Abstract: A coke burning engine is described wherein hot coke fuel chunks are first compressed with air and reacted therewith to form a carbon monoxide rich gas, during a compression cycle time period. Next these primary reacted gases are mixed into and burned with secondary air during a blowdown cycle time period. These fully reacted gases are expanded though an expander engine whose power output drives the air compressor, and yields a net useful engine power output.

Abstract: Apparatus and a process are described for compressing superheated steam into porous coal batches in chambers, and, after a time interval, expanding this steam out of the chambers, and repeating this steam cycle of compression followed by expansion. Thusly heated by the steam, volatile matter separates from the solid coke portion of the coal and separate volatile matter and coke products can be produced from coal or biomass fuels. These volatile matter liquids and tars can be used as fuel components in slurry fuels, for internal combustion engines used in our surface transportation industries. These solid coke products can be used as boiler fuel in steam electric plants. In this way our large domestic reserves of coal can be used as a fuel source, not only for electric power generation, but also for our surface transportation needs.

Abstract: Apparatus and a process are described for compressing superheated steam into porous coal chunks in a chamber, and, after a time interval, expanding this steam out of the chamber, and repeating this steam cycle of compression followed by expansion. Thusly heated by the steam, volatile matter separates from the solid coke portion of the coal and separate volatile matter and coke products can be produced from coal or biomass fuels. These volatile matter liquids and tars can be used as fuel components in slurry fuels, for internal combustion engines used in our surface transportation industries. These solid coke products can be used as boiler fuel in steam electric plants. In this way our large domestic reserves of coal can be used as a fuel source, not only for electric power generation, but also for our surface transportation needs.

Abstract: A separate igniter fuel injection system is described for use with diesel engines operating on tar based slurry fuel with a common rail slurry fuel injection system. The igniter fuel is injected prior to injection of the slurry fuel, during each engine compression stroke, so that the ignition and burning of the igniter fuel will supply hot gases for the evaporation and thermal cracking needed to ignite the tar fuel portions of the slurry. This separate igniter fuel injection system can also be used for cold startup of a diesel engine operated on tar based slurry fuels.

Abstract: A method for reducing tar fuel viscosity by steam heating, during slurrification in a rotary slurrifier, is described for creating slurries of many small tar particles suspended in a continuous water phase. This heating is done at pressure to avoid evaporation of the water. The tar in water slurry is evaporatively cooled by subsequent depressurization.

Abstract: A fuel injection system is described for injecting slurry fuels into the combustion chamber of a diesel engine, equipped with a fuel common rail, and fitted with a gas to fuel contactor chamber for dissolving supplementary atomizing gas into the continuous phase of the slurry fuel, at high pressure. Each fuel injector comprises a combined double valve for starting and stopping fuel injection, so that slurry fuel containing atomizing gas is only depressurized when injected into the engine combustion chamber, when such depressurization greatly improves fuel atomization and combustion efficiency. In this way small bore, high speed, diesel engines can be efficiently operated on high viscosity, low cost fuels such as tars from tar sands, tars from coal and biomass, and residual petroleum fuels.

Abstract: Apparatus and a process are described for compressing superheated steam into porous coal batches in chambers, and, after a time interval, expanding this steam out of the chambers, and repeating this steam cycle of compression followed by expansion. Thusly heated by the steam, volatile matter separates from the solid coke portion of the coal and separate volatile matter and coke products can be produced from coal or biomass fuels. These volatile matter liquids and tars can be used as fuel components in slurry fuels, for internal combustion engines used in our surface transportation industries. These solid coke products can be used as boiler fuel in steam electric plants. In this way our large domestic reserves of coal can be used as a fuel source, not only for electric power generation, but also for our surface transportation needs.

Abstract: A method for reducing tar fuel viscosity by steam heating, during slurrification in a rotary slurrifier, is described for creating slurries of many small tar particles suspended in a continuous water phase. This heating is done at pressure to avoid evaporation of the water. The tar in water slurry is evaporatively cooled by subsequent depressurization.

