Studies of the fusibility of coal ash

To establish a means for predicting the melting temperature of coal ash, the chemical composition, mineral matter content and melting temperature were investigated for 24 coal ash samples. The fusibility of coal ash was studied from the view point of the mineral matter. The melting temperatures of these samples ranged from 1285 to > 1500 ° C. A conventional acid-base index did not show a good correlation with melting temperature for these coal ash samples (correlation coefficient = −0.67) and the reason for this is discussed. An empirical index, which is derived from the correlation between mineral composition and melting temperature, is proposed. It was linearly proportional to melting temperature for the coal ash samples (correlation coefficient = 0.85) and furthermore, the applicability of the index to abitrary coal ash was demonstrated.