Storage, transportation, and atomization of CWF for residential applications

The proposed test program will examine the stability and rheology of the coal water fuels (CWFs) prepared from various beneficiated coal products made from the following coals: Illinois No. 6, Wyodak, and Upper Elkhorn No. 3. Fuel characterization will include: particle size distribution, ultimate and proximate analyses of coal, ash composition, ash fusion temperature, and solids concentration. For rheological characteristics, data will be obtained at varying shear rates, temperature, and agitation or recirculation in the bulk storage tanks. The effect of freeze-thaw on the stability and rheology of the CWF will be evaluated. Control of the environmental conditions will be examined by means of formulation additives, including the addition of freezing point depressants and biocides. Bulk storage studies will involve testing CWF stability characteristics with and without agitation and recirculation. The design of the storage tank will be reviewed, and the effectiveness of cone bottom and dish bottom tanks will be tested. The CWF storage and handling tests will be carried out at Tecogen's CWF-fired advanced combustor facility. This quarter, under Task 2, two coal water slurry fuels were produced from the baseline coal. Chemical stability tests and mechanical resuspension tests were begun under the Task 3 effort. Residential storage work was also initiated and a bladder tank developed. Residential handling tests were initiated under the Task 5 effort to develop pressure drop characteristics for the slurries at residential flows in residential type components. 5 refs., 9 figs., 8 tabs.