ACARP ACARP ACARP ACARP
Technical Market Support

Extension of the CGA Maceral Chemistry Database and Development of Optical Mineral Markers

Technical Market Support » General

Published: June 15Project Number: C23050

Get ReportAuthor: Priyanthi Hapugoda, Gregoire Krahenbuhl, Graham O’Brien, Bruce Firth and Karryn Warren | CSIRO

CSIRO have developed an optical reflected light imaging and analysis system (Coal Grain Analysis) which provides reflectance and composition information on individual coal particles.  A feature of this system is that colour images, collected with an air objective, are mosaiced together to enable detailed (micron level) information to be obtained on particle sizes up to 4mm.

This project is an extension of ACARP project C20040 'Improved Understanding of Coal Exploration Samples by Coal Grain Analysis' but also has a second goal to extend the CGA system's capability to provide detail on coal minerals.

During ACARP project C20040 this system was used to develop and validate correlations between maceral chemistries and maceral reflectance for a suite of six Australian coals from different coal measures.  These results showed that for a similar mean random maceral reflectance value, the inertinite contains less carbon and more oxygen than does the vitrinite.  The inertinite and vitrinite constituents which have similar reflectance values came from coals of different rank, the inertinite material was a component of a lower rank coal.  The hydrogen, nitrogen and volatile matter contents for both the vitrinite and inertinite maceral groups decreased as maceral reflectance increased.

For this project an additional 6 Australian coking coals were analysed using a similar methodology.  This has increased the total number of samples for which we have maceral chemistry information to 12, which is a sufficient number to make a meaningful assessment of the link between maceral reflectance and maceral chemistry.

For coking coals whole coal reflectogram data has been used to develop models which predict the performance of single coals and coal blends during coking (Gupta et al., 2012).  At this stage we are unclear what implications these differences in carbon content and volatile matter between vitrinite and inertinite with the same reflectance may have for using whole coal reflectogram data for predicting coking behaviour.

To investigate whether there are differences in the relationships between maceral reflectance and maceral chemistry for coals from different Australian coal measures or basins, the 12 coals which have been studied were grouped into three general regions which were the Rangals/Baralaba coal measures, the German Creek/Goonyella coal measures and the Newcastle/Illawarra coal measures.  These results suggested that the trends which were observed between maceral reflectance and maceral chemistry were not coal measure specific.  This suggests that observed differences in coking performance between coals from these coal measures are not due to differences in maceral chemistry but may however be due to other factors such as differences in mineralogy or in the coal structure/texture of the individual particles of coal after crushing to produce coke oven feed.  

The second project goal was to modify the CGA system capabilities to provide detail on coal minerals.  This built on the findings from a previous CSIRO study which established that many of the minerals present in coking coals have colour reflectance fingerprints which allow them to be identified in optical reflected light images.

This information is considered to have most benefit to understanding the deleterious effect that some minerals have during coke making as it enables size information and mineral maceral associations to be determined.  CGA results are also used quite extensively for the assessment of exploration samples.  Mineral maceral association information obtained for these samples would assist in assessing liberation and determining whether specific minerals, such as apatite, calcite and siderite, which can affect coking coal performance during utilisation, are likely to preferentially report to the product coal or to rejects.

The CGA software is currently undergoing a significant upgrade so that it can report these details and other recent developments.  Integration of mineral species and maceral chemistry information into the CGA processing software will enable an estimate of chemical properties and mineral species abundance and size information to be made for each individual particle.

Underground

Health and safety, productivity and environment initiatives.

Recently Completed Projects

C34019Longwall Bretby Cable Handling Monitoring With Fibre Optics

This project examined the potential of using fibre optic sensing tec...

C27049Mine Machine Radar Sensor Integration

The aim of this project was to develop an integrated radar sensor an...

C29007Innovative Coal Burst System To Investigate The Influence Of Confinement Loss And Pre-Conditioning On Coal Burst Mechanism

The challenges associated with designing and operating a safe and pr...

Underground

Open Cut

Safety, productivity and the right to operate are priorities for open cut mine research.

Recently Completed Projects

C33035High Water Recovery, Low Cost Desalination Using PV-Powered Membrane Capacitive Deionisation (Mcdi)

Capacitive deionization is a robust, energy efficient and cost effec...

C28035Topsoil Deficits In Site Rehabilitation Accelerated Transformation Of Spoils To Functional Soils

The incorporation of commercial biological amendments (compost, worm...

C34036Tyre Handler Testing Rig Stage 2: Lifting Trials

Tyre handling is a major source of risk in surface mining operations...

Open Cut

Coal Preparation

Maximising throughput and yield while minimising costs and emissions.

Coal Preparation

Technical Market Support

Market acceptance and emphasising the advantages of Australian coals.

Recently Completed Projects

C34060In-Situ Investigation Of Coke Structure Formation Under Stamp Charged Coking Conditions

Stamp charged cokemaking has emerged as an effective technique to im...

C34062Improving The Classification Of Microstructure Distribution In Coke CT Images Using Deep Learning And Lineal Path Calculations

This project builds on a number of earlier projects that have helped...

C29071Source Of Variability Of Reactivity Of Coke In The CSR Test

The Coke Strength after Reaction (CSR) test is used worldwide to det...

Technical Market Support

Mine Site Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the production of coal.

Recently Completed Projects

C28076Selective Absorption Of Methane By Ionic Liquids (SAMIL)

This third and final stage of this project was the culmination of a ...

C29069Low-Cost Catalyst Materials For Effective VAM Catalytic Oxidation

Application of ventilation air methane (VAM) thermal oxidiser requir...

C23052Novel Stone Dust Looping Process For Ventilation Air Methane Abatement

This multi‐phase project is concerned with the mitigation of m...

Mine Site Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Low Emission Coal Use

Step-change technologies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Recently Completed Projects

C17060BGasification Of Australian Coals

Four Australian coals were trialled in the Siemens 5 MWth pilot scale ga...

C17060AOxyfuel Technology For Carbon Capture And Storage Critical Clean Coal Technology - Interim Support

The status of oxy-fuel technology for first-generation plant is indicate...

C18007Review Of Underground Coal Gasification

This report consists of a broad review of underground coal gasification,...

Low Emission Coal Use

Mining And The Community

The relationship between mines and the local community.

Recently Completed Projects

C16027Assessing Housing And Labour Market Impacts Of Mining Developments In Bowen Basin Communities

The focus of this ACARP-funded project has been to identify a number...

C22029Understanding And Managing Cumulative Impacts Of Coal Mining And Other Land Uses In Regions With Diversified Economies

The coal industry operates in the context of competing land-uses that sh...

C23016Approval And Planning Assessment Of Black Coal Mines In NSW And Qld: A Review Of Economic Assessment Techniques

This reports on issues surrounding economic assessment and analysis ...

Mining And The Community

NERDDC

National Energy Research,Development & Demonstration Council (NERDDC) reports - pre 1992.

Recently Completed Projects

1609-C1609Self Heating of Spoil Piles from Open Cut Coal Mines

Self Heating of Spoil Piles from Open Cut Coal Mines

1301-C1301Stress Control Methods for Optimised Development...

Stress Control Methods for Optimised Development and Extraction Operations

0033-C1356Commissioned Report: Australian Thermal Coals...

Commissioned Report: Australian Thermal Coals - An Industry Handbook

NERDDC