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.

Distribution of calcium, nickel, iron, and manganese in super-heavy oil from Liaohe Oilfield, China

Liaohe super-heavy crude oil was separated into its components, namely saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes （SARA）, by the group separation method. Several solvents were used to extract different forms of metallic elements from crude oil. The metallic elements, such as calcium, nickel, iron and manganese, in crude oil, SARA and extract samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy （ICP-AES）. The results demonstrate that the contents of calcium, nickel, iron, and manganese gradually increase in saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes, suggesting that the abundance of the four metallic elements in asphaltenes is much higher than that in the other groups. For example, the content of calcium in asphaltenes reaches a maximum of 7,920 pg/g. Among the SARA components of Liaohe super-heavy crude oil, resins account for more than 50 wt%, suggesting that the total amount of the four metallic elements are higher in the resin component than in other components. The four metallic elements mainly exist in the form of organic metallic compounds in crude oil. Further analysis shows that calcium and manganese elements exist mainly as metal salts of petroleum acids, and the majority of the iron and all the nickel exist mainly as metalloporphyrin and non-metalloporphyrin compounds.

New advances in coal structure model

Although human beings have come to understand and utilize coal for a very long history, no theoretical breakthrough in the study of coal structure has been made, which still needs continuous efforts of coal chemical workers. Based on the viewpoint of ‘vague/clear', the species classification and accurate analysis on coal were conducted by using the natural clustering all-component separation method. A more systematic and detailed coal embedded structure model theory which is suitable for coal of all ranks was developed from the previous one and a more complete theoretical system about the component and structure of coal was constructed. The whole establishment process of the theory was summarized and some of the main support data and analysis test results, including TEM, AFM, FTIR, GC/MS, MALDI/TOF/MS, DART/MSD, fractal analysis and so on were provided. The coal embedded structure theory fully considers both the identity and the particularity of all-rank coal, reflects the coal component and structure in the full range of coal rank, solves the systematic cognitive problem of coal component and structure on macro and micro level, and provides a valuable and meaningful theoretical approach for the coal processing and conversion technology.

Optimization of air quantity regulation in mine ventilation networks using the improved differential evolution algorithm and critical path method

In mine ventilation networks, the reasonable airflow distribution is very important for the production safety and economy. Three basic problems of the natural, full-controlled and semi-controlled splitting were reviewed in the paper. Aiming at the high difficulty semi-controlled splitting problem, the general nonlinear multi-objectives optimization mathematical model with constraints was established based on the theory of mine ventilation networks. A new algorithm, which combined the improved differential evaluation and the critical path method （CPM） based on the multivariable separate solution strategy, was put forward to search for the global optimal solution more efficiently. In each step of evolution, the feasible solutions of air quantity distribution are firstly produced by the improved differential evolu- tion algorithm, and then the optimal solutions of regulator pressure drop are obtained by the CPM. Through finite steps iterations, the optimal solution can be given. In this new algorithm, the population of feasible solutions were sorted and grouped for enhancing the global search ability and the individuals in general group were randomly initialized for keeping diversity. Meanwhile, the individual neighbor- hood in the fine group which may be closely to the optimal solutions were searched locally and slightly for achieving a balance between global searching and local searching, thus improving the convergence rate. The computer program was developed based on this method. Finally, the two ventilation networks with single-fan and multi-fans were solved. The results show that this algorithm has advantages of high effectiveness, fast convergence, good robustness and flexibility. This computer program could be used to solve lar^e-scale ~eneralized ventilation networks o^timization problem in the future.