Acidic groups in coal and coal-derived materials

The application of non-aqueous titrations to coal and coal-derived liquids is described to distinguish and determine carboxylic and phenolic groups in these materials. Such titrations have been applied to two coals, a subbituminous and a bituminous coal. For the subbituminous coal the amount of phenolic groups estimated from non-aqueous titrations is only about 30% of that estimated from acetylation studies, whereas both these methods give similar results for the bituminous coal. The lower values obtained by non-aqueous titrations, for the subbituminous coal, are due to proximal phenolic groups which are only partially titratable and alcohol groups which are non-titratable.     

Effects of solvent and iron-compounds on the liquefaction of brown coal

Hydrogen-donor solvents such as hydrophenanthrene are the most effective aromatic solvents for the liquefaction of brown coal. The hydrogen-donating ability of the solvent is more important for brown coals than for bituminous coals, because the thermal decomposition and subsequent recombination of the structure of the brown coals occurs rapidly. Three-ring aromatic hydrocarbons are more effective solvents than two-ring aromatics, and polar compounds are less effective solvents with brown coals than with bituminous coals. The thermal treatment of brown coal, accompanied by carbon dioxide evolution at temperatures > 300°C, in the presence of hydrogen-donating solvent did not affect the subsequent liquefaction reaction. However, thermal treatment in the absence of solvent strongly suppressed the liquefaction reaction, suggesting that the carbonization reaction occurred after the decarboxylation reaction in the absence of hydrogen donor. To study the effect of various iron compounds, brown coal and its THF-soluble fraction were hydrogenated at 450°C in the presence of ferrocene or iron oxide. The conversion of coal and the yield of degradation products are increased by the addition of the iron compounds, particularly ferrocene, and the yield of carbonaceous materials is decreased.     

A correlation between composition and explosibility index for coal dust

A composition index for coal and an explosibility index for coal dust are defined. The first is based on the proximate and ultimate analysis of different types of coals, ranging from lignites to anthracites. The second index depends on the explosibility parameters of coal dust determined by means of laboratory tests, such as the Hartmann Tube and the Godbert-Greenwald Furnace. Through a canonical correlation analysis, three regions of danger for coal dust are established; these represent safe coals, dangerous coals and very dangerous coals. The theoretical percentage of incombustible dust required to make the coal dust inert is determined.     

Inert coal macerals in combustion

Pilot-scale pulverized-coal combustion experiments with two western Canadian coals have shown that the combustion efficiencies of the coals were inversely related to the inert contents of the coals, i.e. semi-fusinite, fusinite and oxidized vitrinite. These macerals were found to persist through the flame in a partially reacted form. The burn-out of a coal with an inert maceral content over 50% was unaffected by normal changes in combustion conditions; the same changes were successful in improving the burn-out of a coal containing less than 40% inert macerals. Coals with high inert maceral contents produce fly-ash with high levels of unburnt carbon and will require a combination of higher temperatures and higher excess-air levels and longer residence times to achieve combustion efficiencies similar to those of coals with higher reactive-maceral contents. The association of resinitic and bituminous materials with the mineral matter in the Canadian sub-bituminous coal indicated that macerals which contribute significantly to ignition and flame stability are discarded as a washery reject.     

A new rheometer for direct measurement of the flow properties of coal ash at high temperatures

Development of more effective technologies of utilising low rank coals for power generation has been driven by a demand for higher efficiency, low capital costs and minimal environmental impacts. Fluidised bed systems are regarded as one of the more promising alternative technologies for power generation to overcome the disadvantage of the existing pulverised coal burning power generation plants for low rank coals. However, ash deposition and bed agglomeration are potential problems in fluidised bed processing of coals with high alkali and sulphur contents. In order to gain a better understanding of the mechanism of agglomeration in fluidised beds, a good knowledge of the rheological behaviour of coal ash deposits at high temperatures and under the processing conditions is necessary. Rheological characterisation of materials at high temperatures is difficult due to lack of standard instruments and reliable measurement techniques. We have recently developed a rheometer that has the capability of measuring the rheological properties of coal ash slag over a wide range of temperatures from 600 to 1300°C and under different processing atmospheres. In this paper the features of this unique instrument are described and the experimental technique developed for flow property measurement is outlined. Some typical measured rheological properties of coal ashes from different Australian low-rank coals are presented and discussed to illustrate the potential applicability of the rheometer for high-temperature rheological characterisation. Furthermore, by means of the experimental results obtained it is demonstrated that the alkali content of the coal ash plays a significant role in controlling the rheological characteristics of the ash deposit, which in turn has an important implication on agglomeration in fluidised bed combustion processes.     

