Influence of coal properties on coal conversion processes-coal carbonization,carbon fiber production,gasification and liquefaction technologies:a review

Coal due to its relatively large quantities and wide distribution worldwide has generated renewed interest in research and development with the aim of establishing coal conversion technologies that are technically reliable,envi-ronmentally and economically feasible.It has proved to be a prominent energy source in emerging markets with increasing energy demand by accounting for the largest increase in the demand of energy amongst all other energy sources.Fur-thermore,with its higher mesophase content,coal tar is an appropriate raw material for precursors in the production of carbon fiber.However,whenever a material is put to use,it is important to be able to associate its properties to the behavioral characteristics during a conversion process so as to have a basis for opting for the material in a given process or adjusting the operating conditions in order to optimize the material utilization.Therefore,as with any other material,it is important to be able to relate the properties of coal to its utilization.A review was carried out on the influence of coal properties on four main utilization technologies:gasification,carbonization,liquefaction and carbon fibre production.Among several properties rank,type,mineral matter content,distribution of trace elements,structural composition and pore structure were found to be most influential on the behavior of coal during conversion processes.

Changes in sulfur form during coal desulfurization with microwave:Effect on coal properties

The changes in sulfur form in coal were analyzed by sulfur K-XANES(K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structures) spectra before and after the coal microwave desulfurization in a Na OH solution. After the desulfurization, the pyritic sulfur content of coal decreased significantly from 53.6% to 39.2%, while the sulfate sulfur content increased from 17.3% to 34.6%. Only a small amount of thiophene sulfur(20.1–16.1%) was removed. Some sulfur-containing components were oxidized to sulfate sulfur. Under the optimum conditions, the ash content decreased, while the volatile content increased. The calorific value of coal slightly decreased with a slight variation in the amplitudes. The overall structure of coal did not change significantly based on Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectral analyses. Thus, the desulfurization of coal with microwave irradiation in a Na OH solution did not significantly change the properties of coal.

Preparation and coking properties of coal maceral concentrates

The concentrates with different maceral contents were obtained from Kailuan coking coals with different coal ranks(Ro;ranvarying from 0.88%to 1.73%)by float–sink separation in lab.Then these concentrates were characterized by proximate analysis,ultimate analysis,petrography analysis and coking index determination.The results show that the vitrinite is characterized as nature of lower carbon content,higher hydrogen content,higher volatile matter and stronger caking property compared to inertinite.The relationships between variation rate of volatile matter and maximum volatile matter and coal ranks are identified,and a linear model is developed for fast determination of the maceral contents.Compared to inertinite-rich concentrate,the blending ratio of vitrinite-rich concentrate is increased by 13%,which is considered to be a potential technique based on maceral separation for expanding the coking coal resources.

Microcrack fracturing of coal specimens under quasi-static combined compression-shear loading

Coal pillars are usually loaded under combined compression-shear stresses at underground coal mines.Their long-term stability is critical to the utilization of underground structures,such as underground reservoirs at coal mines.In this study,a modified rock property testing system was used to explore the mechanical properties of coal specimens under quasi-static combined compression-shear loading conditions.The acoustic emission technique was applied to investigating the microcrack fracturing of coal specimens at various inclination angles.The experimental results show that specimen inclination has remarkable effects on the microcrack initiation,microcrack damage and ultimate failure of the coal specimen.The failure mode of the coal specimen tends to transit from axial splitting to shear failure with increasing specimen inclination,and its peak strength is closely associated with the microcrack damage threshold.In practice,it is recommended to consider coal strength under combined compression-shear loading when using empirical pillar strength formulae so that the effect of pillar inclination can be included.

Non-linear relationship between combustion kinetic parameters and coal quality

Combustion kinetic parameters(i.e.,activation energy and frequency factor) of coal have been proven to relate closely to coal properties;however,the quantitative relationship between them still requires further study.This paper adopts a support vector regression machine(SVR) to generate the models of the non-linear relationship between combustion kinetic parameters and coal quality.Kinetic analyses on the thermo-gravimetry(TG) data of 80 coal samples were performed to prepare training data and testing data for the SVR.The models developed were used in the estimation of the combustion kinetic parameters of ten testing samples.The predicted results showed that the root mean square errors(RMSEs) were 2.571 for the activation energy and 0.565 for the frequency factor in logarithmic form,respectively.TG curves defined by predicted kinetic parameters were fitted to the experimental data with a high degree of precision.

Effects of iron compounds on pyrolysis behavior of coals and metallurgical properties of resultant cokes

The utilization of highly reactive and high-strength coke can enhance the efficiency of blast furnace by promoting indirect reduction of iron oxides.Iron compounds,as the main constituent in iron-bearing minerals,have aroused wide interest in preparation of highly reactive iron coke.However,the effects of iron compounds on pyrolysis behavior of coal and metallurgical properties of resultant cokes are still unclear.Thus,three iron compounds,i.e.,Fe;O;,Fe;O;and FeC;O;·2H;O,were adopted to investigate their effects on coal pyrolysis behavior and metallurgical properties of the resultant cokes.The results show that iron compounds have slight effects on the thermal behavior of coal blend originated from thermogravimetric and differential thermogravimetric curves.The apparent activation energy varies with different iron compounds ranging from 94.85 to 110.11 kJ/mol in the primary pyrolysis process,while lower apparent activation energy is required for the secondary pyrolysis process.Iron compounds have an adverse influence on the mechanical properties and carbon structure of cokes.Strong correlations exist among coke reactivity,coke strength after reaction,and the content of metallic iron in cokes or the values of crystallite stacking height,which reflect the dependency of thermal property on metallic iron content and carbon structure of cokes.

Properties of Steel Fiber Reinforced Coal Gangue Coarse Aggregate Concrete

In this paper,workability,strength and durability of coal gangue coarse aggregate concrete with different steel fiber content levels have been studied.The results indicate that the concrete compressive strength,flexural strength and tensile splitting strength at the age of 28 days increase with the steel fiber content increasing,while cost and impermeability reduce with steel fiber content increasing.Based on the data of the workability of fresh concrete,mechanical properties and durability of hardened concrete,the concrete cost index system are established to evaluate and optimize the steel fiber content in coal gangue concrete by Efficacy Coefficient Method.The optimization result reveals that the maximum value of the system efficacy coefficient is up to0.87,the coal gangue concrete with steel fiber 1.5%（V︰V）performs better.

Mercury emission and adsorption characteristics of fly ash in PC and CFB boilers

The mercury emission was obtained by measuring the mercury contents in flue gas and solid samples in pulverized coal (PC) and circulating fluidized bed (CFB) utility boilers. The relationship was obtained between the mercury emission and adsorption characteristics of fly ash. The parameters included unburned carbon content, particle size, and pore structure of fly ash. The results showed that the majority of mercury released to the atmosphere with the flue gas in PC boiler, while the mercury was enriched in fly ash and captured by the precipitator in CFB boiler. The coal factor was proposed to characterize the impact of coal property on mercury emissions in this paper. As the coal factor increased, the mercury emission to the atmosphere decreased. It was also found that the mercury content of fly ash in the CFB boiler was ten times higher than that in the PC boiler. As the unburned carbon content increased, the mercury adsorbed increased. The capacity of adsorbing mercury by fly ash was directly related to the particle size. The particle size corresponding to the highest content of mercury, which was about 560 ng/g, appeared in the range from 77.5 to 106 µm. The content of mesoporous (4–6 nm) of the fly ash in the particle size of 77.5–106 µm was the highest, which was beneficial to adsorbing the mercury. The specific surface area played a more significant role than specific pore volume in the mercury adsorption process.