Environmental performance assessments of different methods of coal preparation for use in small-capacity boilers: experiment and theory

The purpose of this article is to receive environmental assessments of combustion of different types of coal fuel depending on the preparation(unscreened,size-graded,briquetted and heat-treated)in automated boilers and boilers with manual load-ing.The assessments were made on the basis of data obtained from experimental methods of coal preparation and calculated methods of determining the amount of pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions,as well as the mass of ash and slag waste.The main pollutants from coal combustion are calculated:particulate matter,benz(a)pyrene,nitrogen oxides,sulfur dioxide,carbon monoxide.Of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide is calculated.As a result of conducted research it is shown that the simplest preliminary preparation(size-graded)of coal significantly improves combustion efficiency and environmental performance:emissions are reduced by 13%for hard coal and up to 20%for brown coal.The introduction of automated boil-ers with heat-treated coal in small boiler facilities allows to reduce emissions and ash and slag waste by 2-3 times.The best environmental indicators correspond to heat-treated lignite,which is characterized by the absence of sulfur dioxide emissions.

Intelligent Control and Maintenance Man-agement Integrated System Based on Multi-Agents for Coal-Preparation Plant

This paper discusses the progress of computer integrated processing （CIPS） of coal-preparation and then preserits an intelligence controlled production-process, device-maintenance and production-management system of coal- preparation based on multi-agents （IICMMS-CP）. The construction of the IICMMS-CP, the distributed network control system based on live intelligence control stations and the strategy of implementing distributed intelligence control system are studied in order to overcome the disadvantages brought about by the wide use of the PLC system by coaipreparation plants. The software frame, based on a Multi-Agent Intelligence Control and Maintenance Management integrated system, is studied and the implemention methods of IICMMS-CP are discussed. The characteristics of distributed architecture, cooperation and parallel computing meet the needs of integrated control of coal-preparation plants with large-scale spatial production distribution, densely-related processes and complex systems. Its application further improves the reliability and precision of process control, accuracy of fault identification and intelligence of production adjustment, establishes a technical basis for system integration and flexible production. The main function of the system has been tested in a coal-preparation plant to good effect in stabilizing product quality, improving efficiency and reducing consumption.

A review of state-of-the-art processing operations in coal preparation

Coal preparation is an integral part of the coal commodity supply chain. This stage of post-mining, pre-utilization beneficiation uses low-cost separation technologies to remove unwanted mineral matter and moisture which hinder the value of the coal product. Coal preparation plants typically employ several parallel circuits of cleaning and dewatering operations, with each circuit designed to optimally treat a specific size range of coal. Recent innovations in coal preparation have increased the efficiency and capac- ity of individual unit operations while reinforcing the standard parallel cleaning approach. This article, which describes the historical influences and state-of-the-art design for the various coal preparation unit operations, is organized to distinguish between coarse/intermediate coal cleaning and fine/ultrafine coal cleaning. Size reduction, screening, classification, cleaning, dewatering, waste disposal unit operations are particularly highlighted, with a special focus on the LI.S. design philosophy. Notable differences between the U.S. and international operations are described as appropriate.

The beneficiation of tailing of coal preparation plant by heavymedium cyclone

Dense-medium cyclones have been used for beneficiation of fine particles of coal. In this study, the usability of cyclones in the beneficiation of tailings of a coal preparation plant was investigated. For this purpose, separation tests were conducted using spiral concentrator and heavy medium cyclones with the specific weight of medium 1.3-1.8 （g/cm^3） on different grading fractions of tailing in an industrial scale （the weight of tail sample was five tons）. Spiral concentrator was utilized to beneficiate particles smaller than 1 mm. In order to evaluate the efficiency of cyclones, sink and float experiments using a specific weight of 1.3, 1.5, 1.7 and 1.9 g/cm^3, were conducted on a pilot scale. Based on the obtained results, the recovery of floated materials in cyclones with the specific weight of 1.40, 1.47 and 1.55 g/cm^3 are 17.75%, 33.80%, and 50%, respectively. Also, the cut point （Pso）, which is the relative density at which particles report equally to the both products are 1.40, 1.67 and 1.86 g/cm^3. The probable errors of separation for defined specific weights for cyclones are 0.080, 0.085 and 0.030, respectively. Also, the coefficients of variation was calculated to be 0.20, 0.12 and 0.03. Finally, it could be said that the performance of a cyclone with a heavy medium of 1.40 g/cm^3 specific weight is desirable compared with other specific weights.

