This book addresses the behavior of inorganic material in combustion systems. The past decade has seen unprecedented improvements in understanding the rates and mecha­ nisms of inorganic transformations and in developing analytical tools to predict them. These tools range from improved fuel analysis procedures to predictive computer codes. While this progress has been met with great enthusiasm within the research community, the practices of the industrial community remain largely unchanged. The papers in this book were selected from those presented at an Engineering Foundation Conference of the same title. All have been peer reviewed. The intent of the conference was to illustrate the application of advanced technology to ash-related problems in boilers and, by so doing, engage the research and industrial communities in more productive dialog. Those attending the conference generally felt that we were successful on these counts. We also engaged the industrial community to a greater extent than ever before in the conference discussion and presentation. We hope these proceedings will facilitate a continued and improved interaction between industrial and research communities. Behavior of inorganic material has long been recognized as one of the major considerations affecting the design and operation of boilers that burn ash-producing fuels. The practical problems associated with the behavior are sometimes catastrophic and spec­ tacular, ranging from major slag falls that damage the bottom of furnaces to complete plugging of convection passes.

Table of Contents:
Ash Formation, Deposition, Corrosion and Erosion in Conventional Boilers.- Research Needs of the Power Industry.- Evolutionary Changes in Furnace Combustion Conditions which Affect Ash Deposition in Modern Boilers.- The UK Collaborative Research Programme on Slagging Pulverised Coal-Fired Boilers: Summary of Findings.- Ash Deposit Properties and Radiative Transfer in a Coal Fired Plant: Current Understanding and New Developments.- Rates and Mechanisms of Strength Development in Low-Temperature Ash Deposits.- Deposit Formation during the Co-Combustion of Coal-Biomass Blends.- Quantification of Deposit Formation Rates as Functions of Operating Conditions and Fraction of Biomass Fuel Used in a Converted PC Boiler (100 MW).- In Situ Measurements of Boiler Ash Deposit Emissivity and Temperature in a Pilot-Scale Combustion Facility.- Erosion Oxidation of Carbon Steel and Deposition of Particles on a Tube during Combustion of Coal Based Fuels in an Industrial Boiler.- Laboratory Measurement of Alkali Metal Containing Vapors Released during Biomass Combustion.- An Improved Ash Fusion Test.- An Assessment of Coal Ash Slagging Propensity Using an Entrained Flow Reactor.- Mechanisms of Ash Fouling during Low Rank Coal Combustion.- Correlating the Slagging of a Utility Boiler with Coal Characteristics.- Excluded/Included Mineral Matter and Its Size Distribution Relative Significance on Slagging and Fouling Characteristics.- Studies on Ash Species Release during the Pyrolysis of Solid Fuels with a Heated Grid Reactor.- Ion Oxidation State and Its Effect on Ash Particle Stickiness.- Investigation of Mechanisms for the Formation of Ash Deposits for Two Powder River Basin Coals.- Characterization of Ash Deposit Structure from Planar Sections: Result and Challenges.- Danish Collaborative Project on Mineral Transformations and Ash Deposition in PF-Fired Boilers and Related Research Projects.- Emittance of Layers of Uniform Ash-like Slag Particles: Spectral Nature, and Effects of Particle Size, Composition and Heating.- Agglomeration and Defluidization in FBC of Biomass Fuels: Mechanisms and Measures for Prevention.- Utilization of Estonian Oil Shale at Power Plants.- Characterization of Biomass Ashes.- The Safety and Economics of High Ash Anthracite Fired Mixing with Petroleum-Coke in Pulverized Coal Fired Furnace.- Alkali Salt Ash Formation during Black Liquor Combustion at Kraft Recovery Boilers.- Effect of Environment Atmosphere on the Sintering of Thai Lignite Fly Ashes.- Ash Transformations in the Real Scale Pulverized Coal Combustion of South African and Colombian Coals.- Modeling of Ash Deposition in the Convective Pass of a Coal Fired Boiler.- The Structure of Submicron Ash from Combustion of Pulverized South African and Colombian Coals.- The Effect of Operation Conditions on Slagging.- Neural Network Predictions of Slagging and Fouling in Pulverized Coal Fired Utility Boilers.- Slagging and Fouling Propensity: Full Scale Tests at Two Power Stations in Western Denmark.- Investigation of Some Slagging Problems at the Rigs.- Coal Ash Fusion Temperatures: New Characterisation Techniques and Associations with Phase Equilibria.- Slagging Prediction when Using the Chemical Composition of Fly Ash Individual Particles and the Slagging Probability Model.- Slagging: Problem Definition.- Modelling Fly Ash Generation for UK Power Station Coals.- Modelling Ash Deposition during the Combustion of Low Grade Fuels.- Development of Fireside Performance Indices for Coal Fired Utility Boilers.- Prediction of Ash Deposition in Pulverised Coal Combustion Systems.