New concept for determining pulverizing properties of coal

The identification of grinding and wear conditions in ball-on-race coal pulverizers and standard apparatus is described. A new method which covers the determination of the mechanical properties of coal and wear resistance of materials in contact with the coal is presented and discussed. Nineteen coals and eight materials representing a number of different material groups have been tested and classified.     

Pulverized coal combustion characteristics of high-fuel-ratio coals

It is strongly desired for coal-fired power plants in Japan to utilize not only low-rank coals with high moisture and high ash contents, but also high-rank coals with high fuel ratio for diversifying fuel sources and lowering cost. In this study, pulverized coal combustion characteristics of high-fuel-ratio coals are experimentally investigated using an approximately 100 kg-coal/h pulverized coal combustion test furnace. The combustion characteristics are compared to those for bituminous coal. The coals tested are six kinds of coal with fuel ratios ranging from 1.46 to 7.10. The results show that under the non-staged combustion condition, the minimum burner load for stable combustion rises as fuel ratio increases. To improve the stability, it is effective to lengthen the residence time of coal particles in the high gas temperature region close to the burner outlet by using a recirculation flow. The conversion ratio of fuel nitrogen to NOx and unburned carbon fraction increases with increasing the fuel ratio. In addition, as the fuel ratio increases, NOx reduction owing to the staged combustion becomes small, and unburned carbon fraction increment becomes significant. The numerical simulations conducted under the staged combustion condition show that although the numerical results are in general agreement with the experimental ones, there remains room for improvement in NOx reduction model for high-fuel-ratio coals.     

Effects of coal rank and reaction conditions upon coprocessing coal with waste tyre

It is well known that the amount of waste tyre increases every year, and a numerous amount of waste tyre is landfilled or dumped all over the world, which causes environmental problems, such as destruction of natural places and the risk of fires. Coprocessing waste tyre and coal is considered as one of the effective processing methods of both materials. Upon coprocessing lower rank coal (Wyoming, C; 68%) with waste tyre, the synergistic effects to upgrading, such as the increase of oil yield and the decrease of residue yield, were appeared. However, the synergistic effects were not observed on coprocessing two kinds of higher rank coals with waste tyre. The reactions of coal with benzophenone were carried out to discuss the hydrogen donatability of coal. Conversion of benzophenone to diphenylmethane on the reaction with Wyoming coal was higher than those of higher rank coals. Accordingly, it was considered that the synergistic effects to upgrading upon coprocessing Wyoming coal with waste tyre were obtained owing to the enhancement of stabilization of radicals from tyre and Wyoming coal through the hydrogen donation from both tyre and Wyoming coal. The effects of reaction temperature and the amount of solvent upon coprocessing Wyoming coal with waste tyre were also discussed in this study.     

Production of clean fuels by solvent skimming of coal at around 350 °C

The authors have recently presented a new coal extraction method by which various kinds of coals ranging from brown coals to bituminous coals could be extracted up to 80% of the parent coals in a flowing stream of tetralin or a coal derived oil, carbol oil, under 10 MPa at 350 °C. The extract obtained by this method was almost free from inorganic materials. In this study the effect of solvent recycling on the extraction behavior was examined to make the method practically applicable. The solvent recycling was found to be effective in enhancing the extraction yield and in decreasing further the inorganic fraction in the extract. The extract and residue obtained were characterized through various analyses. To examine how inorganic materials are removed by the extraction, the contents of inorganic elements, including harmful trace elements, in the extract were investigated. It was clarified that the presented method was effective in the removal of most of the inorganic elements including even harmful trace elements from coals, although the degree of removal was dependent on the kind of element.     

Change of combustion characteristics of Indonesian low rank coal due to upgraded brown coal process

Upgraded brown coal (UBC) process has been developed to produce a dry upgraded coal which is comparable with a bituminous coal. Differential thermal and thermogravimetry analyses (DTA–TG) have been applied to study the combustion characteristics of some Indonesian raw and upgraded coals produced by the UBC process. DTA–TG profiles of the entire combustion process can be used to predict the combustion performance of the pulverized coal in industrial furnaces. By using three samples of Indonesian low rank coals coming from Taban, Berau and Samaranggau, East Kalimantan, which have been upgraded by the UBC process, the ignition temperature (Tig) of the upgraded coals increased. Whereas the temperature, at which the maximum combustion rate occurs (Tmax), is not so changed. The DTA combustion peaks, which reflect the specific energy of coals, and the upgraded coals are significantly increased compared to those of raw coals.     

