Coal Quality A New Paradigm YP Chawla Hd.

Energy Sector Apollo Tyres

An Abstract: Coal has been a driver of Growth accordingly has played and will continue to play a central role in supporting Global Economic Development, alleviating poverty and is an essential resource in meeting the World's Energy needs. Coal currently supports 26% of primary energy and 40% of Electricity Generation and similarly in Steel, Cement & other Industry. Coal use is forecast to rise over 60% to 2030, with developing countries responsible for 97% of this increase, primarily to meet electrification targets in India. On analysis of Demand & availability of Coal by the Government of India, the decision to Import has changed the face of coal imports across the country. India's thermal coal imports surged 100% in 2009, to 60 million tons (MT) up from just 30 MT a year before. With India's focus now on Coal imports, a question is arising, where this international supply will come from, what quality, what Price. Quality in a new paradigm that has gone beyond just the Chemical Characteristics to Techno Economic Quality, its impact on other Resources like Water, Human health, Combustion & Equipment Performance. Quality now provokes the advent of New Technologies to combat the varying characteristics of Coal & the safe emitting pollutants. Thus Coal Quality needs a comprehensive study for Optimized results- a New Paradigm for Coal Quality . The aim of this paper is to present the impacts of Imported Coals to India, to maximize the value to society as well as the impact on the complete Coal Chain Industry including its production, transportation, through to its utilization and ending at legacy issues, the Coal Quality comes as a major Parameter needing to be optimized in terms of Techno Economic rating to decide Coal for its Quality. Blending of Coal for Optimized results is presented in this Paper. The Coal world across has been used and will continue to be used over next 119 years ( about 80 years in India) of its balance estimated reserves, compared to next 46 years for oil and 63 years for gas reserves. The Import of Coal for India must be taken as a bold entrepreneurial step by the Indian Business Community to enhance, the otherwise lower Energy Security for India as conceived by the GoI. These Coal imports are coming from all the parts of the Globe with various Coal Chemistries. The Indian Entrepreneur has been able to rightly blend various quality and specification Coals, suiting to specific Manufacturing Processes or in Power Generation to sustain levels of Economic Performance as foreseen by GoI. Sometime back, there were potential threats of Sulphur in the Coal. The Technologists came out with Flue Gas Desulphurization, Pulverization has now provided opportunity to use Low Anthracites in Steel Manufacturing also, thus opening space for blending the Coals similar to Power Generation Industrys blend of High Moisture, High Calorific, High Volatile Coal from neighboring country with Indian Coals, thus balancing the Coal Quality to achieve optimal Combustion Process, Controlling the Slag Chemistry for maintaining high Plant Performance, Combustion Waste and Emissions. Coal Quality is a thus not only a Challenge for blending various Coal Chemistries but now blending the right technologies for a Specific Coal to reach the goals of Optimized Plant Operation results , the delivered Product cost and ultimately the bottom line.

Imports of Coal are seen as compulsions in India to be a net Coal Importer because of an ambitious Power Sector Plans set for 12th Plan & subsequent requiring imports.

Location Wise Details-12th Plan Shelf for Thermal Projects Pit Heads- 50,825 MW Load Centre-35,915 MW Coastal -25,660 MW Total 1,12,400 MW ( with a scenario of 1,12,400MW against 76,500 MW) 13th Plan : A capacity addition requirement of about 1,02,000 MW has been assessed for the 13th Plan. In addition 14,500 MW Hydro power is expected to be imported from Neighbouring countries in addition to Import of Coal. The Challenges of Development coupled with Global Warming the mother of all Challenges have made Industry go in for new business strategies. The Import of Coal is one such in the Energy Sector. Why Imports These imports reaching from all the parts of the Globe are, due to compulsions of Non Availability of Coal with in the Country due to Mining Capacity, Productivity and transport bottle neck. Compulsions of Coal import and on the hindsight looked as a drive for National Economic Energy Security by keeping the own reserves intact for our future generations. The Indian

Entrepreneur is thus able to blend Coals of various qualities and specification suiting specific to its Manufacturing Processes or in Power Generation to sustain levels of Economic Performance, setting new definition of Coal Quality a mix of many various parameters. 75GW Thermal power addition planned CIL has indicated additional coal availability of 100 MT sufficient to support 20 GW capacities only. There is also a shortfall for 11th Plan projects of the order of 150 MT. Coal based projects expected from captive blocks allocated already 44 GW (if all connected coal blocks are developed). Thus, there is huge shortfall in coal availability for 12th Plan & 13th Plan.

