Effect of moisture distribution in pore structure on fragmentation characteristics of lignite

ABSTRACT

The experiments were performed to explore the effect of moisture on fragmentation properties of Mengdong (MD) lignite, Xiao Longtan (XLT) lignite, and Zhaotong (ZT) lignite with temperature of 200°C and particle size of 13–10?mm using the fixed bed reactor. It showed fragmentation ratio and pulverization ratio increased, and particle size variation ratio decreased with an increase in initial moisture of lignite. The distribution of moisture in pores under different initial moisture contents was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance. The distribution of moisture in pores between raw and dried lignite was different. The water content in macropores rapidly decreased, but water content in mesopores remained constant in prior period and then slightly decreased with the residence time increasing. There was a good connectivity between macropores and mesopores. The water in micropores, which hardly influenced fragmentation, was generally closed and not favored for the mobility of water. The water in macropores had a significant effect on fragmentation of lignite. However, when the moisture content in macropores was less than 0.10?g/g coal, the degree of fragmentation became little.     

Thermal fragmentation and pulverization properties of lignite in drying process and its mechanism

The fragmentation and pulverization properties of lignite in the different drying processes were investigated in this study. Lignite particles were dried at different temperatures (100, 140, and 180°C), particle sizes (6–25?mm) and drying time (0–60?min), and the parameters of fragmentation index (S_f) and pulverization ratio (β) were used to describe the fragmentation and pulverization properties of lignite. The results indicated the fragmentation index increased from 3.10 to 30.41 with the increase in temperature and particle size. Pulverization ratio increased slightly from 0.39 to 0.63% with temperature, and it decreased from 0.58 to 0.36% with particle size. Fragmentation index and pulverization ratio increased rapidly from 1.20 to 5.50 and 0.05 to 0.47%, respectively, and then tended to grow slowly with drying time. Fragmentation index was linearly related to the loss of moisture content. Different kinds of fragmentation and pulverization occurred at the same time: fine particles exfoliated from the surface, and there were also fragmentation at the outer zone or the core of the particles to produce the smaller particles. The evolutions of macropores might be the main reason of thermal fragmentation.     

Structure characteristics of dewatered lignite from different drying temperature and time and effects on its behaviors of re-adsorbing moisture

By changing the drying temperature and residence time, a series of different degree dewatered lignite samples were prepared in the fixed-bed reactor under inert gas and their adsorbing moisture behaviors were investigated under certain re-adsorption conditions. Using SEM, nitrogen adsorption and in-situ FTIR analysis methods, the structure changes of dewatered lignite were measured and associated with the drying and re-adsorption behaviors. The results show that the higher the drying temperature, the higher the drying efficiency and the more obvious structure change of dewatered lignite. But the moisture re-adsorption amount of dewatered lignite showed different changing trends. Under the drying condition of 140°C and 50min, the total moisture content of coal after moisture re-adsorption was the lowest. Most pores are mesoporous in lignite and the macropore structure collapsed into mesopore during drying. When the drying temperature was higher than 120°C, oxygen-containing functional groups began to decompose; with the increase of drying temperature and time, decomposition rate increased. The hydrophilic strengths of -OH and COOH groups are stronger than that of others.     

Transformation of the reabsorption characteristics of lignite treated by low and high temperature drying process

Abstract

The reabsorption characteristics of the lignite treated by low and high temperature drying process were addressed in the paper. The information about the moisture form, functional groups, effective water-filled porosities and equilibrium moisture content of the lignite before and after the drying process was investigated using Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and a self-made reabsorption device, respectively. The results show that the low drying temperature (140, 190, 230?°C, 10?min, N₂) has little impact on the effective water-filled porosities of the resulted samples, whereas it has a great influence on the main oxygen-containing functional groups, which amount firstly decreases and then increases with the drying temperature increasing. In the case of the lignite samples dried under high-temperature (600, 700, 800?°C, 30?s, N₂), the amount of the effective water-filled porosity of the sample decreases and the amount of oxygen-containing functional groups increases as the temperature increasing. The reabsorption capability of the high temperature dried sample is much lower than that of the sample treated under low drying temperature. The reabsorption characteristics of the low-temperature dried samples are affected by the amount of the oxygen-containing functional groups, while the effective water-filled porosity is main factor for the lignite samples derived from high temperature drying process. Moreover, the work gives a good evidence that the high-temperature drying process is an effective choose for lignite upgrading.     

