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Investigation of vaporization and devolatilization of coal/water fuels. Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6231313

The chemical and physical processes occurring during the pyrolysis and combustion of coal and coal/water fuels (CWF's) were investigated in two laboratory scale entrained flow reactors which inject fuel into a heated gas stream of predetermined composition. One reactor has a fixed position, coal/water slurry spray injector and a movable product extractor. This reactor is being used to study the vaporization and pyrolysis of coal/water slurries. A second reactor was used to study wet pulverized coal and dry coal co-injected with water. It has optical access which allows in-situ FT-IR emission and transmission spectroscopy for determination of gas and particle temperatures. Both reactors use FT-IR for the analysis of the product gases, tars and chars to determine the species evolution kinetics and kinetics of secondary reactions. The objectives of the program were to determine experimentally the chemical, physical and thermal effects of water on coal devolatilization, and to develop a predictive capability for the vaporization and devolatilization of coal water fuels. Pyrolysis data have been acquired at furnace temperatures between 900 and 1500/sup 0/C for individual pyrolysis species with good mass balance for a Pittsburgh Seam coal with water injected separately and in a CWF, with a Utah bituminous CWF, with a commercially prepared slurry and with a wet lignite. The results were compared with data for the same coals, pyrolyzed dry. The preliminary experiments that were performed indicated some effects due to water. For the bituminous coal the primary effect of the water appears to be to disperse the particles better, leading to higher heating rates and lower soot production. For the lignite, the presence of water in the particle retarded ignition. No conclusions were reached on the chemical effect of water in combustion and further studies should be performed. 30 references, 77 figures, 16 tables.

Research Organization:
Advanced Fuel Research, Inc., East Hartford, CT (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC22-82PC50254
OSTI ID:
6231313
Report Number(s):
DOE/PC/50254-8; ON: DE85005512
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English