Additionally Ref : TERI Low quality of coal high content of sulphur & ash Low productivity in mines as compared to American & Australian mines Poor transportation infrastructure Rehabilitation of dislocated village CIL plan to invest Rs.40-50 billion in resettlement during 11th & 12th five year plan. Environmental concerns Poor Technology open cast mining. Underground mining has failed to take off. Coal washing Ministry of coal plans to expand from 63 MT to 163MT in 11th five year plan An Unanticipated Shortage: Indias coal reserves are not as large as previously thought. At the current usage rate, Indias reserves would be depleted in 80 years. At the projected rate of growth in production, that number becomes 40. Transporting coal is cumbersome and inefficient. Most of the domestic reserves are concentrated in Indias eastern and central states, far from the urban centers most in need of increased energy. Coal Quality: Various Coals may chemically contain up to 76 elements of the Periodic table (coloured as shownBlue generally more than 1% & Red about 0.01%, Yellow as trace elements less than 0.001%). As Coal Quality, these are required to be studied for its impact on the environment. While the quality study goes on by the experts, the Business Community will continue improving the bottom line, with social pressures of saving the environment. Because of varying Chemistries Coals of various variety gets developed due to age of Fossil Matter under the mother earth and varying heat and Pressure that got created around the areas presently The Coal Mines Ref: As we appreciate that the Economic Plans are often the product of an optimistic appraisal of Resource availability (Coal Availability) and the constraints at hand. The objectives, as a result, have a lofty air about them. Perhaps it would not be amiss to call the planning process an exercise in heightened optimism. We accordingly set our Business economic plans and choose resources and technology accordingly.
Coal Quality Stanley P Schweinfurth

Coal Quality is Complex Variety of factors determine the quality of Coal covering (1) the plantations, plantation remains, and other organisms (such as bacteria) in the peat mire, (2) Biological and Chemical processes and the degree of preservation of the plant matter, (3) the

geometry and location of the mire, (4) the mineral matter that accumulated with the plant material or that was introduced at some later stage, and (5) Coalification, Geologic age and history. Preferred Value Range Rank High Total moisture content Gross CV Sulphur content Ash analysis Ash fusion temperatures volatile bituminous <15% (ar) >22MJ kg-1 (ar) <2% (db) <15% Fe2O3 in ash Deformation (red.) >1100 C VM content >30% (daf) Ash content < 25% (db) Nitrogen content <3% (db) Chlorine content <0.5% (db)

Coals Physically: Milling. Hardgrove Grindability Index (HGI) can provide a reasonable prediction of mill power requirements, but the operator may have to use trial and error to obtain the required coal fineness. Coals with a low Abrasion Index can usually be relied upon to produce low levels of mill wear. Handling. Coarse coal handling capability is primarily determined by moisture and fines content. Difficulties in pneumatic handling of milled coal primarily depends on the size distribution of the product, which is influenced by HGI. Combustibility. Fast burnout is associated with high volatile coals. Char interaction with coke. The entry of unburnt coal char into the burden is inevitable at high injection rates. Blast preheat and oxygen enrichment requirements. The cooling effect that coal injection has on the raceway flame temperature can be compensated by increased blast temperature and/or oxygen enrichment. The cooling effect is greater for high volatile coals.

Blast Furnace Combustions Story : Thermochemical Effects. As injection rates increase to high levels a significant amount of the fuel is consumed in the reduction of FeO. As the reduction by hydrogen is less endothermic than the C-FeO solution loss reaction, there is a decrease in energy requirements in the reduction zone. Kinetic Effects. The diffusivities of H2 and H2O are significantly higher than those of CO and CO2. Higher diffusivities will increase the reduction rate, particularly at lower temperatures. The blending of the coals to be injected enables better control of coal quality and allows the selection of a blend with suitable carbon for good replacement ratio and volatile content for combustion. The combustion performance of a coal blend is more complex than that of a single coal because it is not only dependent on the combustion performance of the component coals but also on the interaction between these coals.
Blending for the Right Coal Parameters Coal blending in Power Generation & in Steel Sector is mainly to reduce the cost of generation and increase the availability of coal. The low-grade coals are mixed with better grade coal

