Coal suspensions in organic liquids

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the former aforementioned U.
S.
Patent, coal dust suspensions in water provide long range stable suspensions which are easily pumpable over long distances.
The coal dust-water suspensions with carefully controlled quantities of a gelling grade clay exhibit psuedoplastic flow.
At rest the suspensions have considerable gel structure.
At low shear rates the suspensions exhibit high apparent viscosities and are very stable so that when they are not being pumped, for example, as when static in the pipelines or transported in tank cars during shipment, the coal dust particles remain firmly in suspension.
At higher shear rates such as those encountered during transport, mixing, pumping and spraying, the suspensions exhibited low apparent viscosities.
In order to solve the problems involved with finely pulverized carbonaceous solids in liquid hydrocarbon systems it was determined that the incorporation of small quantities of a gelling grade clay plus an organic surfactant caused the carbonaceous solids liquid hydrocarbon suspensions to have psuedoplastic properties.
In order to form stable, homogeneously gelled dispersions of the carbonaceous solids in the liquid hydrocarbon mixtures of gelling grade clays plus various organic surfactants were investigated to determine systems in which both the carbonaceous solids and clay can be dispersed within the liquid hydrocarbon with subsequent flocculation.
Although the invention is primarily directed to providing stable suspensions of coal dust in organic liquids for the purpose of providing an efficient combustible mixture of coal in oil that is stable and has good pumping properties, this is by way of illustration only.
The invention readily finds application when other combustible solid powders are added.
Other classes of carbonaceous substances, susceptible to reduction to particles by pulverization or otherwise, are suitable for combining with combustible liquid hydrocarbons according to this invention.
By way of illustration but not limited thereto such carbonaceous materials comprise anthracite, semi-anthracite, bituminous and semi-bituminous coals, lignites, peats, anthracite culm, dust and slush, bituminous and lignite slack, coke, gilsonite asphalt, cannel coal and other semi-coalified materials