Experimental study on three-stage microwave-assisted fluidized bed drying of Shengli lump lignite

The drying characteristics of Shengli lump lignite in a three-stage microwave-assisted fluidized bed dryer (MFBD) are investigated in this study. The fluidized bed was operated with a continuous feed in the modes with one to three stages. The effects of microwave power and microwave time on the drying rate and fragmentation rate are studied. The drying rate of Shengli lump lignite increased with increasing microwave power. The fragmentation rate depended on microwave power, microwave time, and final moisture content. The fragmentation rate of dried lignite was in the range of 3–15%. Furthermore, an increase in fragmentation rate at a high microwave power correlates with an increase of the drying time. Pore size distribution in the lignite was determined by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP method). With increasing microwave power, total pore volume significantly decreased and average pore diameter was nearly unchanged.     

Drying behavior of lignite under microwave heating

Because of lignite’s high moisture content, it must be dried before most applications. Microwave radiation may be suitable for efficient drying because of its special heating properties. This study investigated the drying behavior of lignite samples from eastern Inner Mongolia by microwave thermogravimetric analysis. Three stages of microwave drying were observed: preheating, fast weight loss, and falling rate drying periods. Samples’ surface temperatures increased dramatically during preheating, dropped slightly in the second period, and rose again in the final period. The measured surface temperature was <95°C during microwave heating. The overall moisture content decreased more rapidly under higher microwave power. Fine lignite particles (diameter <0.2?mm) and lump samples (particle size 10?mm) dried better than granular lignite (particle size 1–2?mm). The samples also underwent slight natural drying (1–2% point reduction in moisture content) after microwave treatment. The critical moisture content of lignite (11–15% under experimental conditions) was redefined. Energy consumption was analyzed to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed drying process.     

Efficient drying and oxygen-containing functional groups characteristics of lignite during microwave irradiation process

To remove the high moisture of ZhaoTong lignite, the efficient drying characteristics and oxygen-containing functional groups changes in lignite during microwave irradiation process were highlighted in this study. As the microwave absorbers, lignite char and NaNO₃ were added to microwave drying of ZhaoTong lignite. The minimum chemical oxygen demand of waste water generated from microwave drying process of lignite was 99.89?mg?O₂?L^?1. The effects of microwave power, lignite mass, the weight ratio of lignite char to lignite and NaNO₃ content on the drying rate, and moisture diffusion coefficient of lignite were investigated during lignite microwave irradiation process. It was found that the drying rate and moisture diffusion coefficient of lignite increased with increasing microwave power, the weight ratio of lignite char to lignite and NaNO₃ content, but decreased with increasing lignite mass. Lignite char and NaNO₃ were mixed with lignite that can enhance the instantaneous surface temperature of lignite sample under microwave irradiation. Compared with addition of lignite char to lignite, the addition of NaNO₃ to lignite can decrease the unit electric power consumption of moisture evaporating. And the minimum unit electric power consumption of moisture evaporating was 9.44?Wh?g^?1. The FTIR technology was used to investigate the oxygen-containing functional groups changes in lignite during microwave drying process. The oxygen-containing functional groups of lignite were effectively removed with increasing microwave power.     

Effect of Drying Conditions on Moisture Re-Adsorption Performance of Dewatered Lignite

In order to improve the drying efficiency of lignite and restrain the moisture re-adsorption of dewatered coal, the drying characteristics of typical Chinese lignite, the re-adsorption performances of dewatered samples and the change in pore structure throughout the entire processes were investigated in this study. Lignite samples with four different particle size fractions were dried in a fixed-bed reactor in the temperature range 60–160°C. The re-adsorbing moisture behaviors of dewatered coal samples containing different water contents were investigated at temperatures of 20–40°C and humidities of 55–95%. The changes in the pore structure of raw coal and different dried samples were measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and the relations between their re-adsorption performance and change in pore structure were explored. The moisture removal yields of lignite increased with an increase in drying time and temperature and was close to 100% above 120°C and over 100% after holding 40 and 15 min at temperatures of 140 and 160°C due to the release of CO₂ from the decomposing carboxyl group in the coal matrix. The re-adsorbed moisture content in dewatered coal was influenced by drying temperature and coal particle size through varying pore structure. The temperature and relative humidity in the re-adsorbing process were the main factors that influenced the moisture re-adsorption capacity of dewatered lignite, in which the re-adsorbing temperature mainly operated by varying the bonding ability of water on the surface of dewatered coal, and the relative humidity was connected with the pore structure as well. The mesopore was the main factor that influenced the re-adsorption of dewatered coal and the re-adsorption of moisture in dewatered coal at 100°C was highest due to the narrow range of the pore radius and because the relative volume ratio of 5 to 50 nm mesopore (above 91%) was high. The water loss yield of lignite with smaller particle size was higher due to its larger pore volume and surface area, but its re-adsorption capacity was lower because of lower volume ratio of 5 to 50 nm mesopore volume in dewatered coal obtained from the smaller size lignite.     