without deterioration in thermal performance of the boiler, thus reducing the cost of generation. This term Coal Blending will be a recurring theme in this paper. It is because of Blend we are able to manipulate the Coal Quality before firing for achieving the optimal results During the Coal combustion, understanding the physical conditions and coal properties under particles heating, devolatalisation, ignition and combustion of the volatile matter, as well as ignition and combustion of the char is important. It is also equally important to know the phase changes in mineral matter and other in-organics present in Coal. The combustion efficiency and carbon loss has to be addressed during Coal Blending thus changing the quality of Coal. Equally important are the aspects of Slagging, Fouling, and emission characteristics viz. NOx, Sox, and particulates (the Compulsions of Environmental norms). Complex Coal Combustion process and the number of variables involved (still are the process of full understanding), extrapolation of small scale results to a full scale power plant are a good but a bit risky. Operational experience with wider Plant configurations with a variety of Coal feedstock qualities is essential for determining the practical significance of results from bench and pilot scale tests. Many times published research on the behavior of the Coal Qualities and coal blends utilized in tests might differ from the on field actual performance. Combustion Process optimization: Dynamic coal blending It is the Intelligent Optimization of Coal Burning to Meet Demanding Power Loads, Emission Requirements, and Cost Objectives: Helps improve the bottom line Advanced IT match coal quality to varying plant operating & market conditions in real time. The results: lower fuel costs Most plants still use a fixed coal blend tailored for design of full-load of boiler Fixed Blend may be of higher quality than needed during part-load operation , or lower than Peaking Load. Thus Changing Quality by Dynamic Blending is a radical departure from the fixed-blend approach , in real time IT assisted, to control single largest Expense the Variable Cost due to Fuel. Payback for dynamic Blending system is - 10-18 Months ( Rs. Crs. 5 to 15 Capital Cost) What constitutes the right coal blend for each set of conditions requires knowledge of more than just fuel price. To be truly useful, dynamic blending needs to consider all costs related to the use of a particular coal blend-such as the impact on air emissions ( no Tax in India Yet), ash handling, and heat rate Dynamic blending can be used profitably at a plant if some or all of the following criteria satisfied: The plant runs at lower loads at night and weekends.

Load projections for the coming four to 24 hours are available as a rough guideline. Two or more coals of different quality and price are used or can be purchased at the power plant. A relationship between load and coal quality is established. There are specific, quality-related operational or derate issues that can be mitigated by appropriate blend control. The fuel yard is well instrumented, with enough weigh scales, level gauges, and position indicators available to track the movement of all coal in the yard. On-line coal analyzers generally are not required, but can be used if available.

Challenge of Handling of Dynamic Blending: The quality of the coal entering the yard must be known. -- All movement of coal must be recorded and tracked. -- Data from standard coal yard measurements-weigh scales and gate positions--must be available in electronic format Most important, the complex nonlinear flow of coal in the silos

must be accurately modeled. Accurate silo modeling Acurate Coal Flow modeled, you can use the quality data for the coals as they are loaded into the mill silos to calculate the output quality sequence.

Thus it is the Right Quality coal at the right time

Tracing the Traces The presence of trace elements in Coal referred above is receiving increased attention throughout the world during the last few years, with elements such as mercury of particular concern. One way to reduce trace element emissions is cleaning the coal prior to combustion. The use of cleaner coals those with lower ash and Sulfur content can have the added

advantage of substantially reducing operating costs. Again, however, some effects may be detrimental (ash deposition may be exacerbated, and the effects on corrosion and precipitator performance are uncertain), which makes testing vital. Pulverising to hit Optimisation Process of Pulverized coal injection (PCI) feeding as an auxiliary Fuel in blast furnace has helped Iron & Steel Manufacturers to replace high cost Coking Coal to reduce operating costs in the production of pig iron and then ultimately crude steel. The Coal Quality and the Coal Combustion Process for a specific production has a message to the Suppliers and users who are required to develop the coal resource in a considerably cleaner and more efficient manner than has been the case to date. In the West, early adopters of the PCI technology used higher volatile, softer sub-bituminous coals. In China, it was the opposite. Early Chinese adopters began with very low volatile, hard anthracite. The scorecard was to find the highest possible level of coke replacement. The major incentive is cost savings. A coal grinding and injection system requires much less capital cost compared to a coke oven installation. Cleaning the Coal Clean Coal Technology (CCT) requires that all aspects be considered with respect to improvements in the extraction, production, beneficiation, utilization and environmental management of coal and its carbon-based derivatives Bag Full Solutions for varying Emissions

