Solid Fuel Combustion Apparatus and Method

A process for combusting a fuel including solid fuel material, the process comprising:

• combusting a solid fuel material on a grate within a combustion chamber of a furnace, the combusting of the solid fuel material including:
• feeding at least one fuel to at least one burner positioned to generate at least one flame above the grate within the combustion chamber;
• feeding at least one first oxidant into the combustion chamber to output the at least one first oxidant below the grate within the combustion chamber, the at least one first oxidant having an oxygen content of between 20.9 mol % and 70 mol %;
• and
• injecting a second oxidant within at least one intermediate zone of the combustion chamber to initiate combustion of the solid fuel material via the at least one oxidant injector positioned below the grate in the at least one intermediate zone of the combustion chamber, the injected second oxidant having an oxygen content that is greater than the oxygen content of the first oxidant.

An apparatus configured to combust a fuel that includes solid fuel material, the apparatus comprising:

• a grate that is elongated between a first end of the grate and a second end of the grate, the grate positioned within a combustion chamber;
• an oxidant distribution system positioned to output a first oxidant via oxidant outlets located below the grate within the combustion chamber, the first oxidant having an oxygen content of between 20.9 mole percent (mol %) and 70 mol %;
• at least one burner positioned in the combustion chamber, the at least one burner including a first burner positioned above at least a portion of the grate to generate at least one flame within the combustion chamber;
• at least one oxidant injector positioned below the grate in at least one intermediate zone of the combustion chamber that is positioned between the first end of the grate and the second end of the grate, the at least one oxidant injector including a first oxidant injector configured and positioned to injected a second oxidant into the combustion chamber below the grate so that the second oxidant is passable through the grate and the solid fuel material on the grate, the second oxidant having an oxygen content that is greater than the oxygen content of the first oxidant.