Study on Model for Assessment of Quality Management Performance of Coal Preparation Plant in CIMS

In this paper the method to calculate intangible quality cost is put forward for the first time based on the production and management characteristics of coal preparation plant. A model for assessment of quality management performance of coal preparation plant is established on the ground of quality cost. By using of CIMS integration environment the strategy to carry out the model and the application example are also offered. It provides a new and feasible way to assess performance quality management of coal preparation plant.

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE HYDROPHOBIC AGGLOMERATION CHARACTERISTICS OF EASY DEGRADATION COAL FINES IN WATER

The separation of ultrafine coal from three Chinese coal samples of easy degradation coal fines in water has been investigated by the application of a hydrophobic agglomeration process. In addition to yielding clean coal with high recovery, this process requires significantly less oil concentration for agglomeration (less than 0.4% in oil-water weight ratio) and produces stabler agglomerates than general oil agglomeration process, the cost of the oil would no longer be an important consideration for its commercial application. Neutral diesel oil was used to make oleophilic coal particles agglomerated with good rejection of clay minerals under little oil consumption and certain agitation speed at 2000 r/min. An important advantage of this process compared with other cleaning fine coal methods is that it can extremely reduce or eliminate the effects of coal degradation and some clay minerals on coal preparation.

Characteristics of pressure fluctuations and fine coal preparation in gas-vibro fluidized bed

To improve the separation efficiency of air dense medium fluidized beds tor dry coal preparation, a gasvibro fluidized bed has been proposed in which magnetic powder is used as the heavy medium. Pressure fluctuations in the gas-vibro fluidized bed were investigated using time- and frequency-domain analysis methods. The relationship between pressure fluctuations, bubble behavior, and separation efficiency was established. The low amplitude of the standard deviation, the power spectral density （PSD）, the incoherent-output PSD, and the high amplitude of the coherent-output PSD, which corresponds to the bubble behavior in the bed, were improved for coal preparation. The coal ash content was reduced from 42.5570 to 16.54% by using the gas-vibro fluidized bed.

An improved model of partition curve based on accumulation normal distribution function

Extensive studies based on partition curve of gravity separation have been investigated. All created models are merely used to simulate density distribution at the same size fraction. However, they cannot be used to predictive distribution of materials depending on compound feature of density and size. According to this situation, an improved model of partition curve based on accumulation normal distribution, which was distinguished from conventional model of accumulation normal distribution for partition curve, was proposed in this paper. It could simulate density distribution at different size fractions by using the density-size compound index and conflating the partition curves at different size fractions as one partition curve. The feasibility of three compound indexes, including mass index, settlement index and transformation index, were investigated. Specific forms of the improved model were also proposed. It is found that transformation index leads to the best fitting results, while the fitting error is only 1.75 according to the fitting partition curve.

Sino-German Syposium on Coal Preparation Technology Held

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Automatic Process Control and Management in Laohutai Coal Preparation Plant

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COAL DRY BENEFICIATION TECHNOLOGY IN CHINA:THE STATE-OF-THE-ART

In China, coal is the major source of energy and its leading role in energy consumption would not change in the next 50 years. Coal preparation is the essential component of Clean Coal Technology. In China more than two-thirds of available coal reserves are in arid areas, which results in the unfeasibility with conventional wet processing for coal preparation. The uniqueness of dry coal beneficiation technology with air-dense medium fluidized bed is discussed in this paper and a detailed survey of the current status of theoretical study, commercial application and development of the new technology is given in this paper.