Differences in coal type and pollution control devices make it necessary to develop customized solutions for each utility, which will be most effective and economical for each configuration. In addition, the complicated chemistry and multiple mechanisms governing mercury speciation in coal-fired boilers makes it necessary to investigate Hg emission control technologies at conditions relevant to full-scale units. Coal blending enhances the capture of mercury by flyash on combining necessary catalytic material (UBC) with sorbent material (Calcium). There are vast differences among power plants, including coal type, particulate control equipment, wet and dry scrubbing technologies, and boiler efficiencies. The mechanisms governing mercury speciation are highly dependent on the specific configuration of each power plant. Therefore, a variety of solutions are needed to provide Hg-mitigation solutions to the entire fleet of coal-fired power plants. Solutions covering coal blending, ash conditioning, designer sorbents, oxidizing agents, catalysts, and multi-pollutant controls.
An Environmentally Challenging Indian Coal

Indian coal is some of the dirtiest in the world in terms of high Ash coupled with the lack of infrastructure to clean it early in the process, Creates a huge environmental risk for India, already one of the countries poised to be hit hardest by climate change. Coal is the most polluting fuel in terms of greenhouse gases and already accounts for 65 percent of Indias CO2 emissions. But there are queues in the corridors of Min. of Coal

& Power for its allocation because of Costs and lack of Port infrastructure. The burning of coal releases respirable particles, noxious gases, toxic trace elements, and radioactive particles into the atmosphere. Additional environmental degradation comes from mining, sometimes done in forests, and coal fires (of which India already has the most concentrated amount of any country). So far, cancer, bone deformation, black lung, sterilization, and kidney diseases have all been attributed to the burning of coal. Already an entire village, Jharia in Jharkhand state, had to be relocated because of the deleterious effects of an underground coal fire that has been burning for decades. In addition to harmful carbon dioxide emissions, burning coal produces one of the most oft-neglected pollutants: black carbon. Black carbon is responsible for one-fifth of observed global warming. Black carbon stays in the atmosphere for only a matter of weeks, but creates more local warming problems than emissions from most other fuels. Tackling black carbon would be an expedient and effective way to raise the quality of life in India. It would also make for a conciliatory gesture toward the international community. The deployment of all Energy Generating technologies ( High targets set for 12th & 13th Plan) invariably is going to lead to some degree of environmental impact. The nature of the impact is dependent on the specific generation technology used and may include:

Concerns over land and water resource use Pollutant emissions Waste generation Public health and safety concerns

The use of coal for power generation is not exempt from these impacts and has been associated with a number of environmental challenges, primarily associated with air. Thus the Challenge to the Technologists is to mitigate these negatives through what ever Quality of Coal we get. The existing body of knowledge on the characterization to use all properties to predict boiler performance changes when using blends precipitation); nitrogen (NOx prediction). It is recommended that a model be created (changes in deportment); ash fusibility (deposition and ash character); Sulphur, ash (increased carbon in ash and ash deposition caused by NOx control); trace elements particle size and mineral composition (flow properties); nitrogen and ash fusibility performance and they also have a major impact on plant operations: moisture, appropriate for future research effort, as properties are not readily related to plant propensity). In addition, the following areas were indicated, for blends, as volatile matter and crossing point temperature (for indicating spontaneous heating index, crucible swelling number, ash fusibility temperatures, coal flow properties, predicting blend performance in a power station including Hardgrove grindability properties

Clean CoalWorthy investment or pie in the sky?:

It would be unrealistic to envision a future without India burning coal. Indeed, Indias coal consumption is set to rise even if sources of energy are diversified. And with the Qualities available, Clean-coal technologies, such as Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS), are appealing to governments and lawmakers because they require less adaptation than other mitigating routes. CCS is a two-step process. First, the carbon dioxide is captured as it enters the atmosphere, and then it is pumped underground for safe storage. While the latter part of the process has been demonstrated, the capturing part is underdeveloped and expensive. Clean-coal technologies will take many more years and billions of dollars to develop. There is not nearly enough private investment in CCS technology. At present, it is overpriced (about $30 per ton of CSS CO2). R&D costs are high, and investors seem more interested in shorter-term, renewable technologies. The Edison Electric Institute estimates that commercial deployment will require 25 more years of research and cost at least $20 billion. No large-scale power plant in the world is currently using CCS. Developing clean-coal technologies therefore should not be seen as an immediate and reliable solution. However, it is a sector worth investment and research. Andhra Pradesh has signed on with state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals to build a 125megawatt clean-coal plant. Perhaps once the long-term results are in, clean coal will have been worth the wait. World Coal Institute remains convinced of the merits of covering coal projects and CCS projects in the World Bank Grant portfolio.
Quality Based Technology Technology & Processes are thus selected based on what we have or what we can acquire. The task of the Coal Technologists is not confined to the Mines or the Labs. but how to get best of what we have. Key Result Areas (KRA) The Technologists, Process Developers and the Business Developers have KRAs alike to ad value to the bottom line & top line lift , adding net worth to the Companys balance sheet A Comprehensive outlook to Coal is required in terms of Quality Characteristics Coal Quality Analysis Quality Management at Mine site Fundamentals of Coal Combustion Power Plant Coal Processes and Performance Measures Impact of Coal Quality on Plant Performances Coal use in Cement Plant