Evolution of microstructure and combustion reactivity of lignite during high-temperature drying process

The evolutions of the microstructure characteristics and the combustion reactivity of lignite during high temperature drying process at 600–800°C were addressed in the paper. The information about the oxygen functional groups, carbon skeleton, pore structure, and combustion reactivity of the lignite before and after the drying treatment was obtained by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller technique, Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyzer, respectively. The results show that a different evolutionary trend of the chemical structure of the lignite appears at the high drying temperature of 700°C at which the carbonyl, carboxyl, and carboxylate significantly decomposed and the treatment gave a slight elimination of structural imperfections and the formation of new cross-linking structures. Then, at the drying temperature of 800°C, a slight increase of the oxygen functional groups was found. The break of the aromatic ring or heterocycle contributed to the rapid increase of amorphous carbon to some extent. During the drying process, the surface area of the resulted lignite gradually increased until 700°C and then decreased. The evolution may be attributed to the decomposition of organic compounds, shrinkage forces, and thermal relaxation effect. The investigation indicates that the change in chemical nature of the coal had a greater impact on the combustion reactivity than the internal pore structure did. In addition, the combustion intensity and performance of the treated lignite was enhanced by the drying process.     

Microwave drying performance of lignite with the assistance of biomass-derived char

Microwave lignite drying with assistance of biomass-derived char was addressed and effect of bio-char on drying rate and energy consumption was investigated in this work. Effective diffusion coefficient and activation energy for the drying process were also analyzed. The results indicated the drying process was largely dependent on the variation of sample temperature. Bio-char originated from pine wood was most favorable for lignite drying, considering its better promoting effect and advanced security. There existed an optimal bio-char addition ratio for drying process at different power. The corresponding optimal ratio was 10% at 231?W and 15% at 385?W, at which the biggest drying rate and the least energy consumption were reached. It was compared lignite drying initiated at 385?W was better for energy conservation. Effective diffusivity was improved and activation energy was simultaneously reduced, with the addition of bio-char. The minimum activation energy was 15.54?W?·?g^?1, which was gained at bio-char addition ratio of 10%. The results revealed the effect of bio-char on depressing activation energy could rival that of metal-based additives. The drying process with assistance of microwave and bio-char could present technical and economical benefits on lignite upgrading.     

不同干燥程度胜利褐煤燃烧与自燃特性

为了探究高水分褐煤干燥后的燃烧与自燃特性变化,采用一维火焰炉、煤粉着火炉以及自燃试验台对不同干燥程度的胜利褐煤进行了试验研究。试验结果表明,试验样品的着火温度随着干燥程度的增加而降低,随着风煤比的增加而增加,煤粉细度同样会对着火温度产生影响。在燃用干燥褐煤过程中宜采用较高一次风率以提高制粉系统的安全性。胜利褐煤及其干燥褐煤均属于极易燃尽煤种,燃尽率均在99.4%以上,水分的变化对燃尽率影响不大。建议胜利褐煤与20%水分干燥褐煤的运行氧含量控制在3.5%左右。随着干燥程度的加深和粒径的减小,褐煤越容易自燃。胜利褐煤干燥到20%以下可能有自燃的风险。     

Effect of air velocity in dehumidification drying environment on one-component waterborne wood top coating drying process

In this study, the effect of air velocity in dehumidification drying environment on one-component waterborne wood top coating drying process is analyzed by drying time and moisture content and surface temperature of coating, in which air temperature is 35°C and relative humidity is 50%, and the air velocity is the only change parameter, varying from 0.2 to 1.2?m/s. It is found that drying time of top coating shortens and moisture content of top coating decreases with increasing air velocity. Surface drying time is about 15?min, hard drying time 21?min, and sanded drying time 37?min. To accelerate the drying speed, the air velocity is increased to more than 0.4?m/s. Moisture content of top coating is 58.2% during surface drying, 31.4% during hard drying, and 21.9% during sanded drying time. An infrared thermometer is used to measure the surface temperature of coating. Surface temperature of top coating is 30.0°C when it is dried to the surface drying degree, 33.5°C when the top coating is dried to the hard drying degree, and 34.6°C when the top coating is dried to the sanded drying degree. The drying degree of coating can be judged from the drying time and surface temperature and moisture content of coating. The drying degree of top coating is better when surface temperature is higher and the moisture content is lower.     

