Abstract: A feeder assembly (28) for projecting solid fuel, such as coal (24), into a combustion chamber (11) of a furnace (10) includes a distributor (44) and a feeder (42) disposed in a housing (40). The distributor (44) includes a rotor (48) having blades (46) extending outwardly therefrom, and the rotor (48) is rotatable to project the solid fuel into the combustion chamber (11). The feeder (42) includes a conveyor assembly (50) for providing the solid fuel to the rotor (48). The housing (40) includes an aperture (41) disposed therein, through which the solid fuel is projected into the combustion chamber (11). The housing (40) also includes a portion (45) movable between: a first position wherein the aperture (41) is open to allow the solid fuel to be projected into the combustion chamber (11), and a second position wherein the movable portion (45) closes the aperture (41) to shield the rotor (48) from heat emitted from the combustion chamber (11) and allow maintenance and/or replacement of the distributor (44).