A PROCESS REPORT ON THE ANALYSIS

OF COAL BLENDS AND SORTING THE

BEST BLEND

SUBMITTED BY:
ALI RAZA

PG14M11-15

AAMIR HUSSAIN

PG15M11-15

M. NAUMAN RASHID

PG16M11-15

MUHAMMAD YOUSAF

PG17M11-15

SESSION 2011-2015
SUPERVISOR:

ENGR. ASIM RIZVI

Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology,
Faculty of Engineering & Technology,
University of the Punjab,
Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Authors are thankful to
ALLAH ALMIGHTY,
For His unlimited blessings and bounties,
And for keeping them sane, sound and successful;
Their parents and friends,
For all their support
And trust in them and their aims;
Their teachers and guides,
For teaching them things they knew not;
ICET Research Centre,
For bringing the opportunity of this brilliant learning;
SUPERVISOR ENGR. ASIM RIZVI,
For leading us from the front;
And last but never the least
Management and Staff of Coal Department
University of the Punjab,
Especially Prof. Dr. Shahid Munir (Director Coal
Department), Research Analysts, Lab Attendants
For their utmost help, guidance and time
This made author most of their research in the Laboratories.

DEDICATION

To Almighty Allah; for His daily blessings, make all

our work possible.
To Our Parents; who are full of sympathy and
everlasting love.
To Engr. ASIM RIZVI for his fatherly behavior and
inspiring guidance.
To Friends who supported all the way down.
To our dearest homeland, Pakistan.

Contents
CHAPTER NO. 0

1.1INTRODUCTION:-......................................................................................................... 6
1.2 BACKGROUND:-......................................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER NO. 02
2.1 BLENDING OF COALS IN POWER STATIONS:-............................................................10
2.2 CLASSIFICATION OF COAL:-...................................................................................... 12
2.2.1 PEAT:-........................................................................................................... 12
2.2.2 ANTHRACITE:-............................................................................................... 13
2.2.3 BITUMINOUS COAL:-..................................................................................... 13
2.2.4 SUB BITUMINOUS COAL:-..............................................................................13
2.2.5 LIGNITE:-...................................................................................................... 13
CHAPTER NO. 03
3.1 EXPERIMENT METHODOLOGY:-.................................................................................16
3.2 PROXIMATE ANALYSIS:-............................................................................................ 16
3.2.1 MOISTURE:-.................................................................................................. 16
3.2.2 VOLATILE MATTER:-...................................................................................... 17
3.2.3 ASH:-............................................................................................................ 17
3.2.4 FIXED CARBON:-........................................................................................... 17
3.3 THERMOGRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS:-...........................................................................18
3.3.1 THE TGA TECHNIQUE:-.......................................................................................... 18
3.3.2 APPLICATIONS OF THERMOGRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS:-...........................................19
3.3.3 ASTM TEST METHODS USING TG ANALYSIS:-........................................................19
CHAPTER NO. 04
4.1 PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF CHIRAGH COAL:-..............................................................21
4.2 PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF DARA SOUF COAL:-..........................................................21
4.3 SELECTION OF MOTHER COAL:-............................................................................... 21
4.4 BLENDING RATIOS:-................................................................................................. 22
4.5 PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF BLENDS:-.........................................................................22
4.6 TGA ANALYSIS OF RESPECTIVE COAL BLENDS:-.......................................................23

4.7 CONCLUSION:-......................................................................................................... 27
REFERENCES:-............................................................................................................... 28

