Modeling of the Characteristics of Coal Burning in Boiler Plants of Thermal Power Plants

This script discusses a qualitative analysis of the characteristics of coals burned in the combustion chambers of thermal power plants in Serbia. The study includes the following coal characteristics (mass fraction): moisture (W %) ash (A %), combustible materials (Vg %) and lower heating power (Hd (kJ·kg−1)). Based on the collected data, statistical modeling was conducted, which included the calculation of the mean value (X¯), standard deviation (S), and coefficient of variation (Cv) for each of the listed characteristics. The results indicate that all analyzed characteristics exhibit significant deviations from their mean values, as confirmed by the high values of the coefficient of variation (moisture 70.20%, ash 62.21%, combustible matter 43.33%, and lower heating value 44.10%). Large mass fraction deviations (W), (A), (Vg) and Hd around the mean value may negatively impact the operation of boiler plants and electrostatic precipitators of thermal power plants in Serbia, where the considered coals are burned. Large oscillations of ash (62.21%) around the mean value (17.00%) suggests that it is not feasible to implement dry flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) processes, due to the additional amount of ash. Distribution testing confirmed that all examined parameters can be reasonably approximated by a normal distribution. Subsequent statistical modeling using Student’s t-test at a 0.05 significance level demonstrated strong agreement between the coal characteristics from Serbia and corresponding parameters of coals from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. The obtained results enable reliable quality comparison of coals, particularly lignites, across different basins. These findings establish a solid foundation for further energy and technological valorization of these fuel resources.