ABSTRACT
A bench-scale method has been developed to measure in situ the force required to remove coal ash deposits grown under simulated fouling conditions. A suite of eight coals, representing a range of rank and known fouling behavior, were examined using this method. Statistical analysis of the data resulted in a good correlation of adhesion strength with an independently derived index of high-temperature fouling propensity and with 1/(coal feed time), number of soot blowings, and number of noneffective soot blowings. Using this method, a coal or coal blend can be rapidly screened for fouling behavior under conditions simulating those attained in a particular utility boiler.
