FINE COAL BENEFICIATION

Roe-Hoan Yoon, Director

Center for Advanced Separation Technologies Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060
U.S.-India Coal Working Group8th Annual Meeting New Delhi, India March 24, 2011

Indian Coal
Problem
Mineral matter is finely disseminated in coal matrix Difficult to obtain low-ash product Causes low thermal efficiency in power plants Requires sweetener for metallurgical application >$3 billion import

2 mm

Solution
Fine grinding for liberation of mineral matter Fine coal cleaning Fine coal dewatering
2

Finer coal produces lower-ash coal.

100

Combustible Recovery (%)

80

60

40

Release Analysis Assam Coal II

-100 mesh -325 mesh

20

0 0 6 12 18 24 30

Product Ash (%)

Another Example
100

Combustible Recovery (%)

80

60

40

Release Analysis Assam Coal I

28 x 100 mesh -100 mesh -325 mesh

20

0 0 6 12 18 24 30

Product Ash (%)

But fine coal cleaning is difficult and costly.

Size-Size Coarse Solid-Solid
Dense Media Vessel Raw Coal Screens Dense Media Cyclone Coal Spirals Basket Centrifuges

Solid-Liquid
Dewatering Screens

Increasing Difficulties

Medium

Sieve Bends

Fine

Screen-Bowl Centrifuges

Classifying Cyclones Froth Flotation Disc Filter

Ultrafine

Middle Fork, Virginia

Coal industry discards fine coal Impoundment ~2-2.5 billion tons in the U.S. Underground injection MicrocelTM Technology developed at CAST >$50 million profit from one pond and Now Then

Microcel Technology

Microcel Technology in Australia

Licensed to Eriez

Red Mountain (BMA)

The technology is used to recover coal in operating plants.

Moura Dawson
(Anglo Coal)

A missing link
Water
Flotation

Dewatering

?
Fine Coal Clean Coal

ash/sulfur

water

Dewatering Aid Technology

Licensed to Nalco Company

30 27 24 21 18 15 12 9 6 3 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Base Line 100 g/ton Flocculants 1 lb/ton Dewatering Aid 2 lb/ton Dewatering Aid 3 lb/ton Dewatering Aid 5 lb/ton Dewatering Aid

27

Cake Moisture (%)

25 23 21 19 17

Laboratory In-Plant

Volume (cm3)

0.50

1.00

1.50

Reagent Dosage (lb/t)

Time (sec)

Pinnacle impoundment, WV

10

Hyperbaric Centrifuge Technology

Licensed to Decanter
Screen-bowl Centrifuge

Hyperbaric (or CentrabaricTM) Centrifuge

11

Commercial Installation

Jim Walter Resources (Walter Energy Inc.) Brookwood, Alabama

As a result of successful test results with the first unit, the company bought more units. Other companies may follow the suite. 12

Proposed Flowsheet for Indian Coking Coal

Rotary Distributor

Four-Stage Conditioner Column Flotation Disc Filter

Vacuum Pump

Existing Plant
Classifying Cyclones

Vacuum Receiver Filtrate Pump Thickener

Slurry Feed

Rod Mill

Sparger Compressor Note: Not all U/F clarified and process water Pump streams are Waste shown. O/F Pump Conveyor

Feed Sump

Clean Coal

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Summary
CAST technologies
Commercially available technologies MicrocelTM, Dewatering aids, Hyperbaric centrifuge A novel dewatering technology
Under development

Proposed work
To design and build a 75-100 tph fine coal beneficial plant METSO Minerals-India, Prime
Engineering Construction

Virginia Tech, Subcontractor

Lab work Flowsheet design

Benefits
Increase domestic supply of metallurgical coal
Decrease import of metallurgical coal

Improve coal quality and reduce CO2 emissions

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Acknowledgement
The National Energy Technology Laboratory for financial support Licensees of the technologies developed at CAST
Metso Minerals Eriez Manufacturing Nalco Company Decanter Machine Company

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