5/31/2023

COAL AND GEMSTONES

PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
LECTURE 6

COAL
General Coal Characterization

Coal Preparations / Coal Processing / Coal

Washing / Coal Beneficiation

Coal Analysis

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Coal Analysis

Coal Analysis
Coal Analysis involves different stages of:
Sample collection / coal sampling
Sample preparation and
Sample analysis

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To Learn
• Carry Out Coal Sample Tests and
Analysis
Techniques used for coal sampling
Collection of coal samples from mining
and processing plant
Procedures used for coal analysis
Application of Proximate and Ultimate
analysis of coal

To Learn
• Conduct coal gravitation test (sink-
float, mineral jig, spiral
concentrator, shaking table, Mozley
mineral separator, etc.)
• Conduct coal flotation test
• Determination of gross calorific
value (GCV)

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Coal Sampling

Coal Sampling and Analysis

The primary reason for analyzing coal is:
• To determine whether it will meet the needs of a
specific application
or
• To characterize the general quality of the coal for
establishing the price of the coal
Coal may be analyzed to determine how much
sulfur (other elements) is present, its form and how
it is distributed
Coal mining and coal consuming industries
determine coal quality for immediate or near term
use
• To control mine and cleaning operations
or
• To determine plant efficiency

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Coal Sampling and Analysis

• Sampling of coal - is the extraction of a
quantity of coal from a larger quantity to
provide material for testing and analysis, so
that the properties and composition of the
larger quantity can be reliably estimated
• Coal analysis is important from every
standpoint, from exploration of a new property
to selection of the proper coal to use for a
particular application
• Coal sampling is performed whenever there is
a need to analyse coal (to determine or verify
the analysis or content of some constituent)

Coal Sampling and Analysis

• Sample is required for:
 Technical evaluation Coal Core
samples
 Process control
 Quality control or
 Commercial transactions
• During the exploration and development
stage of a mine, core and channel
samples taken from the coal seam are
used to determine:
1. Petrographic analysis and physical
properties
2. Character of roof and floor of the
seam
3. Character and quality of impurities
4. Proximate and ultimate analysis,
5. Washability characteristics
• Coal sampling may be needed at many
stages in the preparation process:

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• The main reasons for sampling in connection with

coal preparation are:
1. To determine the washability characteristics of the
raw coal by means of float and sink tests and
flotation tests. These may be used for:
1. The design of a preparation plant,
2. The prediction of results to be obtained, or
3. Monitoring raw coal delivered to the plant
2. To check the performance of various operating
units in the plant, either by float and sink tests or
chemical analyses
3. To determine the analytical characteristics of the
products produced, such as moisture, ash, Btu,
sulfur, etc.

Coal Sampling and Analysis

• There are several points in coal
operations where samples are
taken:
–The raw coal
–The refuse to determine what the plant
missed
–The clean coal to determine exactly
what is being used, sold or shipped

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Coal Sampling
• Depending on the needs of the sampling and
analytical programs; ROM / raw coal samples are
taken from a variety of places:
 Individual coal beds in place
 Coal mine conveyor systems
 Trucks
 Train cars
 Stockpiles
• Generally, there are two main areas for collecting
ROM / raw coal sampling
I. Sampling in the mine often referred to as in- situ
sampling (seam sampling) - it is often carried out
by geologist who are investigating the nature of
the coal before developments
II. Ex -situ sampling which occurs after the coal has
been mined

Coal Sampling
• Recall: ROM / raw Coal samples
can be taken at various locations
• Methods of Sampling: how
sampling is done?

1. From a moving stream or from a

stationary lot
2. Either manually or automatically
/ by mechanical
sampling systems

• The selection of a sampling

method depends upon factors
such as:
 The sampling purpose
 Accuracy desired
 Accessibility of the site and
 Technical, economic and time constraints

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Coal Sampling
1. Sampling from moving streams:
• Sampling from a falling stream
• Sampling from a moving belt
• Stopped-‐belt sampling

2. Sampling from stationary lot

• Sampling from stockpiles
• Sampling from wagons, barges and ships

Coal Sampling
• Manual sampling
involves filling a plastic bottle
by hand
• Mechanical Sampling Systems
are automated processes for
collecting representative
samples from a conveyor
belt, falling stream or fixed
point
• These machines can be used to
process nearly any dry bulk
material, including: Bauxite.
Coal. Iron ore.

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Automatic (Mechanical) Sampling

Systems

Coal Sampling
Automatic (mechanical) sampling systems:
• They include sub-systems of reduction (crushing) and
division (riffling) of primary samples to produce a sample
that represents the consignment but is small enough so
the subsequent laboratory preparation prior to analysis is
kept to a minimum
• Mechanical sampling from moving streams is the
preferred method for sampling fuels, while
• Manual sampling should always be avoided whenever
possible
• Manual sampling should only be applied if no
possibility for mechanical sampling exists
• In either case, the method of sampling must provide a
representative sample of a relatively large amount of
coal without bias

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Coal Sampling
• Mechanical sampling devices:
–Flow Through cutter
–Bucket cutter
–Reciprocating hopper
–Auger
–Slotted belts
–Fixed position
–Rotating spoon

Sample Device

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Sampling and Sample Preparation

• If moisture content determinations are to be
made the sample must be collected in a
container which can be immediately sealed
following the sample collection
• Coal samples may be received at the
laboratory in a variety of conditions:
Fresh condition (not long after sampling)
Dried out (due to long storage, transportation
over a long distance or mishandling)
Wet (because of excess moisture in the sample)

Coal Sampling and Analysis

• To test any particular coal, there are two criteria
which must be followed for a coal sample (in order
to produce reliable results):
I. Ensure that the sample is a true representative of
the bulk material
II. Ensure that the sample does not undergo any
chemical or physical changes after completion of
the sampling procedure and during storage prior
to analysis
Others:
• Sample must be taken without contamination from
extraneous material and location and orientation
must be documented
• Interpretations and comparisons should never be
based on data from different types of samples

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Sampling: concluding remarks

Sampling and Sample Preparation

• A key step which is often overlooked in coal analysis is sampling
• About 80% of the total variances involved at the different stages comes from
errors during sample collection only!
• Even the most precise analytical procedures cannot create a representative
sample from one which is not!
• Sampling rules include:
1. Sample only from moving streams
2. Sample the whole stream for many short increments of time
3. The sample cutter should pass through entire stream before
withdrawing
4. Never sample from a pile if >1m high
5. Use air – tight container when calculating moisture
6. Follow proper methods for sample splitting (i.e, use cone/quartering,
table splitting, riffling, shovel splitting, etc)
7. Keep reserve samples on hand to resolve ambiguities

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NEXT…

Proximate and Ultimate analysis of coal

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