Timur R. Valiullin

Droplet ignition of coal–water slurries prepared from typical coal- and oil-processing wastes

The requirements for stable ignition (and subsequent combustion) of fuel suspensions prepared from typical coal- and oil-processing wastes are studied experimentally. Attention focuses on the differences between the ignition characteristics of coal–water slurries (containing petrochemicals) obtained on the basis of filter cakes containing T, K, SS, Zh, D, and G coal. To eliminate the influence of the droplet holder (traditionally, thermocouple junctions, ceramic rods, or metal wire) on the ignition characteristics of the fuel droplet, the experiments employ a special model combustion chamber and a device for introducing a single drop of suspension. The ignition time and the minimum temperature of stable ignition of a droplet of coal–water slurries suspended in an oxidant flux are established. The influence of the following factors on the initiation of fuel combustion is determined: the oxidant temperature, the droplet size, the size of the coal dust, and the properties and concentrations of the components. The compositions of the coal–water slurries corresponding to optimal ignition (minimum inertia) are identified.

Regimes of the Combustion of Organic Coal–Water Fuels

The results of an analysis of the combustion behavior of the drops of organic coal–water fuels (OCWFs) prepared based on the flotation products (cakes) of the enrichment the coal of five grades (longflame, gas, coking, low-caking, and lean coals) and two petroleum products (petroleum residue and spent turbine oil) are presented. The experiments were performed under the conditions of the stationary fastening of an OCWF drop on the junction of a quick-response thermocouple in a flow of heated (from 500 to 1000°C) air. The following three combustion regimes were revealed for all of the test OCWF compositions: stepwise regime with slow heating (smoldering), intense gas generation regime with the boiling of liquid fuel components (boiling), and regime with a distinct tear-off zone of gas flow (torch). It was shown that the occurrence of the above combustion behaviors substantially depends on the characteristics of the OCWF components: the ash content and the yield of volatile substances of coal cakes and the boiling points and the ignition and combustion temperatures of the petroleum products used. Based on the results of the experiments, the ranges of air temperature changes characteristic of each of the three combustion regimes of fuel suspensions were established.

Ignition of fuel based on filter cake

Coal–water slurry containing petrochemicals is of increasing interest as a fuel. In the present work, the ignition and combustion of such fuel based on spent turbine oil and mixtures of flotation waste from coal enrichment (filter cakes containing D, K, SS, and T coal) are experimentally studied. The ignition delay time, complete combustion time, and minimum ignition temperature are determined as a function of the concentration of fuel components, the oxidant temperature, and the size of the droplets held stationary in the oxidant flux at the junction of a low-inertia thermocouple. Variation in the proportions of components within the filter- cake mixture changes the ignition characteristics of the slurry (the complete combustion time and ignition delay time). The metamorphic development of the coal present in the filter cakes significantly affects the ignition and combustion of such coal–water–oil slurry.