Improvement of coal-water fuel combustion characteristics by using of electromagnetic treatment

Using of coal-water slurries as fuel for heat and power generation is interesting for researchers for a long time. Coal-water fuel (CWF) application has two major aspects of investigation: rheological properties to provide its transportation and atomization; and improvement of fuel combustion parameters. CWF combustion characteristics improvement can be achieved with the help of different physical and chemical methods. Influence of electro-magnetic field on the structure and properties of hydrocarbon fuels is known. However, influence of electromagnetic treatment on the combustion parameters of coal-water fuel produced from coal of different metamorphic stages was not investigated before. Experimental investigations of coal-water fuel combustion parameters: ignition time, time-temperature correlations, ignition temperature, maximal temperature of flame and others were performed. Fuels produced from coal of 6 basic metamorphic stages, which cover a wide range from Brown coal to Anthracite, were used for research. Investigations were carried out in two cases: without fuel pre-treatment with an electromagnetic field, and with it. It is shown in the article that electromagnetic pre-treatment of coal-water fuel improves fuel ignition and combustion stability, increases combustion process efficiency and reduces the total time of fuel burning. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.