Abstract: A first process step comprises creating a hot gas, containing some molecular oxygen, by burning gas fuel with air and subsequently adding air to the burned gases. A second process step passes these hot oxygen containing gases through a bed of coal chunks, to remove volatile matter from the coal, and partially oxidize some of the volatile matter, as well as to transform the coal chunks into coke chunks. These hot coke chunks are transferred into a coke reaction chamber, where air is passed upward through the coke bed and oxidizes the coke largely to carbon monoxide, a fuel gas. This carbon monoxide fuel gas is combined with the volatile matter gases, and this fuel gas combination can be cleanly burned with addition thereto of overfire air. These process steps create a clean hot gas suitable for use in various apparatus, such as, steam boilers, gas turbines, and cement kilns.

Abstract: Apparatus and a process are described for compressing superheated steam into porous coal chunks in a chamber, and, after a time interval, expanding this steam out of the chamber, and repeating this steam cycle of compression followed by expansion. Thusly heated by the steam, volatile matter separates from the solid coke portion of the coal and separate volatile matter and coke products can be produced from coal or biomass fuels. These volatile matter liquids and tars can be used as fuel components in slurry fuels, for internal combustion engines used in our surface transportation industries. These solid coke products can be used as boiler fuel in steam electric plants. In this way our large domestic reserves of coal can be used as a fuel source, not only for electric power generation, but also for our surface transportation needs.

Abstract: Apparatus and a process are described for compressing superheated steam into porous coal chunks in a chamber, and, after a time interval, expanding this steam out of the chamber, and repeating this steam cycle of compression followed by expansion. Thusly heated by the steam, volatile matter separates from the solid coke portion of the coal and separate volatile matter and coke products can be produced from coal or biomass fuels. These volatile matter liquids and tars can be used as fuel components in slurry fuels, for internal combustion engines used in our surface transportation industries. These solid coke products can be used as boiler fuel in steam electric plants. In this way our large domestic reserves of coal can be used as a fuel source, not only for electric power generation, but also for our surface transportation needs.

Abstract: As shown schematically in FIG. 1, hot gases, containing molecular oxygen, from generator elements, (14) and (19), pass through a bed of coal chunks in an ODD reactor chamber (2). The molecular oxygen content of these hot gases is less than stoichiometric, relative to the coal volatile matter content, so that partial oxidation of only the volatile matter occurs within the ODD reactor chamber, (2), during devolatilization therein. Two products are thusly created, a partially oxidized, and hence cleaner burning, volatile matter fuel gas, and a solid devolatilized coke. The hot coke is transferred, by overfeed, into a coke reaction chamber, (7), where counterflowing primary air, via air meter, (12), gasifies the coke into carbon monoxide with some carbon dioxide. Finally, the carbon monoxide and the partially oxidized volatile matter, are admixed with overfire air, and burned fully to carbon dioxide in overfire burner chambers, (23), (26).

Abstract: A coke burning engine is described wherein hot coke fuel chunks are first compressed with air and reacted therewith to form a carbon monoxide rich gas, during a compression cycle time period. Next these primary reacted gases are mixed into and burned with secondary air during a blowdown cycle time period. These fully reacted gases are expanded though an expander engine whose power output drives the air compressor, and yields a net useful engine power output.

Abstract: A rotary slurrifier of this invention comprises a pair of spinning discs, which throw a first fluid into a larger mass of second fluid in paired and flow connected impact cavities, within a counter-rotating cavity shell. The first fluid is to be largely insoluble in the second fluid. Impact of the first fluid with the larger mass of second fluid, in the impact cavities, causes atomization of the first fluid into a slurry of many small first fluid particles suspended in a continuous phase of second fluid. The final slurry flows out of the rotating cavity shell via a slowdown reaction turbine. High viscosity residual petroleum fuels and tars as first fluids can be thusly preatomized in a fuel in water slurry, and can then be cleanly and efficiently burned in small bore, high speed, diesel engines, which now require use of expensive low viscosity distillate fuels, which are in short supply.

