COAL FIRED FURNACE

A furnace is an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to heat buildings, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc. It is simply a device used for heating which comprises three main portions;
1) Combustion chamber 2)Working Chamber or Heat Exchanger

3)Exit for flue gases Coal Fired Furnace uses coal (which is a solid fuel) as a combustion fuel and is distinguished from others on the basis of Combustion chamber and the type of fuel used. In coal systems, coal is burned in a firebox which is slightly larger than the combustion chamber of an oil burner. The larger size of the combustion chamber causes these conversions to be inefficient because energy is wasted heating an oversized chamber. Heat produced in the combustion chamber is transferred through a heat exchanger to the distribution medium, warm air, hot water or steam. Combustion gases and smoke are vented to the chimney for exit. Coal fired furnace are primarily used to produce electricity and heat through combustion. When coal is used for electricity generation, it is usually pulverized and then combusted (burned) in a furnace with a boiler. The furnace heat converts boiler water to steam, which is then used to spin turbines which turn generators and create electricity. Other applications can be seen in Blast furnace and in Heating homes.

Advantages of using coal fired furnace 1) No speacial provision need be made for storage.Any hard flat surface would suffice.( tankers,heaters) 2) It cause less atmospheric pollution and corrosion of the equipment due to presence of less sulphur content as compared to any furnace oil. 3) It is cheap,occurs widely and is easy to handle.
4) Using coal reduces the dependence on using oil, which is often found

in nations where there is unstable political regimes. 5) Electricity produced from coal fired furnace is reliable. Disadvantages of coal fired furnace 1)It has dust nussiance during its loading and unloading. 2)Lot of labour is required for moving the fuel and for disposing ash. 3)Coal deteriorates during storage causing reduction in size and calorific value. 4)Coal firing causes heavy wear and tear on grates and refractory linings. 5)Coal can be cleaned and/or turned into a liquid but this technology has yet to be fully developed and adds to the expense of creating fuel via coal.
Since the products of flue gases directly contact the stock, type of fuel chosen is of importance.Also use of solid fuels will generate particulate matter, which will interfere the stock placed inside the furnace. Hence, vast majority of the furnaces use liquid fuel, gaseous fuel or electricity as energy input.