Coal/Gangue Volume Estimation with Convolutional Neural Network and Separation Based on Predicted Volume and Weight

In the coal mining industry,the gangue separation phase imposes a key challenge due to the high visual similaritybetween coal and gangue.Recently,separation methods have become more intelligent and efficient,using newtechnologies and applying different features for recognition.One such method exploits the difference in substancedensity,leading to excellent coal/gangue recognition.Therefore,this study uses density differences to distinguishcoal from gangue by performing volume prediction on the samples.Our training samples maintain a record of3-side images as input,volume,and weight as the ground truth for the classification.The prediction process relieson a Convolutional neural network(CGVP-CNN)model that receives an input of a 3-side image and then extractsthe needed features to estimate an approximation for the volume.The classification was comparatively performedvia ten different classifiers,namely,K-Nearest Neighbors(KNN),Linear Support Vector Machines(Linear SVM),Radial Basis Function(RBF)SVM,Gaussian Process,Decision Tree,Random Forest,Multi-Layer Perceptron(MLP),Adaptive Boosting(AdaBosst),Naive Bayes,and Quadratic Discriminant Analysis(QDA).After severalexperiments on testing and training data,results yield a classification accuracy of 100%,92%,95%,96%,100%,100%,100%,96%,81%,and 92%,respectively.The test reveals the best timing with KNN,which maintained anaccuracy level of 100%.Assessing themodel generalization capability to newdata is essential to ensure the efficiencyof the model,so by applying a cross-validation experiment,the model generalization was measured.The useddataset was isolated based on the volume values to ensure the model generalization not only on new images of thesame volume but with a volume outside the trained range.Then,the predicted volume values were passed to theclassifiers group,where classification reported accuracy was found to be(100%,100%,100%,98%,88%,87%,100%,87%,97%,100%),respectively.Although obtaining a classification with high accuracy is the main motive,this workhas a remarkable reduction in the data preprocessing time compared to related works.The CGVP-CNN modelmanaged to reduce the data preprocessing time of previous works to 0.017 s while maintaining high classificationaccuracy using the estimated volume value.

Dry coal fly ash cleaning using rotary triboelectrostatic separator

More than 80 million metric tons of fly ash is produced annually in the U.S. as coal combustion by-product. Coal fly ash can be converted to value-added products if unburned carbon is reduced to less than 2.5%. However, most of fly ash is currently landfilled as waste due to lack of efficient purification technologies to separate unburned carbon from fly ash. A rotary triboelectrostatic separator has been developed and patented recently at the University of Kentucky with unique features. Several fly ash samples have been used to understand the effects of major process parameters on the separation performance. The results show that compared to existing triboelectrostatic separators, the rotary triboelectrostatic separator has significant advantages in particle charging efficiency, solids throughput, separation efficiency, applicable particle size range.

Experimental Research on Desulfurization of Fine Coal Using an Enhanced Centrifugal Gravity Separator

A desulphurization experimental study under the effects of compounding physical force fields has been described for 〈 0.5 mm fine particles of high sulfur coal. A statistical test using the Box-Behnken Design of experiments was conducted to evaluate the effects of individual operating variables and their interactions on desulfurization of fine coal using an enhanced centrifugal gravity separator. A model describing the relation between desulphurization efficiency of pyrite sulfur and different operating variables has been designed. The interactions between different factors on the pyrite sulfur desulphurization efficiency have been analysed. The optimal test conditions for desulfarization are extracted from the Design-Expert 6.0 software. Finally, the pointed out. advantage of centrifugal gravity separation for fine coal is pointed out.

Evaluation of pneumatic inclined deck separator for high-ash Indian coals

Application of pneumatic separators in coal beneficiation is increasing rapidly over the last decade primarily due to their low capital and operating costs, and waste handling problems associated with traditional wet processing methods. Large amount of shale/rock that is extracted in coal production can be removed prior to transportation at the mine face by using this methodology. Due to the limited washing facilities in India, most of the thermal power plants burn raw coal from run-of-mine （ROM） to generate electricity. This practice causes poor utilization efficiency, high operating and maintenance costs, and high emission rates for the power plants. One potential method that can be utilized is the air-fluidized inclined vibrating deck technology. The technology was demonstrated on a pilot-scale at different coal washeries in India at a feed rate of 5-ton per hour. The pilot-scale evaluation showed that 20 %-25 % high-ash incombustible material can be eliminated from ROM feed with only minor losses in energy content （〈10 %） from respective ROM coal. Furthermore, a feasibility analysis showed significant economic gains in terms of transportation cost, improving power-plant efficiency, and reducing emissions rates by using the technology.

