Microwave plasma combustion of coal

Microwave plasma is studied as an alternative to oil or gas fuel for ignition and stabilisation of burning of lean coal. The study is performed on an experimental set-up, which includes a burner with a microwave plasma generator, coal and air supply systems, and measurement equipment. Power and thermochemical characteristics of the coal-plasma interaction have been measured and analysed. The obtained results indicate an essential intensification of ignition and combustion processes in the microwave burner compared to those in conventional burners. In particular, it has been demonstrated that the microwave energy consumption is only about 10% of the required expenditure of oil or gas, measured in heat equivalent. A design of an industrial microwave-plasma burner is proposed. Prospects of such burner for applications at industrial boilers of power plants are discussed.     

Fourier transform infrared study of high-purity maceral types

A suite of density-differentiated macerals from several coals was analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to obtain information on the nature and magnitude of the variations exhibited by the various maceral fractions. The most characteristic change between maceral groups was the variation in aliphatic hydrogen content, with exinite ? vitrinite ? inertinite. Since the separation technique (density gradient centrifugation) generally provided a number of fractions within a maceral group region, some of these were also analysed. In a series of density fractions from a low rank vitrinite, it was found that the aliphatic hydrogen content decreased as the density increased. The inertinites also exhibited a decrease in aliphatic hydrogen. The inertinite C—O bands had extinction coefficients different from those of vitrinites or exinites. The data suggest that quite profound variations in organic structure as determined by FT-i.r. spectroscopy can exist within a maceral group, so that for the most critical work on coals it is necessary to take this into account.     

Influence of volatile matter and deposited carbon on coke yield from coals

The relations between coke yields and the volatile matter content of 30 individual and 30 blended coals were investigated. Coke yields and deposited carbon related to volatile matter content can be expressed in the following equations: CY (%) = 97.89?0.86 VMch+VMc; and DC (%)= ?2.24+0.16 VMch; where: CY=real coke yield; VMch = volatile matter content of charging coal; VMc=volatile matter content of coke, and in the case of <2%; DC = deposited carbon. The test results show excellent correlation with practice.     

Carbonization of coals to produce anisotropic cokes. 1. Modifying activities of some additives in the co-carbonization of low-rank coals

Using low-rank coals, the modifying activities of some petroleum, coal tar and aromatic hydrocarbon additives have been examined to find procedures for their utilization in the preparation of blast furnace coke. Petroleum pitch, especially after hydrogenation, exhibited excellent modifying activity even with non-fusible coals. In contrast, the activity of coal tar was very limited with such coals. The napththenic component, revealed by n.m.r. of the additives, appears to be important in the co-carbonization by inducing fusibility and anisotropic development in such coals. Co-carbonization to recover the dehydrogenated additives was attempted. However, there was no development of the anisotropy in the resultant coke by dissolution of the coal particles although the coal particles were firmly fixed in the matrix. Acid-refluxing treatment of non-fusible coals was found to enhance their modification susceptibility, indicating that some of the acid-soluble mineral matter is important in the thermal depolymerization or fusion process of the coal.     

Mössbauer studies of iron-bearing minerals in coal and coal ash

⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy has been used to characterize the iron-bearing minerals present in some British Columbia coals. The minerals observed in a range of samples include pyrite/marcasite, siderite, jarosite, rozenite or melanterite, and Fe²⁺ -bearing clay minerals such as illite. The presence of jarosite is confirmed through the magnetic hyperfine interaction observed at 4.2 K. The absence of magnetic ordering at 4.2 K for the ferrous sulphate component indicates the presence of rozenite, FeS0₄ · 4H₂0, or melanterite, FeS0₄ · 7H₂0, rather than szomolnokite, FeS0₄ · H₂0 or FeS0₄. The effects of ashing on two of the coals is also studied.     