Effect of mechanical thermal expression drying technology on lignite structure

Mechanical thermal expression (MTE) is a developing nonevaporative lignite dewatering technology. It has been proved to be effective to dewater high moisture content in low-rank coals via the application of mechanical force and thermal energy at elevated temperatures. In this paper, the dewatering behavior of the Xiaolongtang lignite in Yunnan province, China during the MTE process was studied with three process parameters: time, temperature, and pressure. Meanwhile, the mechanism was also explored of how variations in temperature and pressure during the MTE process affect the surface oxygen functional groups and pore structure, which was mainly conducted by means of Fourier transform-infrared spectrometer (FTIR) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Increases in MTE temperature and pressure resulted in significant reductions in residual moisture content and moisture-holding capacity, along with the increase in fixed carbon content and content reductions of other elements, especially oxygen content, this could be largely attributed to the destruction of the surface oxygen functional groups and porosity in the lignite. Technologically, the optimal conditions for temperature and pressure are 150–220°C and 6–10?MPa. The residual moisture content of the lignite treated by MTE at 200°C, 10?MPa is lower than 8%; the dewatering rate reaches over 76% with the calorific value being approximately 22?MJ/kg. Carboxyl and hydroxyl groups break down at drying temperatures above 120°C and constant applied pressure 10?MPa; with the pore volume significantly reduced, only few pores (diameter?相似文献   

Three-stage hybrid osmotic–intermittent microwave–convective drying of apple at low temperature and short time

ABSTRACT

In recent years, intermittent microwave coupled with hot air-drying has been used increasingly, thanks to considerable improvements observed in drying properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of process of drying apple pretreated osmotically with sucrose solution at five concentrations of 0 (control), 10, 30, 50, and 70% (w/w), using intermittent microwave at four power levels of 0 (control), 360, 600, and 900?W, four pulse ratios of 1, 2, 3, and 4, and convective hot air (40°C) on drying kinetics, effective moisture diffusion coefficient, shrinkage, bulk density, rehydration ratio, and energy consumption. Results showed that the three-stage hybrid osmotic–intermittent microwave–convective drying of apple at low temperature yielded higher drying rates (with 41.5% decrease in drying time) and improved quality of final product. The effective moisture diffusion coefficient increased with an increase in power, pulse ratio, and the concentration of osmotic solution. Furthermore, shrinkage, bulk density, and energy consumption of the samples decreased with an increase in power, pulse ratio, and the concentration of osmotic solution. In summary, the use of intermittent microwave coupled with forced convection of hot air (at low temperature) in drying of apple pretreated by sucrose osmotic solution led to products with improved properties in terms of both quality and quantity.     

Energy,exergy and economic analyses on heat pump drying of lignite

Abstract

Evaporative drying of lignite is an energy intensive process. In this study, the heat pump is integrated with a lignite drying system to decrease the energy consumption rate of lignite drying. The performance of heat pump drying is energetically and exergetically evaluated with developed models. Results show that the power consumption rates to dehydrate 1?kg of water from raw lignite in the heat pump drying system without and with lignite preheater are 660.82 and 585.62?kJ (kg H₂O)^?1, respectively. Exergetic analysis indicates that most exergy is destructed in the condenser and the evaporator in the heat pump drying. The case of lignite-to-electricity process (i.e., a lignite-fired power plant integrated with heat pump drying) is studied to examine additional benefits of heat pump drying to the downstream industrial processes that consume dried lignite. Thermodynamic and economic models are developed. Net efficiency of the lignite-to-electricity process can be increased by 1.4 and 1.57 percentage points for heat pump drying without and with lignite preheater, respectively. Preliminary economic analysis shows that the integration of heat pump drying without and with lignite preheater can earn additional 1.42 and 1.73 million USD, respectively. The influences of drying system and heat pump parameters are also analyzed.     

宝日希勒褐煤的热压提质试验研究

介绍了气流干燥技术的优点,并利用HPU试验线对宝日希勒褐煤进行了热压提质研究。煤样热重分析表明宝日希勒褐煤适宜的干燥温度为105～371℃。通过分析干燥温度、给料频率对提质煤粉水分的影响及提质煤粉水分对型煤质量的影响,说明提质煤粉水分随干燥温度的升高而降低,随给料频率的增加而增大,宝日希勒褐煤适宜的干燥温度为220～320℃,给料频率为30～50 Hz;提质煤粉较适宜的水分范围为5%～13%,最佳水分为5%～8%,此时,型煤抗压强度可达900 N/个以上,落下强度超过80%。因此,以高温烟气为干燥介质,采用气流干燥技术对宝日希勒褐煤进行脱水干燥提质是可行的。试验结果为拓展宝日希勒褐煤的加工利用途径提供了依据,也为其他地区的褐煤提质提供参考。     