Separation and analysis of six fractions in low temperature coal tar by column chromatography

The low temperature coal tar(CT)is taken as the raw material,and the extraction and column chromatography are used for detailed and accurate characterization in this paper.The n-heptane soluble fraction(CT-HS)and insoluble fraction(CT-HI)were obtained by n-heptane Soxhlet extraction.The extraction rate of CT-HS reached 92.79%(mass),which indicated that there are few heavy compounds in it.Further,different solvents(methylbenzene,benzene,ethyl acetate,methylbenzene-ethanol)were used to elute CT-HS by chromatographic column to obtain five fractions(saturates,aromatics,heteroatoms,phenolics and resins,named CT-SA,CT-AR,CT-HE,CT-PH,CT-RE,respectively).The yields of CTSA,CT-AR,CT-HE,CT-PH,CT-RE are 42.12%,10.43%,2.19%,9.50%and 6.63%(mass),respectively.Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of eluting components show that alkanes are the main components in CT,followed by polycyclic aromatics,and the corresponding fractions are CT-SA and CT-AR,respectively.The relative content of aliphatics in CT-SA is 76.93%,and the relative content of aromatics in CT-AR is 75.05%.This separation technology effectively separates and enriches different components in CT,and the activation energy required for the pyrolysis process of a single eluting fraction is lower than that of CT,which is expected to provide an important reference for the separation,analysis and conversion of complex oil products such as coal-oil co-processing products,coal tar and other complex heavy carbon oil products.

Negative-pressure pneumatic separator:a new solution for hard-coal beneficiation

Hard coal is an important source of energy worldwide.Owing to the imperfections of excavation technology,most run-of-mine coals must be processed before they can be utilised as fuel.In this study,tests on the dry separation process were performed with numerous different raw hard coal and coal waste material samples,using a newly designed and constructed negative-pressure pneumatic separator(NPPS).The experiments revealed the effects of the feed-material properties and material processing conditions.These experiments were preceded by additional tests for evaluating the influence of each device operating parameter on the process,to determine the optimal method of supplying the feed material.The calorific value of the processed materials was improved by 5%–40%,while a minimal output yield of products(60%–70%)was maintained.The trials indicated that in coal material processing,the developed NPPS can be used for not only raw coal enrichment but also coal recovery from materials stored at coal-waste dumps.The main advantages of the device are its mobility,low material processing cost,and lack of water consumption during operation.

THE STUDY OF THE BASIC THEORY AND THE APPLICATION OF REMOVAL PYRITE AND ASH FROM FINE COAL WITH ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATOR

The effect of removing pyrite and ash ffom fine coal with electrostatic separator is determined by the electric property of coal, the distribution of corona ion and etectrostatic field, and the disperse and even feed. The dielectric constant of coal and mineral matter is studied in this paper and the amendment has been made to survey theory. The oscillogram is adopted to study the distribution of corona ion and electrostatic field.The paper details the study of remoing pyrite and ash from fine coal, and the test results demonstrate the high efficiency of removing pyrite and ash with electrostatic separator.

Loose-stratification model in separation process for vanadium pre-concentration from stone coal

A technology of one-stage roughing and one-stage scavenging vanadium pre-concentration with shaking table was investigated for improving vanadium grade and decreasing acid consumption minerals content based on the quantitative evaluation of minerals by scanning electronic microscopy （QEMSCAN）. In order to visually illustrate how the vanadium-bearing minerals were separated from system, a loose-stratification model was established with Bagnold shear loose theory and Kelly stratification hypothesis. Through the model, it was inferred that fine fraction and coarse fraction of vanadium-bearing muscovite particles easily became the concentrate in roughing and scavenging stages, respectively. The type of the dominant effect on the loose-stratification was confirmed. In the roughing stage, gravity sedimentation played a leading role in the loose-stratification process. However, in the scavenging stage, shearing dispersion pressure caused by asymmetric motion of table deck took an important part in the loose-stratification process. Finally, the correction of the loose-stratification model was validated by the practical experiment.

Preparation of magnetically separable mesoporous activated carbons from brown coal with Fe3O4

Magnetically separable mesoporous activated carbon was prepared from brown coal in the presence of Fe3O4 as a bi-functional additive.Magnetic activated carbon(MAC)was characterized by lowtemperature nitrogen adsorption,scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and vibrating sample magnetometry(VSM).The evolution behaviors and transition mechanism of Fe3O4 during the preparation of MAC were investigated.The results show that prepared MAC with 6 wt%Fe3O4 addition having a specific surface area and mesopore ratio of 370 m^2·g^-1 and 55.7%,which meet the requirements of adsorption application and magnetic recovery.Highly dispersed iron-containing aggregates with the size of 0.1 lm in the MAC were observed.During the preparation of MAC,Fe3O4 could enhance the escape of volatiles during the carbonization.Fe3O4 could also accelerate burning off the carbon wall during activation,which leads to enlarging micropore size,then resulting in the generation of mesopore and macropore.As a result,a part of Fe3O4 converted into FeO,FeOOH,a-Fe,c-Fe,Fe2SiO4 and compound of Aluminum-iron-silicon.The prepared activated carbon,which was magnetized by both of residual Fe3O4,reduced a-Fe and c-Fe,can be easily separated from the original solution by external magnetic field.