CHAPTER # 01
INTRODUCTION

1.1 INTRODUCTION:Coal is an organic sedimentary rock that contains varying amounts

of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur as well as trace
amounts of other elements, including minerals matter.
Coal is a solid, brittle, combustible, carbonaceous rock formed by
the decomposition and alteration of vegetation by compaction,
temperature, and pressure. It varies in color from brown to black and
is usually stratified. The source of the vegetation is often moss and
other low plant forms, but some coals contain significant amount of
materials that originated from woody precursors.
We use the term "coal" to describe a variety of fossilized plant
materials, but no two coals are exactly alike. Heating value, ash
melting temperature, sulfur and other impurities, mechanical
strength, and any other chemical and physical properties must be
considered when matching specific coals to a particular application.
Because humans have used coal for centuries, much is known about
it. The usefulness of coal as a heat source and the myriad
byproducts that can be produced from coal are well understood.
However, the underlying quality of coal, in terms of its mineral
content, except for sulfur and iron, has not been examined carefully
until relatively recently. The continued and increasingly large-scale
use of coal in the United States and in many others industrialized
and developing nations has resulted in increases in known hazards
and has raised speculation about other possible hazards to
environmental quality and human health. As a result, there is still
much to be learned about the harmful and even the beneficial
attributes of coal and how they may be removed, modified, avoided,
or exploited to make coal use less harmful to humans and nature
and (or) more useful for the general welfare (Stanley P.
Schweinfurth,2009).

1.2 BACKGROUND:Coal is a fossil fuel. It is used worldwide for generating power and is
today one of the largest sources of power generation. Coal occurs in
coal beds in the form rocks. The process of its formation begins
when layers of plant and animal matter accumulate under a water
body. Black color of coal is due its high content of carbon. Apart from
carbon it also contains other elements like sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen
and nitrogen. Combustible property of coal is due to presence of
sulfur and oxygen in high content.
Coal is classified into different types based on percentage of
volatiles existing in it. Most regular types that are institute are peat
coal, sub-bituminous coal, lignite, graphite, bituminous coal; steam
coal and anthracite. All types of coals cannot be used for producing
warmness and electricity.
Coal was in employ as fuel in china from many centuries and was
explored by the British only in delayed 18th century. Chinese used
coal for heating purposes, boiling water, welding weapons and
others. Coal was among the elements that were dug from the earth
as it was observed to make more hotness than that of charcoal.
Huge traveler and explorer Marco Polo referred them as Black rocks
that burn in his writings which was dismissed by his fellow men
stating it as a fancy. Later in 18th century England became
concentrated origin of Iron and Coal which started industrial
revolution. In the same century, people started using it for different
purposes like boiling water, to run steam engines, in factories, ships
etc. British evolved as a commercial head in the world for its
concentrated coal reserves.
Coal deposits were fully ignored in US till industrial revolution
touched the nation in the end of 18th century. Exploitation of coal
beds in Pennsylvania and Virginia by legendary figures helped to
beat coal production of British in early 1900s.Power production was
started in US using warmth energy from coal in early 1900s giving

US World head position in removal and supply of coal. Today coal is

used for many purposes. It is used as a solid fuel for producing
electricity and heat. Coal is burned in a furnace which has a water
boiler, water in the boiler when turns into steam spins turbines and
turns generators to generate electricity.90% of coal extracted is
used for producing electricity and 40% of power in the world is
generated from coal .14% of total power generated is consumed by
US. More than 60% of capacity consumed by China is generated
from coal. However it is inferred from the statistics that coal
consumption is constantly increasing with the increase in citizens. It
is estimated that coal reserves are abundant in US and can last for
more than 200 years, provided rate of consumption remains
unshakeable.
Coal, though main origin of power production has many adverse
effects on environment. Coal releases carbon dioxide when burnt
which is a main factor that is contributing to worldwide warming.
Contamination of air and water ways, destruction of homes with fly
ash spills are some adverse effects of coal.
Due to its abundance, coal has been mined in various parts of the
world throughout history and continues to be an important economic
activity today. Compared to wood fuels, coal yields a higher amount
of energy per mass and could be obtained in areas where wood is
not readily available. Though historically used as a means of
household heating, coal is now mostly used in industry, especially in
smelting and alloy production, as well as electricity generation.
Large-scale coal mining developed during the Industrial Revolution,
and coal provided the main source of primary energy for industry
and transportation in the West from the 18th century to the 1950s.
Coal remains an important energy source, due to its low cost and
abundance when compared to other fuels, particularly for electricity
generation. However, coal is also mined today on a large scale by
open pit methods wherever the coal strata strike the surface and is

