ACARP ACARP ACARP ACARP
Technical Market Support

Fusibility of Coal Blends and Minerals in Coking

Technical Market Support » Metallurgical Coal

Published: April 19Project Number: C25049

Get ReportAuthor: Priyanthi Hapugoda, Merrick Mahoney, Graham O’Brien, Greg Krahenbuhl, Paul McPhee & Karryn Warren | CSIRO and The University of Newcastle

The CSIRO optical reflected light imaging CGA (Coal Grain Analysis) system was developed and enhanced with ACARP support to provide compositional information on individual coal grains for many studies across the coal chain from exploration and processing to utilization, and including environmental aspects. The output from this system provides a reflectance fingerprint on the maceral groups, and compositional information, particle density and ash value on each individual grain. This system also has the capability to identify the reflectance boundary between fusible and infusible inertinite in individual coal particles for Australian coking coals. When analyses are conducted on size fractions of coke oven feed coal (nominal top size of 4mm) the CGA results provide detailed information of the overall maceral and grain type composition of the entire sample and the size distribution of the macerals (including infusible and fusible organic inerts and minerals separately) and grain types and the association between macerals and minerals in the individual grains for the coke oven feed samples.

The objectives of this project were to enhance the CGA system and to use the system to:

  • Determine the relationship between rank and the fusible reflectance range for an additional six coals from different Australian coal basins;
  • Characterise coal blends;
  • Investigate the transformation of major minerals during Coking;
  • Validate the CGA analysis of standard petrographic samples to determine the fusible and infusible constituents.

During project C21059, the CGA system was used to analyse matched coal and coke halves to determine the fusible reflectance range for six Australian coking coals of different ranks. These results showed that the reflectance range for the fusible inertinite was greatest for the lowest rank coals and decreased with increasing rank. The first goal of this project was to analyse an additional six Australian coals using the same methodology, increasing the total number of samples to twelve, which allowed us to confirm the relationship between the fusible inertinite reflectance range and coal rank identified during C21059.

The second project goal was to modify the CGA system to analyse coal blends to provide:

  • Details on the overall size distribution of the coals in the blend;
  • Maceral and grain type abundances for the individual coals in simple blends; and
  • Breakdown of inertinite into fusible and infusible inertinite for each coal.

The third objective of the project was to investigate mineral transformation during coking and mineral interactions with the organic matrix by analysing the matching individual mineral grains in the coal and coke sample halves. This approach identified that the size and compositional transformation of minerals during the coking process is primarily based on the chemical composition of the original minerals and their associations with the organic material within the parent coal particles and in the resulting coke material. More work is, however, required to obtain a better understanding of the evolution of mineral phases and the mineral/maceral interactions that may have occurred during coking.

Underground

Health and safety, productivity and environment initiatives.

Recently Completed Projects

C33029Review Longwall Face Ventilation To Mitigate Goaf Gas Emissions Onto Walkways And Tailgate End

As longwall mining increasingly targets deeper coal seams, managing ...

C29009Control Of Transient Touch Voltages During Switching

There have been an increasing number of electric shock incidents rep...

C29025Effectiveness Of Shotcrete In Underground Coal Mines

The primary objective of this project is to quantify the effectivene...

Underground

Open Cut

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

Recently Completed Projects

C33036Radar Tyre Monitor System

This project focussed on trialling a radar sensing technology design...

C26020Preventing Fatigue Cracking Via Proactive Surface Dressing

Fatigue cracking of plant and equipment presents a significant chall...

C33046Rationale For The Use Of Paired Continuous Real Time Noise Monitors To Reduce Uncertainty In The Quantification Of Noise From Open Cut Coal Mines

Numerous experimental studies of varying duration have been undertak...

Open Cut

Coal Preparation

Maximising throughput and yield while minimising costs and emissions.

Recently Completed Projects

C34041A Coal Spiral For The 2020S

The objective of this project is to develop an enhanced coal process...

C33057Foreign Contaminants Detection On Conveyor Belts Using Digital Imaging Processing Techniques And Coal Penetrating Sensors

This project was initiated to tackle the ongoing issue of foreign co...

C29065Wash Plant Fines Testing Methods Enhancement

Accurately estimating the proportion of expected fine size material ...

Coal Preparation

Technical Market Support

Market acceptance and emphasising the advantages of Australian coals.

Recently Completed Projects

C34054Scoping Study: Design Of Cokes From Biomass-Coal Blends For Sustainable Blast Furnace Ironmaking

There is an increasing focus on improving the environmental sustaina...

C34058Strength Development In Fouling Deposits

When coal is combusted in a boiler, the fly ash that is produced flo...

C34059Coke Reactivity With CO2 And H2O And Impacts On Coke Microstructure And Gas Diffusion

With the global shift to low-carbon ironmaking, partial substitution...

Technical Market Support

Mine Site Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the production of coal.

Recently Completed Projects

C34066Safe Operation Of Catalytic Reactors For The Oxidation Of VAM Operating Under Abnormal Reaction Conditions

The catalyst Pd/TS-1 has shown excellent activity in oxidising venti...

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...

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