Rheology and Combustion Characteristics of Coal-Water Mixtures

The tightening supply of oil and gas, their increasing cost, and federal directives to eliminate their use as fuels for electric power generation have promoted utility interest in the conversion of oil-fired power plants to coal. A near-term alternative fuel that holds promise for facilitating this conversion is coal/water mixture. This paper describes the development of a technology which permits burning a coal/water mixture without requiring any expensive gasification or liquification techniques. Results of tests on rheology, handling, and pumping, and combustion characteristics of coal/water mixtures were encouraging and more extensive testing is in progress.