Fractionation of coal by use of high temperature solvent extraction technique and characterization of the fractions

The authors have recently presented a new coal fractionation method that can separate a bituminous coal into several fractions, just like petroleum distillation, without decomposing coal. In this paper this method was applied to two bituminous coals and a brown coal. Sequential solvent extraction at different temperatures lower than 350 °C successfully separated the two bituminous coals into several fractions having different molecular mass compounds. Since all the extracted fractions are almost free from mineral matter, and some fractions were found to be fusible like a synthesized pitch when heated, the possibility of producing high performance carbon materials from the coal fractions was investigated. On the other hand, fractions obtained from the brown coal by the sequential solvent extraction were very close in both chemical composition and molecular mass, although the sequential extraction could greatly suppress the decomposition of the brown coal below 350 °C. The difference in the extraction behavior between the bituminous coals and the brown coal were attributed to the difference in their chemical structure.     

Preparation of active carbons from coal Part II. Carbonisation of oxidised coal

Four coals differing in origin, volatile matter (VM) content, plastic properties and degree of preoxidation have been carbonised in nitrogen up to 1123 K. VM and oxygen contents of the chars obtained from unoxidised coals are very low. The VM content of the chars generally increases with an increase in the degree of coal preoxidation but the oxygen content increases only at lower degrees of preoxidation. While the mercury density of the chars decreases, the helium density increases with the degree of coal preoxidation and is related almost linearly to the helium densities of the oxidised coals. Preoxidation of coal also influences the pore size distribution of chars. The pore size distribution, which is more favourable to macropores in the case of chars obtained from unoxidised coal, becomes more and more in favour of micropores as the degree of coal preoxidation is enhanced. The percentage of micropores increases from 30% to more than 70% after coal preoxidation. Unoxidised coal chars adsorb an insignificant amount of nitrogen at 77 K while an appreciable amount of CO₂ is adsorbed at 273 K. The large difference between N₂ and CO₂ adsorption on chars prepared from coals with low oxidation degree becomes smaller as the degree of coal preoxidation increases. There is a linear relationship between the total pore volume of the char and that of the corresponding oxidised coal, indicating that the chars produced by carbonisation of oxidised coal retain fingerprints of the pore structure of the precursor oxidised coal.     

A three-dimensional numerical study of the combustion of coal blends in blast furnace

The practice of blending coals for pulverized coal combustion is widely used in ironmaking blast furnace. It is desirable to characterize the combustion behaviour of coal blends and their component coals. A three-dimensional numerical model is described to simulate the flow and combustion of binary coal blends under simplified blast furnace conditions. The model is validated against the experimental results from a pilot-scale combustion test rig for a range of conditions, which features an inclined co-axial lance. The overall performance of coal blend and the individual behaviours of their component coals are analysed, with special reference to the influences of particle size and coal type. The synergistic effect of coal blending on overall burnout is examined. The results show that the interactions between component coals, in terms of particle temperature and volatile content, are responsible for the synergistic effect. Such synergistic effect can be optimized by adjusting the blending fraction. The model provides an effective tool for the design of coal blends.     

The nature of solids accumulated during solvent refining of coal

Solids accumulated in the reactor of a solvent-refined coal (SRC-1) pilot plant during processing of three coals were studied using optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. A classification system was devised for each of the two groups of components: organic materials and mineral matter. The various organic components were classified by the extent of change from the original coal macerals, and by optical properties of different semi-cokes and other organic phases. Minerals were divided into four groups: those unchanged from the original coal; minerals which were physically degraded; minerals which were chemically or crystallographically transformed; and those minerals formed during processing of a subbituminous coal. Gold-tube carbonization experiments were performed on SRC to determine the conditions under which retrogressive reactions occur to form mesophase semi-coke. Autoclave experiments were designed to investigate the recrystallization of pyrite as pyrrhotites, and to determine the causes of carbonate-mineral formation in the reactor. Calcium carbonate was found to crystallize from the interaction of ion-exchangeable calcium and carbon dioxide, which are available when low-rank coals are processed.     

