Call for Papers on "Key Technologies for Clean, Efficient and Flexible Operation of Coal-fired Power Plants in the New Power System" in Distributed Energy
Under the background of the "dual carbon" goals and the high proportion of new energy grid connection, the power system has put forward unprecedented requirements for the flexibility, cleanliness and efficiency of thermal power units. As the "ballast stone" of China's energy security, coal-fired power is accelerating its transformation towards a comprehensive function of being clean, efficient, flexible and low-carbon. Among them, the stable combustion of difficult-to-burn coal types (such as anthracite and lean coal) under wide load conditions and the deep reduction of nitrogen oxides have become the key technical bottlenecks restricting the high-quality development of coal-fired power.
The key project of the National Key Research and Development Program, "Key Technologies and Engineering Demonstration for Wide-load Combustion Power Generation and NOx Control of Anthracite Coal", led by China Datang Corporation Research Institute Co., Ltd. and implemented by Yangcheng Power Generation Company as the engineering demonstration unit, has been successfully approved. This marks a crucial step forward in China's efforts to achieve clean and efficient utilization of difficult-to-burn coal types. The project, in collaboration with ten leading institutions including Harbin Institute of Technology, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Dongfang Boiler, focuses on addressing core challenges such as poor stability of anthracite combustion, high NOx emissions, and weak peak shaving capacity. It aims to conduct comprehensive research and development from combustion mechanisms, technological innovations to integrated demonstrations, with the goal of achieving coordinated optimization of deep peak shaving and ultra-low emissions for pure anthracite-fired units.
To showcase the latest progress in fundamental combustion research, key technological breakthroughs, and practical engineering applications in this field, and to promote the role transformation and technological upgrading of coal-fired power in the new power system, "Distributed Energy" plans to set up a special topic on "Key Technologies for Clean, Efficient and Flexible Operation of Coal-Fired Power in the New Power System". We have specially invited Zhang Xunkui, Director of the Science and Technology Innovation Department of China Datang Corporation and the Chief of the National Key Research and Development Program Project "Key Technologies and Engineering Demonstration of Wide-Load Combustion and Nitrogen Oxide Control for Anthracite Coal-Fired Power Generation", and Li Shuiqing from Tsinghua University as the guest editors of this special topic. We are now soliciting high-quality manuscripts from project teams of the National Key Research and Development Program, universities, research institutes, power generation groups, and equipment manufacturing enterprises. This special topic aims to build an academic exchange platform led by projects, involving the industry, focusing on common issues, and leading the frontier, to promote the sharing of technological achievements and industrial collaborative innovation.
I. Call for Contributions Directions
This special topic encourages submissions focusing on the key scientific issues and technical approaches for the clean, efficient and flexible operation of coal-fired power. The call for papers includes, but is not limited to, the following directions:
The combustion characteristics and pollutant formation mechanisms of hard-to-burn coal types (such as anthracite and lean coal) under wide load conditions
2. New low-nitrogen combustion technology for coal-fired boilers
3. Multi-source Information Perception, Intelligent Diagnosis and Closed-loop Control Technology for Pulverized Coal Boiler Combustion Process
4. Synergistic Optimization Control Technology for New Stable Combustion and Efficient Burnout of Pulverized Coal Boilers
5. Technology for Prevention and Control of Fouling, Corrosion and Other Issues on Heat Transfer Surfaces of Pulverized Coal Boilers
6. Deep Peak Regulation Operation Characteristics, Flexibility Transformation and Economic Evaluation of Coal-fired Units
7. Analysis of the Synergistic Operation Mode of Coal-fired Units and New Energy and System Support Capacity
9. Key Technologies of Combustion Simulation Modeling, Digital Twin and Smart Power Plants
Research on the Functional Positioning and Policy Mechanism of Coal-fired Power in the New Power System
We especially welcome submissions of innovative achievements from the National Key Research and Development Program project "Key Technologies and Engineering Demonstration for Wide-load Combustion Power Generation and Nitrogen Oxide Control of Anthracite Coal" and its related topics. We also sincerely invite all units in the industry to submit original research, engineering practice and review and commentary papers in the above common technology directions.
II. Submission Requirements
Submitted papers should have clear arguments, distinct focuses, logical coherence, and be innovative, advanced and practical.
2. Please refer to the "Paper Submission Template for Distributed Energy" for writing (downloadable from the journal's official website: http://der.tsinghuajournals.com). Technical papers (including theoretical research, numerical simulation, experimental research, etc.) are recommended to be no more than 8,000 words (including figures and tables); review articles are suggested to be around 10,000 words, and they should have systematic organization and in-depth commentary.
After the papers are reviewed and accepted by experts, formal acceptance notices will be issued, and outstanding papers will be published online first. All manuscripts will be published in a special issue of the main journal "Distributed Energy".
4. Authors are responsible for the authenticity and objectivity of the content of their papers and must not involve any confidential information of the state or their units.
5. Only original manuscripts that have not been published elsewhere will be accepted. Multiple submissions of the same manuscript are strictly prohibited.
III. Deadline for Submission
Submission deadline: April 30, 2026
IV. Submission Methods
Please log in to the official website of "Distributed Energy": http://der.tsinghuajournals.com, register an author account, and submit your manuscript through the online submission system. When submitting, please indicate that it is for the special issue on "Key Technologies for Clean, Efficient and Flexible Operation of Coal-fired Power Plants in the New Power System".
V. Contact Information
Contact the Editorial Department of "Distributed Energy": Zhang Yuanyuan (Editor)
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