This paper describes the development and prototype performance of a novel combustorconfiguration, the Stagnation Point Reverse Flow (SPRF) combustor, for a direct steamgeneration system employing low quality solid fuels. The fuel used in the current work ispulverized petroleum-coke, a carbonaceous solid with low volatile content and high percentagesof carbon and sulfur. Pulverized pet-coke is mixed with water to form a slurry, which is then fedinto the combustor. Stable, self-sustained combustion of oxygen and petroleum-coke has beenachieved at a nominal firing rate of 14 kg/h of petroleum-coke corresponding to a thermal powerof 0.13 MW (440 kBTU/hr), at a power density of ～20 MW/m~3 (20 MBTU/hr/ft~3) and with apeak combustion efficiency of 81%. The effect of various operational parameters, including:loading, equivalence ratio and water content in slurry, on combustion efficiency and combustorstability were also investigated. Stable (self-sustained) combustion was attained for a wide rangeof equivalence ratios and loadings, but with a smaller range of water content and particle size.The response of the system to operational variations was also successfully analyzed with asimple, one-dimensional Plug Flow Reactor model.
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