MHD Coal-Fired Flow Facility. Annual technical progress report, January-December 1978

The University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) reports on significant advances, as well as problems and planned research and testing, and on construction progress for the Coal-Fired Flow Facility (CFFF) during the year January 1, 1978 through December 31, 1978. Advances made and reported include the following: (1) the Fuels and Chemistry Laboratory significantly improved its capability for evaluating the performance of the MHD system and its components, (2) the UTSI data acquisition system bandwidth was increased from 0.03 to 10 Hertz so that all of the data channels can be analyzed statistically, even under frequently changing plant conditions during a run, (3) the least cost superconducting magnet useful throughout the operating range of the CFFF was determined, (4) a method for reducing NO/sub x/ at the stack to about 300 ppM (0.18 lb/10/sup 6/ Btu) was demonstrated (this level is below EPA limits); the system operated with a primary combustor (operating at approximately equal to 85% of stoichiometry) and a secondary combustor, (5) seed regeneration analysis and evaluation indicates that the Direct Reduction process offers the greatest potential advantage, and (6) calculated channel parameters and experimental data have been used to calculate the limiting resistor values needed to maximizemore » diagonal conducting wall (DCW) channel system current extraction. Other technical subjects are covered.« less