Abstract: Coal particles are discharged from a hopper into a common, vibrating feed pan which, in turn, distributes the particles evenly across the surface thereof and delivers the particles along the length thereof to a metering trough positioned below and along a longitudinal axis which extends across the discharge end of the pan. The metering trough divides the volume of coal particles into a plurality of equal batches, each of which, in turn, drops into a mixing device where the particles become airborne and are delivered into a feed conduit from whence they are fed to a furnace burner. By controlling the rate of vibration of the feed pan, variables such as moisture content of the coal and/or air, particle size and BTU content of the coal can be compensated for to maintain a desired temperature within the furnace.