Catalytic activity of coal minerals in hydrogasification of coal

Hydrogasification of six bituminous coals was studied in a fixed-ped flow reactor at pressures up to 2 MPa and temperatures from 790 to 960 °C. Ranges of distinct methane formation are found with all coals between 500 and 600 °C, 750 to 800 °C and >850 °C. The reactions in the first two ranges are determined by the molecular structure of coal and are not affected by catalytic activities of constituents of coal minerals. In the third range, >850 °C, iron as a constituent of mineral matter of coal can accelerate methane formation significantly if the pressure is sufficiently high. Thermodynamic calculations indicate, and were verified by thermogravimetric studies, that iron disulphides in original coals can be desulphurized during gasification. Alkali and alkali earth oxides and carbonates can act as sulphur scavengers via an exchange reaction and thus accelerate the desulphurization of iron sulphides.     

An emphasis on optimum fuel production for Indian coal preparation plants treating multiple coal sources

Optimization of operating parameters of integrated coal washing plants for achieving maximum clean coal yield at any desired clean coal ash level is a major problem. The problem is largely associated with processing of raw coal obtained from different seams/collieries with frequent variations in proportions and characteristics of individual coals. For large number of source coals or washing different size fractions there are no simple methods of optimization. This paper presents a numerical solution to the constrained non-linear optimization of a multivariable objective function utilizing Excel^® spreadsheet. The method is capable of handling any number of source coals with different size fractions. Here the yield is optimized subject to constraints on both ash and specific gravity. It is shown that the operational constraints of different washeries in the integrated plant utilizing gravity separation methods can also be overcome. The method offers the plant operators an easy and straightforward way for determining the optimum cut points of separation for blended coals to produce a maximum overall product yield at specified level of ash content.     

富氧条件下煤粉气流的着火性能变化

利用一维火焰炉对不同富氧条件下的煤粉气流着火燃烧特性进行了研究,得到了富氧条件下煤粉气流的着火性能变化规律。研究结果表明:随着助燃气体氧浓度的提高,各煤样的着火温度均大幅下降,其中低挥发分煤种在着火方面对富氧条件的改善更为敏感,即富氧条件的改善可减弱煤种间着火性能方面的差异性;随着氧浓度的提高,煤粉气流的着火方式明显从均相着火向非均相着火转变,其中燃用褐煤时发生着火方式转变所对应的氧浓度为50%~60%,燃用烟煤时约为40%,燃用贫煤和无烟煤时都约为30%;对于烟煤和褐煤,随着氧浓度的提高,对应的最佳煤粉浓度值先增大后减小,而对于贫煤和无烟煤,由于其在整个实验氧浓度范围内基本上都以"非均相着火"为主,因此随着氧浓度的提高,对应的最佳煤粉浓度的值基本上呈缓慢下降的趋势。     

Emission characteristics of NOx and unburned carbon in fly ash on high-ash coal combustion

Three coal sources, two high-ash coals from South Africa and one bituminous coal from Australia, were evaluated at a pulverized coal combustion test furnace. These combustion trials were carried out on different blending ratios with the two South African coal sources. The NOx emission characteristics of these high-ash coals are similar with those of bituminous coals. The combustion efficiencies on the high-ash coals are lower than those of bituminous coals. The high-ash coals do not affect bituminous coal combustion on the blending combustion.     

The associative nature of lower rank coal

Initial volumetric swelling in tetrahydrofuran of pyridine-unextracted parts from subbituminous coal and lignite showed no dependence of their concentration, and was smaller than that of their pyridine extracts. These results are opposite to those obtained from high volatile bituminous coals and coincide with predictions for the cross-linked network model of coal. However, when ionic forces in these coals were reduced by acid washing or O-alkylation, these coals showed the same associative nature as did high volatile bituminous coals. Swelling kinetics were analysed on the basis of associative equilibria controlled by the ionic forces. It was concluded that solvation of the ionic forces was the rate determining step of volumetric swelling of lower rank coal rather than solvent diffusion into the coal, although diffusion has been proposed to be the most important factor in swelling.     

配煤添加高灰低硫及中灰中硫贫煤炼焦的研究

对高灰低硫(新元矿)、中灰中硫(平舒矿)贫煤进行煤质分析和炼焦特性研究,并结合配合煤种进行炼焦和生产验证试验。结果表明,新元矿和平舒矿贫煤适用于捣固工艺,在炼焦中起到瘦化剂的作用,同时能够降低配合煤及焦炭的硫分,改善焦炭的反应后强度。