Development of a coal fired pulse combustor for residential space heating: Phase 1-A. Technical progress report, June--August 1988

The systematic development of the residential combustion system is divided into three phases. Only Phases I and IA are detailed here. Phase I constitutes the design, fabrication, testing, and evaluation of a pulse combustor sized for residential space heating. Phase IA includes additional testing with coal-water slurries and the design and evaluation of integrated systems using dry micronized coal and slurry. Phase II is an optional phase to develop an integrated system including a heat exchanger. Phase III is projected as a field test of the integrated coal-fired residential space heater. During this period, a combustor test bed was designed and fabricated to provide experimental resolution for the primary technical issues necessary to design and fabricate a fully integrated and optimized unit. A preliminary integrated design was also prepared and analytic models developed to simulate both steady-state performance and transient response during start-up and periodic cycling. The combustor test bed, ancillary facility components (including the wet cyclone scrubber), and sampling train were installed. Shakedown tests of the test bed were also initiated and a test plan is being prepared