Laboratory results of a 3rd generation roof bolter canopy air curtain for respirable coal mine dust control

Testing was completed on an earlier roof bolter CAC that used slots to provide a perimeter airflow. NIOSH tested it due to its unique design that differed from canopies that provided uniform airflow. Based upon NIOSH recommendations from the earlier testing, a 3rd generation roof bolter CAC has been developed by J.H. Fletcher & Co. The changes to this CAC involve design modifications to the plenum outlets, using a single row of outlets on the perimeter and a different material for the plenum. This laboratory testing was a continuation of the original perimeter slotted CAC design. Using gravimetric and instantaneous sampling of respirable dust concentrations underneath and outside of the CAC. the laboratory testing was completed using three different blower fans that delivered differing airflows. The maximum plenum airflow velocities ranged from 2.34 to 3.64 m/s (460-716 fpm). Results showed plenum respirable dust concentrations ranging from 34.6% to 49.3% lower than respirable dust concentrations outside the plenum protection zone, thus showing an improvement in protection for the roof bolter operators.

Laboratory testing of a shuttle car canopy air curtain for respirable coal mine dust control

Canopy air curtain （CAC） technology has been developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health （NIOSH） for use on continuous miners and subsequently roof bolting machines in underground coal mines to protect operators of these machines from overexposure to respirable coal mine dust. The next logical progression is to develop a CAC for shuttle cars to protect operators from the same overexposures. NIOSH awarded a contract to Marshall University and J.H. Fletcher to develop the shuttle car CAC. NIOSH conducted laboratory testing to determine the dust control efficiency of the shuttle car CAC. Testing was conducted on two different cab configurations： a center drive similar to that on a Joy 10SC32AA cab model and an end drive similar to that on a Joy 10SC32AB cab model. Three different ventilation velocities were tested-0.61, 2.0, 4.3 rrds （120, 400, and 850 fpm）. The lowest, 0.61 m/s （120 fpm）, represented the ventilation velocity encountered during loading by the continuous miner, while the 4.3 m/s （850 fpm） velocity represented ventilation velocity airflow over the shuttle car while tramming against ventilation airflow. Test results showed an average of the dust control efficiencies ranging from 74 to 83% for 0.61 m/s （120 fpm）, 39%-43% for 2.0 m/s （400 fpm）, and 6%-16% for 4.3 m/s （850 fpm）. Incorporating an airflow spoiler to the shuttle car CAC design and placing the CAC so that it is located 22.86 cm （9 in.） forward of the operator improved the dust control efficiency to 51%-55% for 4.3 m/s （850 fpm） with minimal impact on dust control efficiencies for lower ventilation velocities. These laboratory tests demonstrate that the newly developed shuttle car CAC has the potential to successfully protect shuttle car operators from coal mine respirable dust overexposures.

Field study results of a 3rd generation roof bolter canopy air curtain for respirable coal mine dust control

A 3rd generation roof bolter canopy air curtain(CAC)has been developed and constructed by J.H.Fletcher&Co.,Inc.As with the previous generation of the CAC,this design uses the principle of providing uniform airflow across the canopy area as recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.The new modifications include a plenum that is constructed of a single flat aluminum plate,smaller-diameter airflow openings,and a single row of perimeter nozzles designed to prevent mine air contaminated by respirable dust from entering the CAC protection zone.Field testing was conducted on this new 3rd generation design showing reductions in coal mine respirable dust exposure for roof bolter operators.Dust control efficiencies for the CAC for the left bolter operator(intake side)ranged from approximately 26%–60%,while the efficiencies for the CAC for the right bolter operator(return side)ranged from 3%to 47%.

Hemolysis of PM_(10) on RBCs in vitro:An indoor air study in a coal-burning lung cancer epidemic area

Epidemiological studies have suggested that inhalation exposure to indoor ambient air from coal-burning environments is causally associated with respiratory health risks.In order to explore the toxicological mechanisms behind the adverse health effects,the hemolytic activity of PM_(10)(particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 um or less)samples collected from homes burning coal in the recognized China"cancer village"Xuanwei were evaluated and matched against their trace elemental contents.The results demonstrated that the hemolytic activity of indoor PM_(10) in coal-burning environments ranged from 4.28%to 5.24%,with a clear positive dose-response relationship.Although low dose samples exhibited a reduced hemolytic activity,PM_(10) could have a toxic effect upon people in a coal-burning indoor environment for extended time periods.The concentrations of analyzed trace elements in PM_(10) samples ranged from 6966 to 12,958 ppm.Among the analyzed elements,Zn,Ti,Ni,Cu,Pb,Ba,Mn,Cr and V were found at higher concentrations and accounted for over 95%of the total elements.The concentrations of total analyzed elements in the PM_(10) samples revealed a significant positive correlation with PM_(10) hemolytic activity.Of the analyzed elements,Zn,Pb and Cs positively correlated with hemolysis,while Li,U and V negatively correlated with the hemolysis of human red blood cells(RBCs).Therefore,the heavy metal elements could be one of the main factors responsible for the hemolytic capacity of indoor PM_(10) in coal-burning environments.

