The capability to produce significant quantities of coal based fuels cannot be supported in the current economic and energy use situation. Once these pieces of experience and information begin to fall into place, the market driven needs will more clearly identify the suite of coals that will satisfy the markets and the performance requirements (i.e., cost, maintenance, energy efficiency, environmental). For now, it is important to provide sufficient quantities of surrogate fuels to enable development testing to proceed. To serve as surrogate fuels, the fuels should have chemical and physical characteristics (ash, sulfur, volatiles, fusion temperature, heat content, particle size distribution, slurry formulation, etc.) that are consistent with projected performance and environmental standards. In addition, these surrogates are to be produced using readily available conventional types of cleaning and processing so as to not promote a particular fuel technology or create a reliability on an uncertain fuel technology. The analysis of fuel needs, the selection of candidate coals, the characterization and supply in this contract are to be accomplished with the above in mind. Following the fuels and combustor development activities that this supply contract will support, it is expected that additional optional candidate coals will become evident based on the new experience. In the meantime, these coal fuels will enable the program to proceed.
