Flow characteristics of a coal-oil-water mixture prepared by disintegration of de-ashed coal agglomerates

The flow characteristics of a coal-oil-water mixture (COW) were investigated. COW was prepared by disintegrating de-ashed coal agglomerates that had been obtained by oil agglomeration of coal. When the volume fraction of dispersed waterdrops in COW was smaller than 0.2, the dispersed waterdrops had a similar effect to that of the dispersed coal particles on the flow characteristics of COW. COW behaved as a Bingham fluid. Both the yield value and Bingham viscosity increased with increases in the total disperse-phase volume fraction in COW and with decreases in temperature. The relative viscosity of COW was well-correlated by an equation derived from Mooney's equation.