Experimental research on inorganic solidified foam for sealing air leakage in coal mines

In order to efficiently seal air leakages and control spontaneous combustion of coal, solidified foam was developed by adding a certain compound additive to fly coal ash and cement as the main materials. It was prepared basing on the foaming characteristic through physical and mechanical system. We studied the effects of the different types of foaming agents, the mass ratio of cement to fly ash, and the mass ratio of solid to water and content of cellulose on the performance of solidified foam. The results show that when adding the composite protein, surfactant and cellulose foaming agents. The cement-fly ash ratio of 0.75:1, the water solid ratio as large as 2:1, and the solidified foam with high properties and density of only 516 kg/m 3 and compressive strength of up to 12.68 MPa were prepared. But the initial setting time, identity and compressive strength may be changed by varying the water solid ratio and/or the additives. We theoretically analyzed the influence mechanism of foam density, compressive strength and water solid ratio. The solidified foam is especially suitable for sealing surface leakage channels and filling the goaf with a wide application prospects.

Prediction of Excess Air Factor in Automatic Feed Coal Burners by Processing of Flame Images

In this study, the relationship between the visual information gathered from the flame images and the excess air factor 2 in coal burners is investigated. In conventional coal burners the excess air factor 2. can be obtained using very expensive air measurement instruments. The proposed method to predict ） for a specific time in the coal burners consists of three distinct and consecutive stages; a） online flame images acquisition using a CCD camera, b） extrac- tion meaningful information （flame intensity and bright- ness）from flame images, and c） learning these information （image features） with ANNs and estimate 2. Six different feature extraction methods have been used： CDF of Blue Channel, Co-Occurrence Matrix, L-Frobenius Norms, Radiant Energy Signal （RES）, PCA and Wavelet. When compared prediction results, it has seen that the use of co- occurrence matrix with ANNs has the best performance （RMSE = 0.07） in terms of accuracy. The results show that the proposed predicting system using flame images can be preferred instead of using expensive devices to measure excess air factor in during combustion.

Insights in active pulsing air separation technology for coarse coal slime by DEM-CFD approach

To research a novel technology for dry coarse coal slime beneficiation and extend its application, active pulsing air separation technology was investigated by DEM-CFD coupling simulation approach. The results show that the ash content of feed is reduced by 10% 15% and the organic efficiency is up to 91.78% by using the active pulsing air separation technology. The gas solid flow in the active pulsing air classifier was simulated. Meanwhile, the characteristics of particle motion and the separation process of different particles were analyzed, and the mechanical structure of the classifier was also modified to achieve high separation efficiency. Therefore, a novel high-efficiency dry beneficiation technique was advanced for coarse coal slime.

Vibrated fluidized bed air classification of moist raw coal

Vibrated fluidized bed air classification is completely different from traditional screening in principle. It extracts fine coal from moist raw coal by entrainment of an ascending airflow in a vibrated fluidized bed. Pilot tests showed that air classification efficiencies varied from 74.85% to 93.84% at cut-size 6, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0.5 mm when free moisture of coal is in the range of 1.7% to 9.5%, and ash contents of fine coal products were 2%～3% lower than those of the same size fractions in feed, and 4%～10% lower than those of feeds for most cases because of the density differences between coal and waste, which is beneficial to producing lower ash fine coal from raw coal as fuel of blast furnaces or pulverized coal firing boilers. A commercial unit of 100 t/h has been in smooth operation, and several 300～400 t/h units are in plan or construction.

Research on software development of air temperature prediction in coal face

With ever-increasing depth of coal mine and the continuous improvement of mechanization, heat damage has become one of the major disasters in coal mine exploitation. Established the temperature prediction models suitable for different kinds of tunnels through analysis of the heat of shafts, roadways and working faces. The average annual air temperature prediction equation from the inlets of shafts to the working faces was derived. The formula was deduced using combine method of iteration and direct calculation. The method can improve the precision of air temperature prediction, so we could establish the whole pathway air temperature prediction model with high precision. Emphasizing on the effects of leakage air to air temperature of working face and using the ideology of the finite difference method and considering the differential equation of inlet and outlet at different stages, this method can significantly improve the accuracy of temperature prediction. Program development uses Visual Basic 6.0 Language, and the Origin software was used to fit the relevant data. The predicted results shows that the air temperature generally tends to rapidly increase in the air inlet, then changes slowly on working face, and finally increases sharply in air outlet in the condition of goaf air leakage. The condition is in general consistent with the air temperature change tendency of working face with U-type ventilation system. The software can provide reliable scientific basis for reasonable ventilation, cooling measures and management of coal mine thermal hazards.

