Numerical assessment of coals/blends slagging potential in pulverized coal boilers

► A numerical coal slagging index (NSI) has been developed. ► The proposed NSI has been tested on a wide range of coals/blends. ► The proposed NSI yielded better results compared to some of the existing ones. ► The slagging of blends may not be linearly interpreted from their parent coals. ► Ash loading in coals has significant effect on deposit accumulation in boilers.