Particle size distribution of coal and gangue after impact-crush separation

Based on the separation and backfilling system of coal and gangue, the mineral material impact experiments were conducted utilizing the hardness difference between coal and gangue according to the uniaxial compression experiments. The broken coal and gangue particles were collected and screened by different size meshes. The particle size distributions of coal and gangue under different impact velocities were researched according to the Rosin-Rammler distribution. The relationships between separation indicators and impact velocities were discussed. It is found from experiments that there is a fully broken boundary of coal material. The experimental results indicate that the Rosin-Rammler distribution could accurately describe the particle size distribution of broken coal and gangue under different impact velocities, and there is a minimum overlap region when the impact velocity is 12.10 m/s which leads to the minimum mixed degree of coal and gangue, and consequently the benefit of coal and gangue separation.

Sponge Effect on Coal Mine Methane Separation Based on Clathrate Hydrate Method

The findings were presented from laboratory investigations on the hydrate formation and dissociation processes employed to recover methane from coal mine gas.The separation process of coal mine methane(CMM) was carried out at 273.15K under 4.00 MPa.The key process variables of gas formation rate,gas volume stored in hydrate and separation concentration were closely investigated in twelve THF-SDS-sponge-gas systems to verify the sponge effect in these hydrate-based separation processes.The gas volume stored in hydrate is calculated based on the measured gas pressure.The CH4 mole fraction in hydrate phase is measured by gas chromatography to confirm the separation efficiency.Through close examination of the overall results,it was clearly verified that sponges with volumes of 40,60 and 80 cm 3 significantly increase gas hydrate formation rate and the gas volume stored in hydrate,and have little effect on the CH4 mole fraction in hydrate phase.The present study provides references for the application of the kinetic effect of porous sponge media in hydrate-based technology.This will contribute to CMM utilization and to benefit for local and global environment.

Group separation of coal components and new ideas of coal utilization as petroleum

Four different groups of components were separated from coal under mild conditions of extraction and stripping process. Within these groups, and with pre-separation, individual utilization of all coal components can be realized, similar to petroleum components and enhance the inherent value and utilization value of coal, as well as increase environmental benefits. The characteristics of each component were analyzed with measurements by FTIR, GC/MS, TEM and the establishment of caking properties. The results show that coal can be separated into residues, ultra-pure coal, asphaltene components and light components by adding solvents for stripping into the CS2/NMP mixed extraction solution. Those four groups of components present great differences in the presence of carbon and hydrogen elements, in the structure of functional groups, in their macroscopic structure and micro-morphology and caking properties. Every component possesses its own inherent values and approaches. A new idea of coal processes and utilization, similar to the use of petroleum is proposed.

Optimization strategy and procedure for coal bed methane separation

Coal bed methane （CBM） has a huge potential to be purified to relieve the shortage of natural gas meanwhile to weaken the greenhouse effect. This paper proposed an optimal design strategy for CBM to obtain an integrated process configuration consisting of three each single separation units, membrane, pressure swing absorption, and cryogenics. A superstructure model was established including all possible network configurations which were solved by MINLP. The design strategy optimized the separation unit configuration and operating conditions to satisfy the target of minimum total annual process cost. An example was presented for the separation of CH4/N2 mixtures in coal bed methane （CBM） treatment. The key operation parameters were also studied and they showed the influence to process configurations.

Prediction of upper limit position of bedding separation overlying a coal roadway within an extra-thick coal seam

Failure of the surrounding rock around a roadway induced by roof separation is one major type of underground roof-fall accidents.This failure can especially be commonly-seen in a bottom-driven roadway within an extra-thick coal seam("bottom-driven roadway"is used throughout for ease of reference),containing weak partings in their roof coal seams.To determine the upper limit position of the roof interlayer separation is the primary premise for roof control.In this study,a mechanical model for predicting the interlayer separation overlying a bottom-driven roadway within an extra-thick coal seam was established and used to deduce the vertical stress,and length,of the elastic,and plastic zones in the rock strata above the wall of the roadway as well as the formulae for calculating the deflection in different regions of rock strata under bearing stress.Also,an approach was proposed,calculating the stratum load,deflection,and limiting span of the upper limit position of the interlayer separation in a thick coal seam.Based on the key strata control theory and its influence of bedding separation,a set of methods judging the upper limit position of the roof interlayer separation were constructed.In addition,the theoretical prediction and field monitoring for the upper limit position of interlayer separation were conducted in a typical roadway.The results obtained by these two methods are consistent,indicating that the methods proposed are conducive to improving roof control in a thick coal seam.