DEVELOPMENT OF COAL DRY BENEFICIATION WITH AIR-DENSE MEDIUM FLUIDIZED BED IN CHINA

In China more than two-thirds of available coal reserves are in arid areas, where, to beneficiate the run-of-mine coal, there is not enough water resource required by conventional processing. Developing efficient dry beneficiation technology is of great significance for efficient coal utilization in China, notably the clean coal technology (CCT). The dry coal beneficiation technology with air-dense medium fluidized bed utilizes air-solid suspension as beneficiating medium whose density is consistent for beneficiation, similar in principle to the wet dense medium beneficiation using liquid-solid suspension as separating medium. The heavy portion in feedstock whose density is higher than the density of the fluidized bed will sink, whereas the lighter portion will float, thus stratifying the feed materials according to their density. In order to obtain efficient dry separation in air-dense medium fluidized bed, stable fluidization with well dispersed micro-bubbles must be achieved to ensure low viscosity and high fluidity. The pure buoyancy of beneficiation materials plays a main role in fluidized bed, and the displaced distribution effect should be restrained. The displaced distribution effects include viscosity displaced distribution effect and movement displaced distribution effect. The former is caused by viscosity of the fluidized bed. It decreases with increasing air flow velocity. Movement displaced distribution effect will be large when air flow rate is too low or too high. If medium particle size distribution and air flow are well controlled, both displaced distribution effects could be controlled effectively. A beneficiation displaced distribution model may be used to optimize beneficiation of feedstock with a wide particle size distribution and multiple components in the fluidized bed. The rheological characteristics of fluidized beds were studied using the falling sphere method. Experimental results indicated that the fluidized bed behaves as a Bingham fluid. The plastic viscosity and yield stress can be obtained by measurement of the terminal settling velocity of spheres and linear regression of the experimental data. Both plastic viscosity and yield stress increase with increasing size of the fluidized particles. The drag coefficient can be calculated with favorable agreement with experimental data. The first dry coal beneficiation plant with air-dense medium fluidized bed was established by CUMT with an output of 320000 t·a-1 and a probable error Ep value up to 0.05 was achieved. The plant was accepted by the Chinese government in June, 1994. Since then, new applications have been found including a 700000 t·a-1 dry coal beneficiation plant put up for commercial testing. To realize coal dry beneficiation of full size range of 300-0 mm, further research on dry coal beneficiation of different size fractions has been under way at the Mineral Processing Research Center of CUMT, leading to the following results: Dry beneficiation technology with a vibrated air-dense medium fluidized bed for fine coal of size fraction 6-0.5 mm Ash content was reduced from 16.57% to 8.35%, with yield up to 80.20% and Ep value up to 0.065. Coal dry beneficiation technology with a deep air-dense medium fluidized bed for >50 mm coal An Ep value up to 0.02 was achieved. This technology is of great value for waste removal from 300-50 mm large feedstock, especially for big surface mines in China. Coal triboelectric cleaning technology for <1 mm pulverized Coal Coal is comminuted down to 320 mesh (0.043 mm) to fully liberate the embedded minerals, yielding an ultra-low ash coal (less than 2%). Currently a pilot system with triboelectric cleaning has successfully passed technical appraisal. Three-product beneficiation technology with dual-density fluidized bed This technology yields three products: clean coal, middling and tailing, with the following typical results: Ep value of 0.06-0.09 for the upper layer with a density of 1.5-1.54 g·cm-3 and Ep value of 0.09-0.11 for the lower layer with density of 1.84-1.9 g·cm-3.

Low－NOx Combustion and Experimental Investigation in a Rotary Type Pulverized Coal Classifier

In order to improve the combustion conditions, maximize the carbon burnout for low--NOx firing systems and meet the requirements for ignition and flame stabilization as low volatile and low quality coalare burned in boilers, finer pulverized coal should be used. Hence, it is of great practical importanceto study the rotary type classifier for the MPS type medium-speed mill. In this paper, we first reviewthe low-NOx combustion technology, then some model tests of rotating classifier are completed. Theresults show that the classifier performances are very satisfactory, with the fineness of the finishedproduce being Rf90< 10%. Rules for designing and controlling rotating classifier are also developed inthis paper.