Effect of the Intensification of Mechanical Processing on the Conversion of the Mineral Matter of Coal Fuel

The influence of intense preliminary mechanical processing in a disintegrator on the conversion of the mineral matter of Kuznetsk black coal was determined. With the use of X-ray spectral fluorescence analysis and a method of coal sample separation based on density, a significant redistribution of the mineral components with the use of an energy-intensive mill (disintegrator) was found in comparison with standard mills utilized in heat-power engineering in terms of both particle-size fractions and density. Crushing in the disintegrator leads to a more uniform distribution of mineral substances over the fractions. A small fraction becomes enriched in mineral elements such as calcium- and iron-containing minerals bound to the organic matter. The separation based on density showed that crushing in the disintegrator leads to a significant decrease in the concentration of iron-containing minerals and a decrease in the portion of organic components in the heavy fraction, as compared with crushing in a ball–tube mill.