbon at hi#htemperatures !hese elements
melt to#ether with cla"s and alkalis to form a #lass" sla#
thateventuall" hardens into clinkers Clinker formation is a complex
series of mineralo#icaltransformations and phase chan#es that occur
as coal burns (mall clinkers can fuse
to#ether to form lar#e ones that can ph"sicall" dama#e
boilers
