Abstract: A thermal power plant that uses low-grade coal as fuel and allows for increased thermal efficiency of the entire plant is provided. The thermal power plant includes a drying device (3) that dries the low-grade coal to be supplied to a lignite mill (coal pulverizer) (4), and a drying-gas heater (13) that heats air to be supplied to the drying device (3) so as to be used for drying the low-grade coal. A condenser (12) and the drying-gas heater (13) are connected with each other via a heat exchanger (19), and exhaust heat from the condenser (12) is used as a heat source for heating the air.

Abstract: A pulverized coal combustion burner has a circumferential distribution of pulverized coal density at an outlet portion of a pulverized coal nozzle made uniform, and a complete NO.sub.x decrease is attained. An oil gun (01) for stabilizing combustion is provided at a center portion. An annular sectional oil primary air flow path (02) surrounds the oil gun (01), and an annular sectional pulverized coal and primary air mixture flow path (14) surrounds the oil primary air flow path (02). Around the mixture flow path (14) is an annular sectional secondary air flow path (15), and an annular sectional tertiary air flow path (16) surrounds the secondary air flow path (15). A pulverized coal supply pipe is connected in the tangential direction to the mixture flow path (14). Further, an entering angle control (28) of the mixture is provided within the pulverized coal supply pipe (11). Within the mixture flow path (14), a pulverized coal density dividing cylinder (25) is provided.