relatively shallow.
Britain developed
the main techniques of underground coal mining
th
from the
late
18
century
onward with further progress being driven
by 19th century and early 20th century progress.
However oil and its associated fuels began to be used as alternative
from this time onward. By the late 20th century coal was for the
most part replaced in domestic as well as industrial and
transportation usage by oil, natural gas or electricity produced from
oil, gas, nuclear power or renewable energy sources.
Since 1890, coal mining has also been a political and social issue.
Coal miners' labor and trade unions became powerful in many
countries in the 20th century, and often the miners were leaders of
the Left or Socialist movements (as in Britain, Germany, Poland,
Japan, Canada and the U.S.) Since 1970, environmental issues have
been increasingly important, including the health of miners,
destruction of the landscape from strip mines and mountaintop
removal, air pollution, and coal combustion's contribution to global
warming.

CHAPTER # 02
LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 BLENDING OF COALS IN POWER STATIONS:Coal blending in power station is mainly adopted to reduce the
cost of generation and increase availability of coal. The low-grade
coals can be mixed with better grade coal without deterioration in
thermal performance of the boiler thus reducing the cost of
generation. Many nations, blending of coal were being adopted
for a very long period mainly for increasing the availability of coal
for power generation. To improve the availability of coal and also
to improve the calorific value of coal being fired, some of the
power stations look at the possibility of mixing high grade
imported coal with the low grade high ash coals.
There are many methods adopted for blending which can be at
Coal Mines, Preparation Plants, Transshipment point and Power
Stations. The method to be chosen will depend upon the site
conditions, level of blending required, quantity to be stored and
blended, accuracy required and end use of blended coal.
Normally in large power stations, handling very large quantity of
coal, the stacking method with fully mechanized system is
followed.
To decide blend or not, it is very important to understand the
composition of coals that are to be blended. This means one will
have to understand the origin of coal, the chemistry of inorganic,
chemistry of organic and the combustion properties & behavior of
the coals in question. It has been established that coals which are
formed by Drift Theory of coal formation and the coals due to
swamp theory of coal formation have to be blended with caution.
The main difference between coal formed due to drift theory and
swamp theory is that the coal formed by drift theory exhibits
pronounced regional variation in thickness and quality of seams.
They also enormously have very high ash content with varying
inorganic chemistry. The organics of the drift origin coal also
possess problem mainly because the vegetation that lead to
forming of coal are drifted from different places having different
kind of vegetation. However the coals formed by swamp theory

have more uniform organic property and much less ash content
with consistent chemistry of inorganic.
During combustion, it is really necessary to understand the
physical conditions and coal properties during heating of the
particles, devolatalisation, ignition and combustion of the volatile
matter and ignition and combustion of the char. It is also equally
important to know the phase changes in mineral matter and other
in-organics present in coal. The combustion efficiency and carbon
loss will have to be also addressed during blending of coals. It is
also necessary to look into the aspects of slagging, fouling and
emission characteristics like NOx, SOx and particulate.
It has been found from various literatures, discussions and
conferences that blending of coals is expected to grow over the
next decade as electric utilities attempt to reduce cost, meet SO 2
emission limits and improve combustion performance of their
coals. All aspects of a blends behavior and its effect on all
components of power stations, from the stockpile to the stack,
should be considered before the most appropriate blend
composition is chosen.
Because of the complexity of the combustion process and the
number of variables involved (which are still not fully understood),
it is difficult to extrapolate small scale results to full scale
plant. Thus, power station operational experience in a wide range
of plant configurations with a variety of coal feedstock is essential
for determining the practical significance of results from bench
and pilot scale tests. More published data on how the behavior
of the coals / blends utilized in these tests differs from their actual
performance in power station boilers are required.
Predicting the risk of spontaneous combustion of coal stocks is
another aspect of current fuel quality research. In addition to the
inherent dangers, uncontrolled burning can lead to the release of
pollutants; while the economic issues associated with the loss of a
valuable energy resource is also a concern.

