In addition to ash deposition, mineral impacts are noted in a number of coal combustion processes, e.g., burnout and devolatilization. These impacts are greatly affected by the form of the inorganic material found in the coal. The projects in Thrust Area 2 are designed to supplement efforts of researchers at other laboratories with the combined efforts leading to a clear understanding of minerals behavior during combustion. Items of concern include impacts of minerals on char burnout and devolatilization, as well as fouling and slagging. This program in minerals behavior attempts to provide necessary information related to model development.
Work is underway on mineral matter characterization, catalysis, transformations and deposition.
Characterization of Minerals in Coal and Chars. Role of Inorganic Constituents in Devolatilization and Char Oxidation. Knowledge of the kinetics and mechanisms of catalytic reaction during pyrolysis and char oxidation during combustion is needed. It is important to know the various phases present as ash moves through the system. In addition, the size and other physical characteristics such as the viscosity of the liquid phase and partitioning between solid, liquid, and vapor phases must be known.