Investigation of coal-water slurry fuel combustion in reciprocating, internal combustion engine

Coal-water slurry(CWS) engine tests designed to investigate the ignition and combustion processes of the fuel are described in this paper. The effects of three different parameters, namely, (a) needle lift pressure, (b) fuel injection timing, and (c) percent coal loading in the slurry fuel are studied in detail. Successful operation of the engine using the coal water slurry required modifications to the engine and support systems. The physical trends of combustion under single parametric variations are presented in terms of the cylinder pressure, heat release rates, and cumulative heat release curves. The major conclusions of the work include: (a) higher needle lift pressures led to shorter ignition delay times for the CWS fuel: (b) the ignition delay time of the advanced injection start was little different from that of retarded fuel injection timing due to poor atomization: and (c) dilution of the slurry with water can significantly affect the combustion processes and ease of fuel handling.