The presence of trace elements in coal combustion has also

received increased attention throughout the world during the last
few years, with elements such as mercury of particular concern.
One way to reduce trace element emissions is cleaning the coal
prior to combustion. The use of cleaner coals those with lower
ash and sulphur contents can have the added advantage of
substantially reducing operating costs. Again, however, some
effects may be detrimental (ash deposition may be exacerbated,
and the effects on corrosion and precipitator performance are
uncertain) which makes testing vital.
It has been found from field data that even if the blended coal
closely resembles the design coal for the boiler, the blend need
not perform the same way.
This is mainly due to the
transformation of inorganic particles during combustion and the
way in which the organics are dispersed in coal. A limitation to
blending coals is the compatibility of the coals themselves and
problems are more likely when blending petro-graphically different
coals or coals with different ash chemistry.
Non-additive
properties make blend evaluation for power generation inherently
complex.
More work is required on understanding how the
inorganic components of coals in the blend interact and how it
affects ash behavior including its emissivity, reflectivity and
thermal conductivity.
Blending decisions should be based on the knowledge of the
specific behavior of a given pair of coals, rather than an
assumption of linear variation of properties with blend traction.
The ever more stringent constraints like environmental
regulations, maximum efficiency at reduced cost of power
generation, improved availability and reliability etc., placed on
coal-fired power stations worldwide and the continuing
development of new technologies means that the issue of fuel
quality improvement will remain a primary factor.

2.2 CLASSIFICATION OF COAL:Coal is classified into four general categories, or "ranks." They range
from lignite through sub bituminous and bituminous to anthracite,

reflecting the progressive response of individual deposits of coal to

increasing heat and pressure. The carbon content of coal supplies
most of its heating value, but other factors also influence the
amount of energy it contains per unit of weight. (The amount of
energy in coal is expressed in British thermal units per pound. A BTU
is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one
pound of water one degree Fahrenheit).2
Coal exists or is classified as various types, and each type has
distinctly different properties from the other types.

2.2.1 PEAT:It is considered to be a precursor of coal, has industrial importance

as a fuel in some regions, for example, Ireland and Finland. In its
dehydrated form, peat is a highly effective absorbent for fuel and oil
spills on land and water.

2.2.2 ANTHRACITE:It is highest rank of coal and is used primarily for residential and
commercial space heating. It is hard, brittle, and black lustrous coal,
containing a high percentage of fixed carbon and a low percentage
of volatile matter. The moisture content of fresh-mined anthracite
generally is less than 15%. The heat content of anthracite ranges
from 22 to 28 million Btu/ton on a moist, mineral-free basis.

2.2.3 BITUMINOUS COAL:It is a dense coal, usually black, 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. The moisture content of bituminous coal is usually less than
20% by weight. The heat content of bituminous coal ranges from 21
to 30 million Btu/ton on a moist, mineral-matter-free basis.

2.2.4 SUB BITUMINOUS COAL:It is a coal whose properties range from those of lignite to those of
bituminous coal, used primarily as fuel or steam-electric power
generation. It may be dull, dark brown to black, and soft and
crumbly at the lower end of the range, to bright, black, hard and
relatively strong at the upper end. Sub bituminous coal contains 2030% inherent moisture by weight. The heat content of sub
bituminous coal ranges from 17 to 24 million Btu/ton in a moist,
mineral-matter-free basis.

