Final report of the General Motors Corporation powdered coal--oil mixtures (COM) program. Period covered: March 1975--July 1977. [65 references]

Abstract

General Motors Corporation together with a consortium of 26 other organizations has successfully completed a two-year effort to demonstrate the full-scale preparation and combustion of a coal-oil mixture in an industrial boiler. This report describes work carried out under U.S. ERDA Contract No. E949-18-2267 (now EX-76-C-01-2267), Electric Power Research Institute Contract No. RP527, and contracts with other consortial organizations. The main objective was to demonstrate that a sufficiently stable coal-oil mixture, consisting of pulverized coal and No. 6 fuel oil, could be prepared and combusted efficiently under variable load conditions in a plant-sized environment. The demonstration unit was an existing 120,000 pph gas-fired boiler with intermittent oil-fired capability located at the Chevrolet Nodular Iron Casting Plant Powerhouse in Saginaw, Michigan. After completing preliminary studies to establish (a) fuel oil-coal selection and coal pulverizing characteristics, (b) fuel blending methods, (c) fuel characteristics and (d) combustion characteristics, an on-site slurry preparation plant was erected and relatively minor modifications were made to the boiler. Assessment of the two-phase period of demonstration for (a) mechanical reliability, (b) thermal performance, (c) stack emissions and (d) fouling and slagging of the boiler showed an overall technical success with some remaining problems. Long range transportability of themore » slurry was also demonstrated. The economic incentive for the coal-oil mixture concept, however, is only marginal at present local oil and coal costs. Other factors such as volume of usage, escalation of oil prices over coal, and the future availability of oil are factors which can change this.« less

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