## 1 Introduction  
The significant contribution of coal to power generation is attributed to its widespread availability and abundance as a solid fossil fuel in many countries. Coal as a main fuel source accounted for 35.51% of the world's electricity generation and 36.91% of Turkey's electricity generation in 2023 [1]. It is clear that coal is an integral part of the global energy balance and cannot be ignored, as it is not only an accessible energy source in many countries but also an indispensable one for certain industries. In other words, technological advancements concerning coal should focus on finding environmentally friendly and efficient ways to use coal. Plasma combustion technology is one such method used to ignite pulverized coal and ensure flame stabilization [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Through the application of this technology, it is possible to eliminate the use of fuel oil or gas during boiler start-up and to stabilize pulverized coal combustion. The amount of fuel oil consumed per boiler start-up depends on the boiler's steam generation capacity [13]. According to the cold start-up procedure, which aims to heat the boiler and ensure stable operation of the main coal burners, approximately 8 tons of fuel oil are consumed during the start-up of a boiler, producing 96 t/h of steam. This consumption increases to about 40 tons for a boiler producing 525 t/h and up to 200 tons for a boiler producing 810 t/h. To eliminate fuel oil use during start-up and ensure flame stabilization in case of operational failures or changes in coal properties, auxiliary burners supported by plasma technologies are used. This technology utilizes plasma generated by electric arc or microwave energy to heat the air-coal mixture to a temperature at which the volatiles in the coal are released and ignition occurs. Numerous papers focusing on coal ignition and flame stabilization by plasma technology have been published worldwide [14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20], and this technology is widely applied in China [21]. In [14], experiments were conducted to determine the ignition and combustion conditions of high-reactivity, low-ash brown coal (ash content up to 15%) using plasma technology. The results confirmed stable ignition and combustion of pulverized coal with plasma generated by an electric arc. An industrial prototype plasma combustion system was designed and tested on a 220 t/h steam capacity boiler, successfully eliminating the need for fuel oil during cold start-up. A stable flame at 1350 \({}^{\circ}\)C was achieved inside the boiler. In [15], the authors investigated the use of plasma technology for cold start-up in a pilot plant burning pre-dried, low-ash lignite. A swirl burner using an electric arc plasma torch with a power range of 4 to 7 kW was designed and tested for pulverized coal combustion. The study examined the effects of fuel moisture and particle size, showing that lignite with up to 20% moisture and a particle size below 450 \(\upmu\)m could be stably ignited. However, flame instability was observed with lower-quality lignite. Articles [16; 17] assessed the potential for improving boiler efficiency by applying plasma combustion technologies to ignite highly reactive, low-ash coal (15%) and reduce unburned fuel. Using CFD, a model of the combustion chamber with twelve tangential burners and two plasma burners was developed. The application of plasma combustion technology led to a more uniform temperature and velocity distribution at the combustion chamber exit. The average exit temperature increased from 1220 \({}^{\circ}\)C to 1260 \({}^{\circ}\)C, indicating a more intense combustion of the pulverized coal. The use of plasma combustion technologies to enhance the efficiency of thermal power plant units may be economically viable, as plasma systems are considerably more cost-effective than traditional fuel oil. However, the authors emphasize the need for further research on the feasibility of plasma combustion technology before such systems can be implemented.