2 research outputs found
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Coal-fired tile stoves: Efficiency and emissions
Coal-fired tile stoves are widely used in Poland for domestic heating. These massive stoves,are fired for short periods once or twice each day, and the stored heat is slowly released into the room by natural convection Low-quality coal is typically used, and these stoves are therefore a major source of air pollution. A facility has been constructed to study the efficiency and emissions characteristics of these stoves. Stove exhaust gas is directed into a dilution tunnel in which pollutant concentrations and emission rates are measured. Efficiency is determined using a heat loss method. In baseline tests, stove efficiencies were found to be higher than expected -- 60% to 65%. Emission factors are high for particulates, carbon monoxide (CO), and organics. Low-volatility ``smokeless fuels`` were tested as an alternative to the normal fuels. Using the normal operating procedure, these were found to yield a factor of 10 reduction in particulate emissions but a 50% increase in CO emissions. A new operating procedure was developed with these fuels in which CO levels were lower than with the normal fuel and efficiency increased to 70%. These smokeless fuels are seen as attractive options for improving regional air quality, partly because their use does not require capital investment by residents
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Heating boilers in Krakow, Poland: Options for improving efficiency and reducing emissions
In Krakow, Poland, coal-fired boilers are used to heat single apartment buildings and local heating districts. Tile population includes 2,930 small, hand-fired boilers and 227 larger traveling grate stoker-fired boilers. These boilers are important contributors to air quality problems in Krakow, and an assessment of their efficiency and emissions characteristics was recently undertaken. For the larger, stoker-fired boilers, efficiency was measured using a stack-loss method In addition to the normal baseline fuel, the effects of coal cleaning and grading were evaluated Testing was done at two selected sites. Boiler efficiencies were found to be low-50% to 67%. These boilers operate without combustion controls or instrumentation for flue gas analysis. As a result, excess air levels are very high (up to 400%) leading to poor performance. Emissions were found to be typical for boilers of this type. Using the improved fuels yields reductions in emissions and improvement in efficiency when combined with proper adjustments. In the case of the hand-fired boilers, one set of cast-iron boilers and one set of steel boilers were tested. Efficiency in this case was measured using an input-output method for sets of three boilers taken together as a system. Emissions from these boilers are lowest when low volatile fuels, such as coke or smokeless briquettes, are used