The objectives of this study are to establish the mechanisms and rates of basic steps in coal conversion processes, to integrate and incorporate this information into comprehensive computer models for coal conversion processes, to evaluate these models and to apply them to gasification, mild gasification and combustion in heat engines. The program will streamline submodels existing or under development for coal pyrolysis chemistry, volatile secondary reactions, tar formation, soot formation, char reactivity, and SO{sub x}-NO{sub x} pollutant formation. Submodels for coal viscosity, agglomeration, tar/char secondary reactions, sulfur capture, and ash physics and chemistry will be developed or adapted. The submodels will first be incorporated into the BYU entrained-bed gasification code and subsequently, into a fixed-bed gasification code (to be selected and adapted). These codes will be validated by comparison will small scale laboratory and PDU-scale experiments. The validated code could then be employed to simulate and to develop advanced coal conversion reactors of interest to METC. 23 refs., 26 figs., 5 tabs.