The Science and Technology of Coal and Coal Utilization

672 Pages·1984·9.75 MB·English

by  Bernard R. Cooper, William A. Ellingson (auth.), William A. Ellingson (eds.)

The Science and
Technology of Coal
and Coal Utilization
The Science and
Technology of Coal
and Coal Utilization
EDITED BY
BERNARD R. COOPER
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia
AND
WILLIAM A. ELLINGSON
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne, Illinois
PLENUM PRESS • NEW YORK AND LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Main entry under title:
The Science and technology of coal and coal utilization.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents: Introduction to the science and technology of coal and coal utiliza-
tion/Bernard R. Cooper and William A. Ellingson-Coal characterization/Heinz
H. Damberger ... et al. -Coal preparation and cleaning/T.D. Wheelock and
R. Markuszewski- etc.
1. Coal-Addresses, essays, lectures. I. Cooper, Bernard R. II. El-
lingson, W. A.
TP325.S36 1984 83-26189
ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-4582-4 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-4580-0
DOl: 10.1007/978- I -4684-4580-0
© 1984 Plenum Press, New York
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 15t edition 1984
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
233 Spring Street, New York, N.Y. 10013
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
We dedicate this volume
to the memory of our colleague
and fellow author
Leon Polinski
Preface
Filling the need for new and improved energy sources is an area where societal
effects of science and technology will surely increase. The editors and authors
have attempted in this volume to present the most current work on the science
and technology of coal and coal utilization.
Serious disagreement exists on several key issues such as carbon dioxide
release and acid rain. At the same time, however, coal is the world's most
abundant fossil fuel and will have to be used to supply the world's energy needs
for the next several decades. The 1979 National Research Council Report, "En-
ergy in Transition: 1985-2010," has estimated that the United States alone may
go from a 1979 coal consumption of 14 QUADS per annum (approximately 750
million tons per year) to approximately 40-50 QUADS per annum (approximately
2 billion tons per year) by the year 2010. If this scale of coal utilization is to
become a reality, a significant level of research and development will be necessary
to establish advanced process technologies and to improve related areas such as
materials and instrumentation.
The editors hope that this volume will allow a technically educated person
to become aware of the several aspects of coal utilization, from characterization
of coal itself to the processes of coal utilization.
B. R. Cooper and W. A. Ellingson
March, 1983
vii
Contents
1. THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF COAL AND COAL
UTILIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Bernard R. Cooper and William A. Ellingson
2. COAL CHARACTERIZATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Heinz H. Damberger, Richard D. Harvey, Rodney R. Ruch,
and Josephus Thomas, Jr.
1. Introduction ......................................... . 7
2. Samples and Their Analyses ........................... . 10
3. Megascopic and Microscopic Characterization of Coal ...... . 11
3.1. Megascopic Characterization ...................... . 12
3.2. Microscopic Characterization ...................... . 13
4. Mineral Matter in Coals ............................... . 21
5. Standard Chemical Analyses and Some Special Evaluation
Tests ............................................... 25
6. Analyses of Major, Minor, and Trace Ash-Forming Elements 26
7. Isotopic Studies ...................................... . 30
8. Physical Properties of Coal ............................ . 31
8.1. Porosity and Internal Surface Area ................. . 31
8.2. Permeability ................................... . 36
8.3. Structure and Density ............................ . 36
8.4. Spontaneous Combustion ......................... . 37
8.5. Electrical Conductivity ........................... . 38
8.6. Optical Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 39
8.7. Grindability, Hardness, Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 39
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 39
ix
x CONTENTS
3. COAL PREPARATION AND CLEANING .................. 47
T. D. Wheelock and R. Markuszewski
1. Introduction.......................................... 47
2. Present Coal-Cleaning Practice .......................... 52
2.1. Basic Cleaning Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 52
2.2. Washability Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 54
2.3. Beneficiation Methods ............................ 57
2.4. Separation Efficiency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 60
2.5. Industrial Plant Performance ....................... 65
3. Experimental Coal-Cleaning Plants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 68
4. New Developments in Physical Cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 74
4.1. Chemical Comminution ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 75
4.2. Screening....................................... 77
4.3. Hydraulic Separation ............................. 78
4.4. Heavy Media Separation .......................... 79
4.5. Separations Based on Surface Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 81
4.6. Magnetic Cleaning .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 87
4.7. Electrostatic Separation ........................... 92
5. Development of Chemical Cleaning Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 94
5.1. Oxidative Desulfurization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 96
