The Economics and Application of Coal Water Fuel in Army Heat Plants

Congress has directed that Department of Defense steam generating plants in the United States be converted to coal-burning facilities to reduce the dependence on petroleum fuels. To help meet this requirement, the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory assessed coal water fuel (CWF) which has the potential to be an efficient, inexpensive, and reliable replacement for petroleum fuels. However, the actual costs of producing and burning CWF are not yet known. Researcher (1) developed a cost model for CWF, (2) assessed the engineering and economic requirements of converting a boiler to burn CWF, and (3) designed a complete firing system based on a specification for CWF developed to ensure that the fuel will work in converted boiler. This study indicated that a CWF retrofit is technically feasible and will soon become economically attractive. CWF can cost as little as $2.61 per million British thermal units (MBtu) and an industrial sized oil-designed boiler can be retrofitted to burn CWF for approximately $1.9 million. CWF should be demonstrated in a long-term test program to determine equipment specifications, operational characteristics, systems control requirements, and maintenance needs.