2.2.5 LIGNITE:It is the lowest rank of coal, often referred to as brown coal, used
almost exclusively as fuel for steam-power generation. It is brownish
black and has high inherent moisture content, sometimes as high as
45%. The heat content of lignite ranges from 9 to 17 million Btu/ton
on a moist, mineral-matter-free basis.
Table 2.1 Classification of Coal by Rank
Fixed Carbon
(wt % dry mmf)
Class or
Rank

Group

Equal
or

Anthracitic

Volatile Matter
(wt % dry
mmf)

greater
than
Meta Anthracite
98
Anthracite
92
Semi Anthracite
86
Low-volatile
78
Bituminous

Less
than

Equal
Greater or
less
than than

Gross
Heating Value
(MJ/kg moist
mmf)
Equal
or

Less
than

32.55

98
92
-

2
8
-

2
8
14

greater
than
-

86

14

22

32.55

Bituminous

Sub
bituminous
Lignite

Medium-volatile
Bituminous
High-volatile A
Bituminous
High-volatile B
Bituminous
High-volatile C
Bituminous
Sub bituminous
A
Sub bituminous
B
Sub bituminous
C
Lignite A
Lignite B

69

78

22

31

30.23

30.23

69

31

26.74

26.74

24.41

24.41

26.74

22.09

24.41

19.30
14.65

22.09
19.30
14.65

CHAPTER # 03
EXPERIMENTATION

3.1 EXPERIMENT METHODOLOGY:Chiragh coal was used as a coal sample-1 and Dara Souf coal was
used as a coal sample-2 for experimental study. Moisture was
determined according to ASTM standard D3173-03, Ash was
determined according to ASTM standard D3174-04, and volatile
matter was determined according to ASTM standard D 3175-02
(ASTM Standards, 2004).

3.2 PROXIMATE ANALYSIS:Test method can be used to establish the rank of coals, show the
ratio of combustible to incombustible constituents, provide the basis
for buying and selling, and evaluate for beneficiation or for other
purposes.
Moisture contents were analyzed according to ASTM standard
D3173-03. Ash contents were analyzed according to ASTM standard
D3174-04. Volatile matters were analyzed according to ASTM
standard D3175-02 (ASTM Standards, 2004).

3.2.1 MOISTURE:Moisture is an important property of coal, as all coals are mined wet.
Groundwater and other extraneous moisture is known as
adventitious moisture and is readily evaporated. Moisture held
within the coal itself is known as inherent moisture and is analyzed.
Moisture may occur in four possible forms within coal:
Surface moisture: water held on the surface of coal particles.
Hydroscopic moisture: water held by capillary action within the
micro fractures of the coal.
Decomposition moisture: water held within the coals decomposed
organic compounds.

Mineral moisture: water which comprises part of the crystal

structure of hydrous silicates such as clays.

3.2.2 VOLATILE MATTER:Volatile matter in coal refers to the components of coal, except for moisture, which
are liberated at high temperature in the absence of air. This is usually a mixture of
short and long chain hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons and some sulfur. The
volatile matter of coal is determined under rigidly controlled standards. In
Australian and British laboratories this involves heating the coal sample to 900
5 C (1650 10 F) for 7 minutes in a cylindrical silica crucible in a muffle
furnace. American Standard procedures involve heating to 950 25 C (1740
45 F) in a vertical platinum crucible.

3.2.3 ASH:Ash content of coal is the non-combustible residue left after coal is
burnt. It represents the bulk mineral matter after carbon, oxygen,
sulfur and water (including from clays) has been driven off during
combustion. Analysis is fairly straightforward, with the coal
thoroughly burnt and the ash material expressed as a percentage of
the original weight.