5.2. Caustic Treatments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 101
5.3. Reductive Desulfurization ......................... 105
5.4. Miscellaneous Methods ........................... 106
5.5. Economics of Chemical Coal Cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 107
6. Research on Bacterial Desulfurization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 108
7. Summary and Conclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 109
Conversion Factors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 113
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 113
4. ROLE OF IMPURITIES .................................. 125
P. A. Montano, B. Granoff, and T. D. Padrick
1. Impurities in Coal: Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 125
1.1. Physical and Chemical Properties of the Major Minerals 126
1.2. Trace Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 128
1. 3. Identification and Characterization of Minerals and Trace
Elements in Coal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 129
2. Role of Impurities in Coal Mining ....................... 133
3. Coal Combustion ..................................... 133
4. Coke ............................................... 134
CONTENTS xi
5. Coal Liquefaction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 135
5.1. Kinetics of Pyrite Decomposition ................... 137
5.2. Pyrrhotites ...................................... 140
5.3. Active Catalytic Sites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 143
5.4. Slurry Phase Catalysts ............................ 147
6. Coal Gasification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 150
6.1. Introduction..................................... 150
6.2. Rapid Devolatilization ............................ 150
6.3. Char Gasification ................................ 153
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 159
5. GASIFICATION AND INDIRECT LIQUEFACTION. . . . . . . .. 163
James C. W. Kuo
1. Introduction.......................................... 163
2. Coal Gasification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 165
2.1. Introduction ..................................... 165
2.2. Chemistry of Coal Gasification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 166
2.3. Classification of Coal Gasifiers ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 170
2.4. Commercial Gasifiers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 178
2.5. Gasifiers under Development ....................... 181
3. Synthesis Gas Purification and Water-Gas Shift Processes. . .. 190
3. 1. Introduction..................................... 190
3.2. Commercial Synthesis Gas Purification Processes ...... 191
3.3. Water-Gas Shift Processes ......................... 197
4. Indirect Liquefaction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 199
4.1. Introduction..................................... 199
4.2. Methanol Synthesis ............................... 200
4.3. Methanol-to-Gasoline Conversion ................... 205
4.4. Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis ......................... 210
4.5. Fischer-Tropsch Product Upgrading ................. 221
5. Summary and Conclusion ............................... 224
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 226
6. DIRECT LIQUEFACTION ............................... 231
Michael G. Thomas
1. Introduction.......................................... 231
1.1. Historical Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 231
xii CONTENTS
1.2. Definition of Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 232
1.3. Types of Coals .................................. 233
1.4. Objectives ...................................... 234
2. Thermal Chemistry .................................... 234
2. 1. Concepts ....................................... 234
2.2. Stoichiometry ................................... 236
2.3. Mechanisms ..................................... 238
2.4. Effects of Independent Variables .................... 240
2.5. Current Concepts on Rates and Activation Energies .... 241
3. Catalytic Chemistry ................................... 248
3.1. Objectives ...................................... 248
3.2. Effects on Coal Dissolution ........................ 249
3.3. Effects on Preasphaltene Decomposition .............. 250
3.4. Synergistic Effects with Catalysts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 251
3.5. Catalytic Mechanisms ............................. 254
4. Direct Liquefaction Technology .......................... 255
4.1. Current Status ................................... 255
4.2. Advanced Concepts .............................. 257
5. Summary ............................................ 259
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
7. FLUIDIZED-BED COMBUSTION . ........................ 263
Walter F. Podolski
1. Introduction.......................................... 263
2. Fluidization Background ................................ 265
3. FBC System Description ............................... 267
3.1. Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustors . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 267
3.2. Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustors ............... 268
3.3. Comparison to Conventional Combustors ............. 269
4. FBC Design .......................................... 271
4.1. Mechanical Design Consideration ................... 274
4.2. Environmental Considerations ...................... 285
5. Analytical System Performance Modeling ................. 295
5.1. Hydrodynamics .................................. 296
5.2. Combustion Process .............................. 297
6. Concluding Remarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 300
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301