EVALUATION AND MODELING OF TWO-STAGE OSMO-CONVECTIVE DRYING OF APPLE SLICES

ABSTRACT

Two-stage drying kinetics of cylindrical pieces of apples were evaluated by subjecting test samples first to various osmotic treatments and then to convective air drying to complete the drying process. Osmotic drying was carried out with cut apple cylinders of three different sizes (12, 17 and 20 mm diameter), all with a length to diameter ratio of 1 : 1, in a well agitated large tank containing the osmotic solution at the desired temperature. Solution to fruit volume ratio was kept greater than 60. After the osmotic treatment, apple slices were further dried in a cabinet drier at an average temperature 58°C. A central composite rotatable design (CCRD) with five levels of sucrose concentrations (34–63°Brix) and five temperatures (34–66°C) was used for osmotic treatment. Half-drying time and solids gain time were used as measures of rate of drying and associated diffusion coefficients for moisture loss and solids gain were evaluated. Half-drying time decreased with an increase in temperature or concentration, or a decrease in sample size. Diffusion coefficients were lower for smaller samples, and were higher for migration of moisture as compared to solids. For a given level of moisture removal, air drying times were shorter than osmotic drying times. Composite models were developed to describe the effect of process variables and particle size on the drying behavior of apple slices.     

Experimental study and energy analysis on microwave-assisted lignite drying

For value-added utilization of high-humidity lignite, an investigation on its drying behavior was carried out, using a method of Microwave Thermogravimetric Analysis (MTGA). The characteristic of heat and mass transfer during drying process was studied. The effects of initial lignite mass on its drying process and energy consumption were also addressed. In addition, changes of lignite pore structure, sulfur content, and calorific value were tested after drying experiment. The results indicated that lignite microwave drying was divided into three stages: incubation stage, high-efficient dehydration stage, and deep dehydration stage. It was in agreement with the variation of temperature inside the sample. High-efficient dehydration stage and deep dehydration stage were separated at a critical moisture content. Microwave power and initial mass could be properly matched, which was effective to increase dehydration rate and decrease energy consumption. It was further noted that the best power for achieving the least energy consumption was in advance to that for achieving the greatest dehydration rate, especially for initial mass of 20?g and 25?g. The optimum power for initial mass of 20?g and 25?g was found to be 385?W and 539?W, respectively. Pore structure of dried lignite was basically deteriorated. Meanwhile, lignite microwave drying at 231?W for 6?min could lead to an increase of calorific value by 8.1% and a decrease of sulfur content by 68.6%.     

褐煤干燥特性及产品特性研究

通过对内蒙古锡林浩特褐煤的热重分析可知,褐煤干燥过程约30 min,干馏过程约1.5 h。对不同粒径褐煤进行了干燥特性研究,说明+100,100～50,-50 mm原煤完全干燥分别需要4.0,1.0,0.5 h,粒径越小,煤样失重率越大,干燥速度越大,达到相同干燥效果所需的干燥时间也越短。最后分析了干燥温度对产品特性的影响,同时测试了干燥、干馏提质产品的自燃特性和复吸水特性,结果表明:与原煤相比,150,200℃产品挥发分分别提高了33.72%和31.13%,更易发生自燃,而550℃干馏过程中挥发分降低了30.89%,热稳定性大幅增加;150,200,550℃产品吸氧量分别提高了0.43,0.65,0.72 cm3/g;干燥产品燃点要低于原煤,而干馏产品燃点则高于原煤;干馏煤因改变了孔隙结构,最高内在水分降低,即复吸水的能力降低。因此,干燥提质产品与褐煤性质基本一致,而干馏提质产品性能则获得较大改善。     

Gasification studies of onakawana lignite

Onakawana lignite was gasified in air, steam and an air + steam mixture in a fixed bed reactor. The extent of devolatilization was determined by pyrolysis in nitrogen. The composition of products, expressed in terms of H₂/CO ratio, was temperature dependent. The ratio decreased with increasing temperature. During steam gasification the ratio decreased from 4.6 to 2.6 when temperature increased from 700° to 990°C. The addition of air to steam resulted in a marked decrease of this ratio. Steam gasification reactivity of chars prepared from Onakawana lignite at 500°C and 800°C were studied in the temperature range of 650°C to 1000°C. The carbon conversion results were fitted into equations describing the continuous and shrinking core models. The char prepared at 500°C was much more reactive than the one prepared at 800°C. Product distribution expressed as the H₂/CO ratio, was favourable in the temperature range. For comparison, the Kentucky #9 coal and chars derived from this coal were used as referee materials. The reactivity of these chars was markedly lower than that of chars derived from Onakawana lignite.