Abstract: A modified common rail fuel injection system, for diesel engines, is described, for use with slurry fuels comprising dissolved supplementary atomizing gases. Two separate high pressure fluid circuits are utilized to supply and operate the engine fuel injectors. A high pressure fuel circuit comprises, a high pressure pump delivering engine fuel into a fuel common rail, from which the fuel is delivered into each fuel injector, and from there into each engine combustion chamber. A high pressure hydraulic circuit comprises, a high pressure pump delivering hydraulic fluid into a hydraulic common rail, from which the hydraulic fluid acts on drivers of the injector valves, via timed on-off valves, to operate each fuel injector at the proper time in each engine cylinder cycle. Reliable operation of the fuel injectors is not impaired by slurry fuel degassing or slurry fuel particles.

Abstract: A common rail supplementary atomizer of this invention, when used on a piston internal combustion engine, equipped with a common rail fuel injection system, improves slurry atomization, following injection, by expansion of gases, previously dissolved in the water phase of the slurry. This gas expansion separates the several fuel particles in each slurry droplet formed first during fuel injection. The thusly separated fuel particles subsequently burn more rapidly and completely, due to this fuel particle separation improving air access to the fuel. Apparatus is described for dissolving atomizing gas into the water phase of the slurry, in a contactor chamber at a pressure greater than the pressure prevailing in the engine cylinder volume, at the time of slurry injection.

Abstract: A rotary slurrifier of this invention comprises a pair of spinning discs, which throw a first fluid into a larger mass of second fluid in paired and flow connected impact cavities, within a counter-rotating cavity shell. The first fluid is to be largely insoluble in the second fluid. Impact of the first fluid with the larger mass of second fluid, in the impact cavities, causes atomization of the first fluid into a slurry of many small first fluid particles suspended in a continuous phase of second fluid. The final slurry flows out of the rotating cavity shell via a slowdown reaction turbine. High viscosity residual petroleum fuels and tars as first fluids can be thusly preatomized in a fuel in water slurry, and can then be cleanly and efficiently burned in small bore, high speed, diesel engines, which now require use of expensive low viscosity distillate fuels, which are in short supply.

Abstract: A common rail supplementary atomizer of this invention, when used on a piston internal combustion engine, equipped with a common rail fuel injection system, improves slurry atomization, following injection, by expansion of gases, previously dissolved in the water phase of the slurry. This gas expansion separates the several fuel particles in each slurry droplet formed first during fuel injection. The thusly separated fuel particles subsequently burn more rapidly and completely, due to this fuel particle separation improving air access to the fuel. Apparatus is described for dissolving atomizing gas into the water phase of the slurry, in a contactor chamber at a pressure greater than the pressure prevailing in the engine cylinder volume, at the time of slurry injection.

Abstract: As shown schematically in FIG. 1, hot gases, containing molecular oxygen, from generator elements, (14) and (19), pass through a bed of coal chunks in an ODD reactor chamber (2). The molecular oxygen content of these hot gases is less than stoichiometric, relative to the coal volatile matter content, so that partial oxidation of only the volatile matter occurs within the ODD reactor chamber, (2), during devolatilization therein. Two products are thusly created, a partially oxidized, and hence cleaner burning, volatile matter fuel gas, and a solid devolatilized coke. The hot coke is transferred, by overfeed, into a coke reaction chamber, (7), where counterflowing primary air, via air meter, (12), gasifies the coke into carbon monoxide with some carbon dioxide. Finally, the carbon monoxide and the partially oxidized volatile matter, are admixed with overfire air, and burned fully to carbon dioxide in overfire burner chambers, (23), (26).

Abstract: A supplementary slurry fuel atomizer of this invention, when used on a piston internal combustion engine, equipped with a common rail fuel injection system, improves slurry atomization, following injection, by expansion of gases, previously dissolved in the water phase of the slurry. This gas expansion separates the several fuel particles in each slurry droplet formed first during fuel injection. The thusly separated fuel particles subsequently burn more rapidly and completely, due to this fuel particle separation improving air access to the fuel. Apparatus is described for dissolving atomizing gas into the water phase of the slurry, in a contactor chamber at a pressure greater than the pressure prevailing in the engine cylinder volume, at the time of slurry injection.