A new dewatering technology, called low temperature drying, has been developed to remove water from ultrafine (minus 325 mesh) coal particles. The process subjects partially dewatered solids to intense mechanical shearing in the presence of unsaturated air. Theoretical analysis of the thermodynamic properties of water indicates residual surface moisture should spontaneously evaporate under these conditions. This is contingent on the large surface area of these fine particles being adequately exposed to an unsaturated stream of air. To demonstrate this process, three dispersion methods were selected for bench-scale testing; the static breaker, air jet conveyor, and centrifugal fan. Each of these devices was chosen for its ability to fully disperse and pneumatically convey the feed cake. The moisture content of the feed cake, and the temperature and relative humidity of the process air were the key parameters that most significantly affected dryer performance. Of the three methods tested, the centrifugal fan produced the best results. The fan was capable of handling feeds as wet as 21.5% and consistently dried the coal fines below 2% moisture. The cost of the air and heat required to provide good drying performance was modeled to explore the practicality of the drying process. Modeling was accomplished by modifying equations developed for thermal dryers. The modeling results indicate, if good exposure of the fine particle surface area is achieved, dryers operating with either heated or unheated (ambient) air can be used for drying ultrafine coal. / Master of Science

A new processing technique, known as hydrophobic displacement, was explored as a means of simultaneously removing both mineral matter and surface moisture from coal in a single process. Previous thermodynamic analysis suggests that coal moisture will be spontaneously displaced by any oil with a contact angle greater than ninety degrees in water. Based on these results, six methods of hydrophobic displacement were evaluated: hand shaking, screening, air classification, centrifugation, filtration, and displacement. In the first five methods hydrophobic displacement took place during the cleaning stage. A recyclable non-polar liquid (i.e. pentane) was used to agglomerate coal fines followed by a physical separation step to remove the coal agglomerates from the mineral-laden slurry. Bench-scale tests were performed to identify the conditions required to create stable agglomerates. Only the last method, displacement, did not utilized agglomeration and performed hydrophobic displacement during dewatering, not cleaning. A procedure was also developed for determining moisture content from evaporation curves so that the contents of water and pentane remaining in a sample could be accurately distinguished. Two primary coal samples were evaluated in the test program, i.e., dry pulverized 80 mesh x 0 clean coal and 100 mesh x 0 flotation feed. These samples were further screened or aged (oxidized) to provide additional test samples. The lowest moisture, 7.5%, was achieved with centrifugation of the pulverized 80 mesh x 0 clean coal sample. Centrifugation provided the most reliable separation method since it consistently produced low moisture, high combustible recoveries, and high ash rejections. Hand shaking produced the next lowest moisture at 16.2%; however, the low moistures were associated with a drop in combustible recovery. There was also a great deal of error in this process due to its arbitrary nature. Factors such as oxidation, size distribution, and contact angle hysteresis influenced the concentrate moistures, regardless of the method utilized. / Master of Science

In modern coal preparation plants, solid-solid and solid-liquid separation processes used to treat fine coal are least efficient and most costly operations. For example, field studies indicate that the froth flotation process, which is normally used to treat minus (-0.2 mm) fine coal, often recovers less than 65 to 70% of the organic matter in this size range. Fine coal separation processes are also inherently less effective in removing pyrite than that of coarse coal separations. Moreover, while fines may represent 10% or less of the total run-of-mine feed, this size fraction often contains one-third or more of the total moisture in the delivered product. In order to address these issues, several multistage coal processing circuits were set up and experimentally tested to demonstrate the potential improvements in fine coal upgrading that may be realistically achievable using an "optimized" fine coal processing flowsheet. On the basis of results obtained from this research, engineering criteria was also developed that may be used to identify optimum circuit configurations for the processing different fine coal streams. In the current study, several fine coal cleaning alternatives were evaluated in laboratory, bench-scale and pilot-scale test programs. Fine coal processes compared in the first phase of this work included spirals, water-only cyclones, teeter-bed separators and froth flotation. The performance of each technology was compared based on separation efficiencies derived from combustible rejection versus ash rejection plots. The resulting data was used to identify size ranges most appropriate for the various alternative processes. As a follow-up to this effort, a second phase of pilot-scale and in-plant testing was conducted to identify new types of spiral circuit configurations that improve fine coal separations. The experimental data from this effort indicates that a four-stage spiral with second- and fourth-stage middlings recycle offered the best option for improved separation efficiency, clean coal yield and combustible recovery. The newly developed spiral circuitry was capable of increasing cumulative clean coal yield by 1.9 % at the same clean coal ash as compared to that of achieved using existing conventional compound spiral technology. Moreover, the experimental results also proved that slurry repluping after two turns is not effective in improving separation performance of spiral circuits. The third phase of work conducted in this study focused on the development of methods for improving the partitioning of pyrite within fine coal circuits. The investigation, which included both laboratory and pilot-scale test programs, indicated that density-based separations are generally effective in reducing sulfur due to the large density difference between pyrite and coal. On the other hand, the data also showed that sulfur rejections obtained in froth flotation are often poor due to the natural floatability of pyrite. Unfortunately, engineering analyses showed that pyrite removal from the flotation feed using density separators would be impractical due to the large volumetric flow of slurry that would need to be treated. On the other hand, further analyses indicated that the preferential partitioning of pyrite to the underflow streams of classifying cyclones and fine wire sieves could be exploited to concentrate pyrite into low-volume secondary streams that could be treated in a cost effective manner to remove pyrite prior to flotation. Therefore, on the basis of results obtained from this experimental study, a combined flotation-spiral circuitry was developed for enhanced ash and sulfur rejections from fine coal circuits. Finally, the fourth phase of work conducted as part of this investigation focused on evaluating a new mechanical, non-thermal dewatering process called Nano Drying Technology (NDT"). Experimental results obtained from bench-scale testing showed that the NDT" system can effectively dewater fine clean coal products from more than 30% surface moisture to single-digit moisture values. Test data obtained using a pilot-scale NDT" plant further validated this capability using a continuous prototype facility. It was also observed that, unlike existing fine coal dewatering processes, the performance of the NDT" system is not constrained by particle size. / Ph. D.