A continuous and high-efficiency process to separate coal bed methane with porous ZIF-8 slurry:Experimental study and mathematical modelling

Coal bed methane has been considered as an important energy resource.One major difficulty of purifying coal bed methane comes from the similar physical properties of CH_4 and N_2.The ZIF-8/water-glycol slurry was used as a medium to separate coal bed methane by fluidifying the solid adsorbent material.The sorption equilibrium experiment of binary mixture(CH_4/N_2)and slurry was conducted.The selectivity of CH_4 to N_2 is within the range of 2-6,which proved the feasibility of the slurry separation method.The modified Langmuir equation was used to describe the gas-slurry phase equilibrium behavior,and the calculated results were in good agreement with the experimental data.A continuous absorption-adsorption and desorption process on the separation of CH_4/N_2 in slurry is proposed and its mathematical model is also developed.Sensitivity analysis is conducted to determine the operation conditions and the energy performance of the proposed process was also evaluated.Feed gas contains 30 mol%of methane and the methane concentration in product gas is 95.46 mol%with the methane recovery ratio of 90.74%.The total energy consumption for per unit volume of product gas is determined as 1.846 kWh Nm^(-3).Experimental results and process simulation provide basic data for the design and operation of pilot and industrial plant.

Group separation and analysis of a carbon disulfide-soluble fraction from Shenfu coal by column chromatography

A carbon disulfide-soluble fraction (CDSSF) from Shenfu coal was separated into five fractions by silica-gel column chromatography using hexane and n-hexane/ethyl acetate binary eluent. The five fractions include four clear group fractions and a nonpolar fraction. All the fractions were analyzed by GC/MS. A total of 204 compounds were detected from the original CDSSF and its further separated fractions, with 173 compounds more than those detected by studying the original CDSSF directly. The results demonstrate a clear group separation by column chromatography in coal organic components and a more accessibility to coal components compared with the solvent extraction only.

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.

Triboelectrostatic Separation-an Efficient Method of Producing Low Ash Clean Coal

At present, coal is mainly consumed as fuel. In fact, coal is also a kind of precious raw material in chemical industry on the premise that some harmful minerals should be removed from coal. The paper presents the results of the research on producing low ash (<2%) coal with triboelectrostatic separator used for producing high-grade active carbon. The test is conducted in bench-scale system, whose capacity is 30～100 kg/h. The results indicate that: 1) the ash content of clean coal increases with the increase of solid content of feedstock, on the contrary, the yield of clean coal is declining; 2) a high velocity may result in a good separation efficiency; 3) for the same solid content, the reunion caused by intermolecular force makes the separation efficiency drop down when the ultra-fine coal is separated; 4) the separation efficiency is improved with the increase of electric field intensity, but there is a good optimized match between the electric field intensity and yield of clean coal; 5) a low rank coal is easy-to-wash in triboelectrostatic separation process; 6) the yield of clean coal can be enhanced and the ash decreased through adapting optimized conditions according to various coals.

A new gravity ＆ flotation separator with double-tailing discharge and its beneficiation performance

Introduced a new gravity and flotation separator with double-tailing dtsctaarge tor nne coat~, u,u ,,,~,.~ cation and cyclone scavenging with flotation in an original way. The beneficiation performance of it was good. The results show that the gravity and flotation separator with double-tailing discharge can produce high-quality clean coal of 10.46% ash from free coal of 35.56% ash. It can discharge the fine and coarse tailings separately.

Parametric study of electrostatic separation of South African fine coal

The fact that water requirements are a major problem for present and future developments in material beneficiation, and the construction of a new power plant in South Africa, forms the basis for the utilization of a Rotary Triboelectrostatic Separator (RTS) for beneficiation of South African pulverized coal. The cleaning potential of Majuba and Koorfontein coal was first evaluated using kinetic froth flotation tests on the -177 μm coal fraction. The RTS tests were conducted under varied process parameters. Parameters such as applied separating voltage, air injection velocity, particle feed rate and splitter position were investigated. Two stage separation results show that the RTS reduced Majuba coal initially containing about 30% ash to a clean product of 14.30%, or 19.46%, ash at a combustible recovery of 15.10%, or 53.02%, respectively. Similar separation performance was also achieved with the Koorfontein coal. The mineral and organic compositions in the feed, after single stage and after the second stage separations were characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis. The results show a better separation for the second stage coal products.