3.2.4 FIXED CARBON:The fixed carbon content of the coal is the carbon found in the
material which is left after volatile materials, water and ash are
driven off. This differs from the ultimate carbon content of the coal
because some carbon is lost in hydrocarbons with the volatiles.
Fixed carbon is used as an estimate of the amount of coke that will
be yielded from a sample of coal. Fixed carbon is determined by
removing the mass of volatiles determined by the volatility test,
above, from the original mass of the coal sample.
The objective of coal proximate analysis is to determine the amount
of fixed carbon (FC), volatile matters (VM), moisture, and ash within

the coal sample. The variables are measured in weight percent (wt.
%) and are calculated in several different bases. AR (as-received)
basis is the most widely used basis in industrial applications. AR
basis puts all variables into consideration and uses the total weight
as the basis of measurement. AD (air-dried) basis neglect the
presence of moistures other than inherent moisture while DB (drybasis) leaves out all moistures, including surface moisture, inherent
moisture, and other moistures. DAF (dry, ash free) basis neglect all
moisture and ash constituent in coal while DMMF (dry, mineralmatter-free) basis leaves out the presence of moisture and mineral
matters in coal, for example: quartz, pyrite, calcite, etc. Mineral
matter is not directly measured but may be obtained by one of a
number of empirical formula based on the ultimate and proximate
analysis.

3.3 THERMOGRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS:Thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis provides determination of

endotherms, exotherms, and weight loss on heating, cooling, and
more. Materials analyzed by TGA include polymers, plastics,
composites, laminates, adhesives, food, coatings, pharmaceuticals,
organic materials, rubber, petroleum, chemicals, explosives and
biological samples.

3.3.1 THE TGA TECHNIQUE: TGA measures the amount of weight change of a material, either as
a function of increasing temperature, or isothermally as a function of
time, in an atmosphere of nitrogen, helium, air, other gas, or in
vacuum.
Thermal gravimetric analysis can be interfaced with a mass
spectrometer RGA to identify and measure the vapors generated,
though there is greater sensitivity in two separate measurements.
Inorganic materials, metals, polymers and plastics, ceramics,
glasses, and composite materials can be analyzed.

 Temperature range from 25C to 900C routinely. The maximum

temperature is 1000C.
Sample weight can range from 1 mg to 150 mg. Sample weights of
more than 25 mg are preferred, but excellent results are sometimes
obtainable on 1 mg of material.
Weight change sensitivity of 0.01 mg.
Samples can be analyzed in the form of powder or small pieces so
the interior sample temperature remains close to the measured gas
temperature.

3.3.2 APPLICATIONS OF THERMOGRAVIMETRIC

ANALYSIS:

Determines temperature and weight change

of decomposition reactions, which often allows quantitative
composition analysis. May be used to determine water content.
Allows analysis of reactions with air, oxygen,
or other reactive gases (see illustration below).
Can be used to measure evaporation rates,
such as to measure the volatile emissions of liquid mixtures.
Allows determination of Curie temperatures
of magnetic transitions by measuring the temperature at which the
force exerted by a nearby magnet disappears on heating or
reappears on cooling.
Helps to identify plastics and organic
materials by measuring the temperature of bond scissions in inert
atmospheres or of oxidation in air or oxygen.
Used to measure the weight of fiberglass
and inorganic fill materials in plastics, laminates, paints, primers,
and composite materials by burning off the polymer resin. The fill
material can then be identified by XPS and/or microscopy. The fill

material may be carbon black, TiO2, CaCO3, MgCO3, Al2O3, Al(OH)3,

Mg(OH)2, talc, Kaolin clay, or silica, for instance.

Can measure the fill materials added to

some foods, such as silica gels and titanium dioxide.

Can determine the purity of a mineral,

inorganic compound, or organic material.

Distinguishes different mineral compositions

from broad mineral types, such as borax, boric acid, and silica gels.

3.3.3 ASTM TEST METHODS USING TG

ANALYSIS:

ASTM D2584 Standard Test Method for Ignition Loss of Cured

Reinforced Resins.
ASTM E1131 Standard Test Method for Compositional Analysis by

Thermogravimetry.
ASTM E1641 Standard Test Method for Decomposition Kinetics by

Thermogravimetry Using the Ozawa/Flynn/Wall Method.

