A Review of Methods, and Analytical and Experimental Studies on the Use of Coal–Water Suspensions

Abstract

Research in the field of building mathematical models for combustion processes has been ongoing ever since the chemical reactions of combustion were first discovered. The authors of this review have systematized mathematical models of coal–water suspension (CWS) combustion processes, the sequence of analytical and experimental studies, and have also shown the global genesis of the CWS use. In addition, this review touches upon a topic that is inextricably linked with the combustion of CWS, namely their transportation from the place of coal mining to their place of thermal utilization. For developing countries, their own energy independence is in the foreground, as it is the basis for their economic independence and also a means for other sectors of their economy to be protected from the impact of market changes in fuel prices in the future spot world market. The authors of this review explored the possibility of using Kyrgyz brown coal and transporting it through a coal pipeline from a mountainous area to an industrial site for thermal utilization in specialized steam boiler units. As the economic analysis showed, for the conditions of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, the use of CWS and coal pipelines with rising prices for natural gas is economically justified. The recommendations of the authors are used in scientific reports and methodological recommendations for the energy and mining sectors of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, how the recommendations can also be applied to similar conditions in the highlands of Russia, China, and India.