DRY CLEANING OF COAL WITH AIR DENSE MEDIUM FLUIDIZED BED

This paper deals with the experimental study of dry cleaning of coal with air dense medium fluidized bed. This technique opens up an efficient way of coal separation for vast areas in the country where water resources are in short supply or coals tend to slime seriously in wet process. Tests show that it can separate any kind of coal (6--50mm) efficiently. The probable error E, can reach 0.05--0.08. The separating density can be adjusted in the range of 1.0--2.0 g/cm^3. This technique brings about enormous economic benifits.

The Forming-Mechanism and Role of Creativity Thinking in Dry Coal Beneficiation of Coal with Air-Dense Medium Fluidized Bed

In this paper, the authors point out that the Creativity is an inevitable request in solving engineering and technological problems and that the coal beneficiation technology with air dense medium fluidized bed is a result of reversal thinking, and its forming mechanism is the use of other things for reference and the transplantation.

Research and Development of Hot Primary Air Heater for Coal-Fired Boilers in Power Plant

The reasons of introducing cold air into pulverizer are analyzed for boilers with large capacity and high parameters. The temperature rises of the exhaust gas are calculated when varying the amount of the cold air. The hot primary air heater, a new technology, is developed to eliminate the cold air from the pulverized coal system. The applications, advantages and disadvantages are introduced in detail for the new device and system. It is concluded that introducing cold air into pulverizer is one of the major factors that causes the exhaust gas temperature of boilers with large capacity to be high. The amount of the cold air could be reduced signif icantly, even to zero in some cases by adopting the hot primary air heater, which drops the exhaust gas temperature of the boiler effectively. The hot primary air heater, which could play part roles of the steam-air heater or the hot air recirculation system, could also be used to adjust the exhaust gas temperature within the range of 20 ℃ by controlling the flow rate of the cooling medium. Moreover, the startup period of the steam-air heater or the hot air recirculation system will be shortened, which is a unique advantage of the hot primary air heater among the measures to drop the exhaust gas temperature.

Influence of abrasive hardness on erosion wear of abrasive air jets

To make clear the influence of abrasive hardness on the erosion effect,the erosion experiments of abrasive air jet with the same impact energy were carried out.The influence of abrasive hardness on the erosion effect is clarified by comparing the different erosion depths.The main conclusions are as follows.Under the same mass flow rate and mesh number,the abrasive with a higher density needs greater pressure irrespective of hardness.After erosion damage,the abrasive size exhibits a Weibull distribution.The shape parameterβand Weibull distribution function of four types of abrasives are derived by the least squares method;moreover,βis found to have a quadratic relation with abrasive hardness.The results of the erosion experiments show that abrasive hardness and erosion depth are quadratically related.By calculating the increase in surface energy after abrasive erosion crushing,it is found that abrasive hardness has a quadratic relation with surface energy and that the increases in erosion depth and surface energy consumption are basically identical.In conclusion,the effect is a soft abrasive impact when the ratio of abrasive hardness(Ha)to the material hardness(Hm)is<2.6,and it is a hard abrasive impact when Ha/Hm>3.

Progress in developments of dry coal beneficiation

China’s energy supply heavily relies on coal and China’s coal resource and water resource has a reverse distribution.The problem of water shortages restricts the applications of wet coal beneficiation technologies in drought regions.The present situation highlights the significance and urgency of developing dry beneficiation technologies of coal.Besides,other countries that produce large amounts of coal also encounter serious problem of lack of water for coal beneficiation,such as American,Australia,Canada,South Africa,Turkey and India.Thus,dry coal beneficiation becomes the research hot-points in the field of coal cleaning worldwide in recent years.This paper systematically reviewed the promising research efforts on dry coal beneficiation reported in literature in last 5 years and discussed the progress in developments of dry coal beneficiation worldwide.Finally,we also elaborated the prospects and the challenges of the development of dry coal beneficiation.

