A theoretical and experimental investigation of the combustion properties of carbon slurry fuels is described. The combustion of individual drops (400-1000 /*m in diameter) supported at various positions within an open turbulent diffusion flame was observed. When a slurry drop was exposed to the flame, the liquid fuel evaporated in the first stage of the process leaving a porous carbon agglomerate formed from the carbon particles in the slurry. The second stage involved heat-up and reaction or quenching of the agglomerate. Consumption of the agglomerate was the slowest step in the process, requiring 90-95% of the drop lifetime, even in regions where maximum agglomerate reaction rates were observed. An analysis was developed to provide predictions of both liquid and agglomerate heat-up and gasification. The analysis yielded good predictions of both particle size and temperature variations for flame equivalence ratios of 0.272-1.350. The use of a catalyzed slurry was found to increase agglomerate burning rates in the lean portions of the flame, extending the lean limit of agglomerate reaction. Nomenclature ai - area/reactivity factor At = pre-exponential factor Cp - specific heat d - flame jet diameter dp = particle diameter D = effective binary diffusivity Ei - activation energy / = enthalpy if = enthalpy of formation K = dimensionless mass burning rate, Eq. (15)