ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY OF MOLTEN COAL SLAGS CONTAINING POTASSIUM SEED.

The electrical conductivity in air, from 600 degree to 1600 degree C, varies depending upon the temperature, original composition, and potassium seed concentration. Below 1400 degree C, the conductivities of different slags can vary by as much as six orders of magnitude. The conductivity increases with increasing temperature, and above 1400 degree C, the conductivities vary by a factor of ten. The conductivities below 1400 degree C can exhibit nonlinear log sigma versus T** minus **1 variations resulting from devitrification and oxidation-reduction. The electrical conductivity increases with increases in potassium and iron content, but decreases with increasing silica content. Slags with high potassium content exhibit high ionic conductivity. The wide variations in electrical conductivity between the different slags and with different potassium content, which coal electrodes and insulators, may be significant in channel performance.