Fuel slurry heating system and method

US9447337B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• General Electric Company · US

Inventors

• Raymond Douglas Steele · Cypress, US
• Sivaguru Kanniappan · Puducherry, IN
• Raul Eduardo Ayala · Clifton Park, US
• Zhaohui Yang · Beijing, CN
• Dejia Wang · Shanghai, CN
• Yan Zhou · Shandong, CN
• Karunagaran Sivagurunathan · Bengaluru, IN
• Murugaraja Sengottaiyan · Savanuru, IN

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 19, 2011
• Grant date: Sep 20, 2016
• Expiry date: Jan 31, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T137/0391
• WIPO field: Basic materials chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to systems and methods for heating a slurry to increase a solids concentration of the slurry while maintaining the viscosity of the slurry below a threshold viscosity. For example, in one embodiment, a system includes a fuel slurry preparation system having a slurry tank configured to hold a fuel slurry, the fuel slurry having a solid fuel and a liquid. The fuel slurry preparation system also includes a heat source and a controller configured to control the heat source to heat the fuel slurry to decrease a viscosity of the slurry below a threshold viscosity.