Rheology of coal-water slurries

The costs of preparation and burning of coal slurries, in particular, coal-water fuel (CWF), considerably exceed the cost of coal utilization according to the conventional technology. CWF technology projects suggest that additional expenditures will be compensated for by the profitability of their pipeline transport in the laminar regime. Energy consumptions for the preparation and pipeline or tanker transportations is determined to a considerable extent by the viscosity and stability of these slurries. Thus, the rheology of slurries has become a subject of comprehensive experimental study. The results of theoretical investigation of the rheology of concentrated slurries are reported. The theory adequately describes all of the experimental data relevant to the issue.