Coal Fuels for Diesel and Gas Turbine Engines

Four major coal fuel projects which were performed at Southwest Research Institute over the past ten years are reviewed. Beginning with the “Alternative Fuels for Highway Utilization” project in 1979, and the success of carbon-black/diesel fuel slurries, the development of the coal slurries is traced to the current technology. Most recently, full-scale locomotive engines have been operated on 50% coal in water slurries at thermal efficiencies approaching that of diesel fuel performance. The paper is concluded with a recommended engine design for coal slurries.