AbstractThe analysis of coal and the understanding of the combustion process is complex, due to the heterogeneous nature of the material and the myriad of high-temperature reactions inherent in this fossil fuel. The research presented below utilizes recently-developed x-ray diffraction methods to analyze the coal combustion products generated from a laboratory-scale entrained-flow reactor. The reactor was designed, constructed, and tested, as planned for the initial phase of a long-term project to evaluate the coals located in Mississippi. In this initial phase a well-characterized coal was used, supplied by The Pennsylvania State University. The proximate, ultimate, and sulfur analyses of the coal, PSOC 1368p, are outlined in the Appendix. X-ray diffraction techniques have been used In the past to characterize coals. An analysis of the mineral transformation during coal combustion has also been performed using x-ray diffraction instrumentation. The semi-quantitative results of the pyrite (FeS2) phase transformation at variable temperatures and the percent combustion of the coal, as determined by x-ray methods are reported below.
Radiation properties of coal combustion products