Some aspects of the analysis of coal by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy

Bituminous coal samples from 84 distinct sources were analysed by conventional British Standards (BS) methods for phosphorus, sulphur, chlorine, ash and the ash-forming elements (calcium, silicon, aluminium, iron, sodium, magnesium, potassium, titanium and manganese). In most cases four determinations were made per element per source. Samples were crushed to ?212 μm (72 BS mesh) and pressed into aluminium cups at 20 t in^?2 (309 MPa) without binder or backing. Two pellets from each sample were analysed by wave-length dispersive X-ray fluorescence techniques, using a spectrometer equipped with a rhodium rube; the X-ray count took 60 s. The X-ray results were calibrated against the conventional results using multiple regression. The accuracy obtained was comparable with routine ‘wet chemical’ techniques. The X-ray technique is suitable for the routine determination of large numbers of samples.     

关于煤炭硫分分级的探讨

根据国家质量技术监督局的计划安排,国家标准GB／T15224－1994《煤炭质量分级》需要修订。本文主要讨论“煤炭硫分分级”方面的内容。     

Carbonization reactions of inertinite macerals in Australian coals

Widespread disagreement about the degree of reactivity of the inertinite group of macerais is related to variations in experimental conditions of assessment and failure to appreciate technological modifications imposed on similar macerals by dissimilar source materials and depositional conditions. This has resulted in the constant under-estimation of the coking potential of post-Carboniferous inertinite-rich coals by predictive methods developed for vitrinite-rich Carboniferous coals. Coking tests up to 1000 °C have been carried out on 20 coals of different rank in such a manner that coked portions of the samples could be correlated with their uncoked equivalents. It has been found that an inverse relationship exists between the level of precarbonization reflectance (PCR) of inertinite and the reflectance and bireflectance of its coke. The increase in the latter parameter is non-linear and involves a sudden jump which is taken as the boundary between reactive (high bireflectance) and non-reactive (low bireflectance) inertinite. In relation to coal rank a reactivity field for inertinite has been delineated which can be subdivided into two areas of high and moderate reactivity, respectively. On the whole, the proportion of reactive inertinite is larger than allowed for in most petrography-based coke stability calculations.     

Comparison of coal hydroliquefaction catalysed by ZnCl2-MCln (CuCl,CrCl3 and MoCl5) and ZnCl2 melts

Hydrogenation of four bituminous coals impregnated with 5 wt% of either mixtures of ZnCl₂-MCl_n (CuCl, CrCl₃ and MoCl₅) systems or ZnCl₂ was carried out using a batch autoclave system at 400° for 3 h at 9.8 MPa of initial hydrogen pressure. The ZnCl₂-MoCl₅ system showed the highest yield of the hexane-soluble (HS) fraction compared with the other systems irrespective of the coal used. The difference between the yields of HS fractions using the ZnCl₂-MoCl₅ and other systems was most marked for coals of fairly low volatile matter content, though the conversion was relatively low (47–66%), whilst for coals of high volatile matter content HS yields with the binary melt systems were high (86–91% conversion). Elemental analyses of the HS fractions indicated that the ZnCl₂-MoCl₅ system is most favourable in decreasing the average molecular weight and the heteroatom content of HS, this characteristic trend being confirmed also with five HS fractions separated by Chromatographic techniques. Both elemental analyses and molecular weights of asphaltene (benzene-soluble materials, BS) indicated that the ZnCl₂-MoCl₅ system is also most effective in cracking coal structure.     

Analysis of solvent extracts of bituminous coal macerals by chromatography, 1H n.m.r. and field-desorption mass spectrometry

Analysis of the carbon disulphide extracts of nine samples of UK coal-maceral concentrates by ¹H highresolution n.m.r. spectroscopy, gas-liquid chromatography and field-desorption mass spectrometry indicates the presence of components with a wide molecular weight range extending up to 1200 amu; these are attributed to n-alkanes up to ≈C₅₀ and highly condensed polynuclear aromatic compounds.