Process for feeding a mixture of solid fuels and water to a gasification reactor

In this process, a mixture of ground solid fuels and water, if appropriate as a mixture with liquid fuels, lubricants and surface-active substances, is fed via a burner by means of a conveying device into a reactor serving for the manufacture of synthesis gases by autothermic gasification of the solid fuels with water and oxygen or oxygen-containing gases at a temperature in the range from about 800 to 1700 DEG C and at a pressure from about 10 to 150 bar. In order to improve the handling of the feedstocks and the adaptation in the design of the process stages upstream of the gasification reactor, a) the fuel is subjected to wet grinding with water, if appropriate with addition of the additives mentioned, intensively mixed and turned into a suspension suitable for hydraulic transport, b) the suspension is fed to a decanting centrifuge for setting the liquid content to be set for the gasification reaction and c) the thickened mixture is fed to the conveying device for the purpose of introducing it into the reaction chamber.