Coal-Oil Mixtures - A U. S. State of the Art Review

Abstract

Since the successful Coal-Oil Mixture tests carried out by G-M from 1975 to 1977, COM is rapidly maturing into a commercially available alternative fuel which is presently being produced and combusted by various companies in the United States. Long-term combustion and operating results are still required to firmly establish COM as a 'tried and true' commercial fuel to compete with residual oil, and in some cases natural gas. Although COM application is very site specific, payback for a retrofit would normally be less than three with a 10% savings on the fuel. At the present time, there are at least four major produces offering COM as an alternate fuel. COM's future in utility and industrial applications looks good at this time, however, other developing slurry fuels and alternate fuels will become strong competitors in the years ahead. In an event, Coal-Oil mixtures have a definite place in the total fuels market for industrial and utility applications.