# Have Practical Solid Fuel Internal Combustion Engines Been Built?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-practical-solid-fuel-internal-combustion-engines-been-built/621154>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 7, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-practical-solid-fuel-internal-combustion-engines-been-built/621154 "2012-05-07T12:47:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-practical-solid-fuel-internal-combustion-engines-been-built/621154/1 "2012-05-07T12:47:00Z")

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Years ago, GM built a car that ran on powdered coal-I never saw its test results.  
Later, a local inventor built an engine that ran on powdered cornstarch. Now, powders (of combustible materials) are easy to ignite/explode-flour mills would commonly be destroyed by explosions.  
But using powders in an IC engine presents problems-with the combustion products (how you get them out of the cylinders), and fuel injection issues.  
Still, coal is pretty abundant-anyone have specifics on what the GM engine achieved?

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**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-practical-solid-fuel-internal-combustion-engines-been-built/621154/2 "2012-05-07T15:41:29Z")

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A number of Diesels and Gas Turbines have been built that could run on coal dust.

Unfortunately, coal dust has an abrasive residue…ash…which can quickly destroy pistons and cylinders in a reciprocating engine, and molten ash…commonly known as “clinker”…builds up within and immediately downstream of a turbine’s combustion area, coal coal dust as a practical IC fuel is a no-go.

[http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/showthread.php?t=21750](http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/showthread.php?t=21750)

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-practical-solid-fuel-internal-combustion-engines-been-built/621154/3 "2012-05-08T06:29:03Z")

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And if you think catalytic converters & other pollution control devices for a gasoline engine are complicated, take a look at what they have on coal-fired electric generating plants!