COAL FOR THERMAL

POWER STATION

KOPALLE. NARASIMHA RAO

 PREFACE
• NON COKING BITUMINUOUS COAL IS
NORMALLY USED FOR THERMAL POWER
GENERATION IN OUR COUNTRY
• IN VIEW NATIONAL POLICY OF
CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES LARGE
UTILITY STATION HAVE TO USE INFERIOR
QUALITY OF COAL WITH ASH PERCENTAGE
AS HIGH AS 40%.
 COAL SAMPLING
• SAMPLE CAN BE COLLECTED EITHER
MECHANICALLY OR MANUALLY
• IN INDIA SAMPLE IS COLLECTED MANUALLY
• AT A TIME AMOUNT OF COAL COLLECTED IS
CALLED AN INCREMENT.
• MORE THE NUMBER OF INCREMENTS
COLLECTED FROM DIFFERENT PLACES
MORE BE THE ACCURACY.
• IN POWER STATION 1% ACCURACY IS
ACCEPTED.
 COAL SAMPLING
• IN GENERAL SAMPLING OF RAW COAL
IS CARRIED OUT AT THE UNLOADING
POINT.
• NUMBER OF SAMPLES AND QUANTITY
IS DEPENDS UPON THE QUANTITY OF
COAL RECEIVED.
• FOR EACH CONSIGNMENT OF 250
TONNES ONE SAMPLE IS
RECOMMENDED.
 COAL SAMPLING
• SAMPLES ARE COLLECTED IN
INCREMENTS DURING THE MOTION
OF UNLOADING.
• THE STANDARD PRACTICE IS TO
COLLECT 350 KGS OF SAMPLE FROM
250 TONNES OF RECEIVED IN
INCREMENTS OF 7 KG.
 SAMPLE PREPERATION
• THE BULK 350 KG SAMPLE WELL MIXED AND
REDUCED EITHER BY MECHANICL SAMPLE
DIVIDERS OR BY HAND METHODS USING
SHOVEL BY CONING AND QUARTERING
ETC.
• THE GROSS SAMPLE IS REDUCED TO 50 KG
IN STAGES.
• THE 50 KG SAMPLE IS CRUSHED TO 1/8”
SIZE AND AGAIN REDUCED BY CONING AND
QUARTERING IN STAGES TO GET A FINAL
SAMPLE ABOUT 2 KG.
 SAMPLE PREPERATION
• ABOUT 1 KG SAMPLE FROM THE 50 KGS OF
MASS WHOSE AVERAGE SIZE SHOULD BE
BELOW 1/2” SHOULD BE SEPERATED AND
SENT FOR DETERMINATION OF GROSS
MOISTURE CONTENT.
• 1 KG OF THE 1/8” SIZE SAMPLE IS DIVIDED
INTO TWO PARTS.
• ONE PART TO BE PRESERVED AND ONE
PART TO BE FINALLY POWDERED IN
RAYMOND MILL AND USE FOR ANALYSIS.
GENERAL SAMPLE COLLECTION
• FOR CALCULATING THE EFFICIENCY OF
THE PLANT, AVERAGE SAMPLE USED DAILY
BY THE INDIVIDUAL BOILERS ARE
COLLECTED FROM HOPPERS BEFORE
DISCHARGE TO THE MILLS.
• SAMPLES OF PULVERISED FUEL ARE ALSO
COLLECTED TO DETERMINE THE FINENESS
OF COAL PULVERISED TO CALCULATE THE
MILL EFFICIENCY AND ASCERTAIN THE
BURNER PERFORMANCES.
 ANALYSIS OF COAL SAMPLES
• BOILERS WILL BE DESIGNED BASED ON
THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS OF
COALS
• PROXIMATE ANALYSIS
• ULTIMATE ANALYSIS
• GROSS CALORIFIC VALUE
• HARDGROVE GRINDABILITY INDEX
• FUSION BEHAVIOUR OF THE ASH OF THE
COAL.
 ANALYSIS OF COAL
• ON COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW, THE
PRICE OF COALS ARE NOW BASED ON
THE USEFUL HEAT VALUE WHICH IS
DIRECTLY DETERMINED BY USING
EMPIRACAL FORMULA TAKING INTO
THE CONSIDERATION OF ASH AND
MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE COAL
 PROXIMATE ANALYSIS
• MEANS DETERMINE OF MOISTURE
CONTENT, ASH CONTENT, VOLATILE
MATTER CONTENT, AND FIXED CARBON
CONTENT.
• THE PROXIMATE ANALYSIS CARRIED OUT
AT A EQUILIBRIATED CONDITION.
• COAL SAMPLE IS FIRST OF ALL
EQUILLIBRIATED A TEMPARATURE OF 40
degC AND 60% R.H KEEPING IN HUMIDIFING
CHAMBER AT 48 HRS.
• IT IS ALSO TERMED AS AIR DRIED
CONDITION AT 60% RH.
 MOISTURE
• THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF
MOISTURES TO COAL
• EXTERNAL MOISTURE
• INHERENT MOISTURE
• EXTERNAL MOISTURE CAN BE
ELIMINIATED BY EXPOSURE OF
ATMOSPHERE, BUT INHERENT CAN
ONLY BY HEATING IT ABOVE AT 100
degC
 ANALYSIS OF MOISTURE
• ONE GRAM OF EQUILIBRIATED
SAMPLE IS ACCURATELY WIEGHED IN
A MOISTURE DISH MADE OF GLASS
AND THE CORRESPONDING LOSS IN
WT OF THE SAMPLE ON HEATING IT
108-109 degC FOR ONE HR IS NOTED
• THE LOSS IN WT REPRESENTS THE
MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE COAL.
ASH AND MINERAL MATTERS
• DEPENDING ON THE NATURE OF
SOURCE, THE MINERAL MATTER IN
COALS IS CLASSIFIED AS INHERENT
AND EXTRANEOUS.
• THE INORGANIC SUBSTANCES OF THE
ORIGINAL VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES
RESPONSIBLE FOR INHERENT
MINERAL MATTERS.
ASH AND MINERAL MATTERS
• EXTRANEOUS MINERAL MATTER IS
EITHER DUE TO THE SUBSTANCES
WHICH GOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE
DECAYING VEGETABLE MATERIALS
DURING IT CAN HOWEVERBY PARTLY
REMOVED FROM THE COAL B Y
MECHANICAL METHOD. I.E.WASHING.
ASH AND MINERAL MATTERS
• INHERENT MINERAL MATTER CAN NOT
BE SEPERATED BY MECHANICAL
MEANS
• THE MINERAL MATTER DOES NOT
CONTRIBUTE TO THE GROSS
CALORIFIC VALUE OF COAL.
• HIGH ASH CONTENT OF COAL GIVES
LABORIOUS PROBLEM OF REMOVING
AND HANDLING OF ASH.
ASH AND MINERAL MATTERS
• ASH MAY RESTRICT THE PASSAGE OF
AIR AND LOWER THE RATE OF
COMBUSTION.
• SO ACCURATELY DETERMINE THE ASH
IS NECESSARY TO ASCERTAIN THE
QUALITY OF THE COAL AND ALSO
PREDICT THE MAGNITUDE OF THE
ABOVE PROBLEMS.
 ANALYSIS OF ASH
• ONE GRAM OF COAL ACCURATELY
WEIGHED AND KEEP IN FURNACE FOR
ONE HOUR AT 800 +/- 20 degC IN A
FURNACE.
• THE RESIDUE LEFT AFTER TURNING
ALL THE CARBON MATTER GIVES THE
ASH CONTENT OF THE COAL.
 CALCULATING MINERAL
MATTER
• THE MINERAL MATTER OF INDIAN
COALS ARE CALCULATED BY USING
THE SIMPLIFIED PARR FORMULA
• MINERAL MATTER = 1.1A (A=%OF ASH
IN THE COAL)
 VOLATILE MATTER
• THE FLAME SIZE DEPENDS ON THE
VOLATILE MATTER CONTENT OF THE
COAL
• COALS HAVE VERY LOW VOLATILE
MATTER ALTHOUGH HAVE GOOD GCV
ARE DISADVANTAGEOUS AS A
PULVERIZED FUEL.
VOLATILE MATTER