Household air pollution and lung cancer in China:a review of studies in Xuanwei

Over half of the world's population is exposed to household air pollution from the burning of solid fuels at home. Household air pollution from solid fuel use is a leading risk factor for global disease and remains a major public health problem, especially in low- and mid-income countries. This is a particularly serious problem in China, where many people in rural areas still use coal for household heating and cooking. This review focuses on several decades of research carried out in Xuanwei County, Yunnan Province, where household coal use is a major source of household air pollution and where studies have linked household air pollution exposure to high rates of lung cancer. We conducted a series of case-control and cohort studies in Xuanwei to characterize the lung cancer risk in this population and the factors associated with it. We found lung cancer risk to vary substantially between different coal types, with a higher risk associated with smoky(i.e., bituminous) coal use compared to smokeless(i.e., anthracite) coal use. The installation of a chimney in homes resulted in a substantial reduction in lung cancer incidence and mortality. Overall, our research underscores the need among existing coal users to improve ventilation, use the least toxic fuel, and eventually move toward the use of cleaner fuels, such as gas and electricity.

Effect of the secondary air distribution layer on separation density in a dense-phase gas–solid fluidized bed

Dry coal separation has been the most significant process in the field of coal beneficiation to date, because of its special advantage of operation with no water consumption. Mineral dry separation research has received wide attention, particularly in countries and regions experiencing drought and water shortages. During the process of dense coal gas-solid fluidized bed beneficiation, the material is stratified according to its density; the high density material layer remains at the bed bottom, and thus the high density coarse particle bed becomes an important infuencing factor in fluidized bed stability. In the steady fluidization stage, a small number of large radius bubbles are the direct cause of unsteady fluidization in the tradi- tional fluidized bed. The dispersion effect of the secondary air distribution bed for air flow is mainly apparent in the gas region; when the particle size exceeds 13 mm, the secondary air distribution bed has a synergistic effect on the density stability of the upper fluidized layer. When the particle size is small, especially when less than 6 ram, particles will constantly move, accounting for instability of the secondary air distribution bed and distorting the stability of the upper fluidized bed. Under optimum operation conditions, the probable deviation E of gas-solid separation fluidized with a high density coarse particle layer can be as low as 0.085 g/cm3.

RESEARCH ON DENSITY STABILITY OF AIRDENSE MEDIUM FLUIDIZED BED

In this paper on the basis of studying the distribution of fine Coal in the dense medAn fluidised bed. the optimai size range of fine coal, which constitutes a fluidized bed together with the dense medium, has been found. In the separating process the fine coal will continuously aeeumulate in fluidized bed, thus inevitably reducing the density of the bed.In order to keep bed density stable, the authors adopted such measures as split-now of used medium and complement of fresb dense medium.The experiment results in both lab and pilot systems of the air-dense medium fluidized bed show that these measures are effective and satisfactory. Then authors also have estabinbed some relative dynamic mathematical models for it.

Discharge characteristics of coal and extraction residue from direct coal liquefaction in partial fluidization silo

Gasification of extraction residue(ER) from direct coal liquefaction with pulverized coal is an efficient way for the utilization of carbonaceous wastes, which improve the overall efficiency of direct coal liquefaction technology. The discharge characteristics of ER mixing with pulverized coal is important paraments for its gasification process, which is seldom studied in the literature. In this study, the discharge characteristics of the pulverized coal(M1) as well as its mixture with ER(M2) were systematically investigated in an atmospheric pressure partial fluidization silo with different fluidization apparent velocity. It was observed that although M2 is a viscous powder with lower flowability than M1, the mass flow rate of M2 is 65% higher than M1 at the 3.7 mm·s-1apparent gas velocity. M2 exhibits the properties of Geldart A type powder, which improves the mass flow rate and stability of the discharged material. The mass flow rate of both M1 and M2 first increases and then slowly decreases with the increase of apparent gas velocity of the fluidizing air, which means the discharge process of M1 and M2 can be optimized by the apparent gas velocity.

The Effect of Brown Coal Mining on the Environment and Health of the Population in Northern Bohemia (Czech Republic)

Coal mining has proven negative impacts on the landscape and health of inhabitants. Solid dust particles and SO2, which are the main polluting substances in coal mining and burning, are the main causes of diseases in areas with intensive coal mining. This contribution deals with areas in the Czech Republic which have the greatest problems in this regard, being North Bohemia (Chomutov, Most, Teplice and ústí nad Labem districts). It is an area with considerable anthropogenic activity, mainly due to the intensive mining of brown coal, which has a direct effect on the health of the inhabitants of the entire ústí nad Labem region. Along with the growing number of inhabitants, energy consumption demands are constantly increasing. Nevertheless, it’s important to focus primarily on renewable energy sources, which will ensure the sustainable development of the environment and society. At the same time, the question arises, which energy sources can potentially be utilized here after mining ends (2052). In terms of geography, wind energy has the greatest potential in this area. This and associated issues are dealt with by the project “Sustainable Forms of Management in an Anthropogenically Burdened Region” at the Faculty of Environment at the University of Jan E. Purkyně in ústí nad Labem.