Delivering Quality Coal - Mine to End User The Coal Chain Stockpile Management Coal Handleability Deterioration of Properties Superintending Shipment Quality Activity: Calculate the Optimum Blend practical Coal Preparation - Making Quality Coal Coal Beneficiation Coal Attributes Affected & Size Distribution Prediction Characteristics Combustion Processes & Performance Prediction Impact on Power Plant Processes Impact of Quality on Efficiency Slagging and Fouling Indices Performance Benchmarking A huge loss for long distance consumers to transport waste leading to source Coal from alternate sources irrespective of the Quality. Affects the power plant equipment enhancing maintenance cost. For Imported Coal the Strategic participation in Port Development

Logistic Constraints Coal reserves are generally localized. Transportation of coal is an issue. Judicious rationalization of coal supply not done due to various political and other reasons Comprehensive studies lead to

Coal value Optimization - maximizing our Coal Assets & Ensuring the effectiveness of measures aimed at stabilization; as well as minimize the costs of effective climate - mitigation action.
Conclusions

Although much is known about Coal quality as well as Blending, much also remains to be learned. To this end, research on coal quality and Blending is being conducted in both the public and private sectors. Current studies encompass all aspects of the origin, burial history, and composition of coal in order to understand the various factors involved in determining coal quality, such as how and where to find the most appropriate coal for a specific use and how to clean coal to make its use more environmentally and industrially acceptable. In the past, the only consideration given to coal quality was whether coal lumps held together during shipping, burned easily to produce a hot fire, and did not produce too much ash. Today, however, concerns about human health, the environment, energy demands, and the supply of certain raw materials have broadened our concept of coal quality and have increased our need to know much more about the origins, nature, and effects of coal quality and blending. Fortunately, recent advances in analytical capabilities have made the task of understanding the intricacies of coal quality & Blending much easier to achieve.

In the near-term, the most immediate advancements related to coal-quality research appear to be improvements in the efficiency of coal use (including more efficient production of synthetic fuels) and the development of methods to best understand, and thus control, the less desirable components in coal that have the potential to contribute to environmental degradation and adverse health effects. In the longer term, the recovery of useful substances from coal (such as iron, silver, sulfur, and zinc, as well as organic chemicals, gypsum, and ash) should be an exciting area for research related to Coal quality. An extensive evaluation of Coal quality must be central to coal use. Whatever coal is used for-whether for the direct production of energy, chemicals, synthetic fuels, or the recovery of useful minerals-and whatever problems and solutions accompany that use depend on the quality of the coal. Additional, sophisticated, multidisciplinary research on coal quality is required for the future. The results will help make it possible for society to continue to benefit from the Coal as a resource. IT has come as a big boon Coal Blending to stimulate various combinations of Coals Additionally, it is recommended to have:
The Coal Consumers of India to encourage barter of Coal from different mines to win win solution for all. Independent coal regulator in order to provide level playing field with in India Coal Price- Price de-regulation has been done in phase manner. But still commercial mining is done by state-owned companies , there is indirect govt. control Private sector participation only allowed for captive coal mining. Currently, govt. considering to allow captive mine owner to sell 10% of their Production outside. Dedicated Railway Freight Corridor Inland Water Transport About the Author: BETech. & MBA (Fin), PGDPM & PGDMM from Delhi University. Export Mgmt. from Oxford. Over 4 decades of Experience in diversified sectors covering Energy including Solar & other Renewable Energy, (Ex. BHEL), Water Sector,Agriculture, Infrastructure. Widely travelled abroad & in India including Foreign Postings. National Jt Secretary of IIPE Contact : ypchawla@gmail.com ; 98107-08707 Written Papers on diversified subjectsEnergy Sector Conventional, Renewable, Zero Breakdown Maintenance in Steel Sector. Waste Management in Steel Plants Iron Ore Beneficiation; Waste Management; Irrigation Sector; Water Sector Maintenance Practices in Global Economic Melt down etc. etc.
Disclaimer While every effort has been to taken to ensure that the published information is authentic & reliable; and has been used by the author very successfully, the author or the company undertake no liability for any damage, accidents, financial loss or expense arising from the contents of this paper or a different behaviour of the Coal Quality on blending so described.