In modern coal preparation plants, solid-solid and solid-liquid separation processes used to treat fine coal are least efficient and most costly operations. For example, field studies indicate that the froth flotation process, which is normally used to treat minus (-0.2 mm) fine coal, often recovers less than 65 to 70% of the organic matter in this size range. Fine coal separation processes are also inherently less effective in removing pyrite than that of coarse coal separations. Moreover, while fines may represent 10% or less of the total run-of-mine feed, this size fraction often contains one-third or more of the total moisture in the delivered product. In order to address these issues, several multistage coal processing circuits were set up and experimentally tested to demonstrate the potential improvements in fine coal upgrading that may be realistically achievable using an "optimized" fine coal processing flowsheet. On the basis of results obtained from this research, engineering criteria was also developed that may be used to identify optimum circuit configurations for the processing different fine coal streams. In the current study, several fine coal cleaning alternatives were evaluated in laboratory, bench-scale and pilot-scale test programs. Fine coal processes compared in the first phase of this work included spirals, water-only cyclones, teeter-bed separators and froth flotation. The performance of each technology was compared based on separation efficiencies derived from combustible rejection versus ash rejection plots. The resulting data was used to identify size ranges most appropriate for the various alternative processes. As a follow-up to this effort, a second phase of pilot-scale and in-plant testing was conducted to identify new types of spiral circuit configurations that improve fine coal separations. The experimental data from this effort indicates that a four-stage spiral with second- and fourth-stage middlings recycle offered the best option for improved separation efficiency, clean coal yield and combustible recovery. The newly developed spiral circuitry was capable of increasing cumulative clean coal yield by 1.9% at the same clean coal ash as compared to that of achieved using existing conventional compound spiral technology. Moreover, the experimental results also proved that slurry repluping after two turns is not effective in improving separation performance of spiral circuits. The third phase of work conducted in this study focused on the development of methods for improving the partitioning of pyrite within fine coal circuits. The investigation, which included both laboratory and pilot-scale test programs, indicated that density-based separations are generally effective in reducing sulfur due to the large density difference between pyrite and coal. On the other hand, the data also showed that sulfur rejections obtained in froth flotation are often poor due to the natural floatability of pyrite. Unfortunately, engineering analyses showed that pyrite removal from the flotation feed using density separators would be impractical due to the large volumetric flow of slurry that would need to be treated. On the other hand, further analyses indicated that the preferential partitioning of pyrite to the underflow streams of classifying cyclones and fine wire sieves could be exploited to concentrate pyrite into low-volume secondary streams that could be treated in a cost effective manner to remove pyrite prior to flotation. Therefore, on the basis of results obtained from this experimental study, a combined flotation-spiral circuitry was developed for enhanced ash and sulfur rejections from fine coal circuits. Finally, the fourth phase of work conducted as part of this investigation focused on evaluating a new mechanical, non-thermal dewatering process called Nano Drying Technology (NDT™). Experimental results obtained from bench-scale testing showed that the NDT™ system can effectively dewater fine clean coal products from more than 30% surface moisture to single-digit moisture values. Test data obtained using a pilot-scale NDT™ plant further validated this capability using a continuous prototype facility. It was also observed that, unlike existing fine coal dewatering processes, the performance of the NDT™ system is not constrained by particle size. / Ph. D.