Chapter No.

03
PETROGRAPHY OF COAL
 DEFINITION

• Coal petrography is the study of coal

components by a visual method with the use
of microscope
 COMPONENTS OF COAL
• The components identified by the naked eye
are called macroscopic components
• The others are called microscopic component
• There are four types of macroscopic
component in coal. These are :-
– Vitrain
– Clarain
– Durain
– Fussain
 VITRAIN
• Bright ,black and brittle thin band of coal
• Derived from wood plant
• Coking in nature
• Responsible for lustrous black band of bituminous coal
 BITUMINOUS COAL
• Dense material, black but sometimes dark
brown, often with well defined bands of bright
and dull material
• Used primarily as fuel in steam electric power
generation with substantial quantities
• Also used for heat and power applications in
manufacturing and to make coke
COMPOSITION OF BITUMINOUS COAL
• Carbon - 75 - 90 %
• Hydrogen - 4.5 - 5.5 %
• Nitrogen - 1 – 1.5 %
• Sulfur - 1–2%
• Oxygen - 5 – 20 %
• Ash - 2 – 10 %
• Moisture - 1 – 10 %
 CLARAIN
• Silky, shiny and minutely striated layer
• Contain more plant than vitrain
• Most common of the four types of substance found in coal
• Not bright and fractures regularly
 DURAIN
• Dull, grey and very hard component of the
coal which cracks irregularly
• Formed from the silts and mud of the small
particles of vegetable matter
 FUSSAIN
• Soft powdery form occurring between the
bands of other types
• Charcoal like substance which dirties the hand
when coal is touched
• Help in increasing the strength of coke
• Fixed carbon content is higher and volatile
matter content is lower
 PERCENTAGE OF MACROSCOPIC
COMPONENT
• In a typical coal seam,50% of the seam may
be clarain,15-30% durain,10-15% vitrain and
1-2% fussain