ASTM E2008 Standard Test Method for
Thermogravimetry.

Volatility

Rate

by

CHAPTER # 04
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF CHIRAGH COAL:SAPMLE NO. SAMPLE NO.

01
02

AVERAGE

MOISTURE

1.98

1.98

1.98

VOLATILE
MATTER

10.21

9.64

9.92

ASH

36.8

38.2

37.5

FIXED
CARBON

50.81

50.38

50.59

4.2 PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF DARA SOUF

COAL:SAPMLE NO. SAMPLE NO.
01
02

AVERAGE

MOISTURE

4.95

4.95

4.95

VOLATILE
MATTER

29.34

32.19

30.77

ASH

15.7

16.3

16.00

FIXED
CARBON

50.01

46.56

48.28

4.3 SELECTION OF MOTHER COAL:After doing proximate analysis of both the coals (Dara Souf &
Chiragh), it is found that both of them have nearly equal contents of
fixed carbon, so we have to distinguish between them on the basis
of volatile matter and ash contents. We concluded that Dara Souf
coal is better than Chiragh coal because it has relatively less
contents of ash and more contents of volatile matter. We made
blends by keeping Dara Souf coal as mother coal.

4.4 BLENDING RATIOS:BLENDING

MIXTURES

DARA SOUF
COAL

CHIRAGH COAL

SAMPLE 01-

90

10

SAMPLE 02-

70

30

SAMPLE 03-

60

40

SAMPLE 04-

55

45

4.5 PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF BLENDS:MOISTUR VOLATILE

E
MATTER

ASH

FIXED
CARBON

SAMPLE
01

4.70

29.06

15.63

50.61

SAMPLE
02

4.21

28.46

14.96

52.37

SAMPLE
03

4.14

27.83

14.28

53.75

SAMPLE
04

3.98

26.63

13.88

55.51

4.6 TGA ANALYSIS OF RESPECTIVE COAL

BLENDS:-

4.7 CONCLUSION:Proximate analysis is the determination of the moisture, ash, and

volatile matter. ASTM standard methods have been written for
proximate analysis. TGA can be used to perform the proximate
analysis of a coal sample.
The furnace temperature is ramped to 110C and held isothermally.
This ensures that any weight loss experienced is a direct effect of
the moisture of the coal. The temperature is then ramped to 900C
and held isothermally. Any weight loss occurring in this isotherm
region is a direct result of the loss of volatiles. The previous two
steps are performed in a nitrogen atmosphere. For the third part, the
atmosphere is changed to oxygen. This creates an environment
suitable for combustion. Once the coal is completely combusted, the
residue is taken as the ash.
Coal blends are used to make coal burning more environmentally
considerate. Coals having high sulfur contents can be blended with
low sulfur coal to decrease SO 2 emissions, while retaining the
efficiency. TGA is a very versatile instrument in assessing the
feasibility of using coal blends. The linear additive rule can be used
to estimate the theoretical composite value of a blend, but TGA
must be used to estimate whether or not the properties of the blend
are additive or not. A property is additive when the blends physical
property can be predicted by the relative amounts of the component
coals and their physical properties. The linear additive rule is a
relationship defined by the properties of a coal in a blend and the
amount of that coal in the blend. A series of coal blends were
studied under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions in order to
determine what physical properties of specific coal blends are
additive or non-additive. Collectively the TG curves show that some
TG parameters under non-isothermal combustion conditions are
additive such as residue and weight loss while others such as peak
temperature and maximum rate are not. For isothermal combustion
the peak temperature and maximum rate are additive, while the
residue and combustion end point temperature is not. TGA is utilized
to such a great extent because TGA analysis of coal blends is fast,

simple, and yields precise and accurate results.

REFERENCES:1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
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