Progress in rapid compaction of coal logs for freight pipelines
The Capsule Pipeline Research Center (CPRC) at the University of Missouri-Columbia is devoted to performing research in capsule pipelines. Since its inception in 1991, the CPRC has focused on research related to the development and rapid commercialization of coal log pipeline technology. Coal log pipelines are freight pipelines that will transport compacted coal through a water filled pipeline. To fully develop this technology and make it ready for commercial use it is necessary to investigate means for fabricating coal logs. This paper describes research progress on the rapid compaction of coal logs for coal log pipeline transport. Economic studies conducted by the CPRC indicate that the cost of producing coal logs and thus the economic competitiveness of coal log pipelines is directly related to the compaction time necessary to make the coal logs. Previous research has demonstrated the ability to make laboratory scale coal logs with a 5 second compaction times. It was also observed that for rapidly compacted coal logs, coal log circulation performance (resistance to abrasion in a commercial pipeline) is maximized, if the logs are compacted from a coal mixture at an optimal moisture content (Gunnink and Yang, 1997). For the bituminous Mettiki coal that has been studied, this optimal moisture content is about 9%, if the compaction time is 5 seconds. The practical application of this is that if stockpiled coal is wetter than optimum, it would require drying of the coal to compact it at the optimum moisture content. Obviously, this would effect the cost of coal log fabrication. The authors hypothesize that an alternative to drying coal exists. If the coal logs are to be made at mix moisture contents that are above the optimum value, then coal log quality can be maintained if the compaction time is increased. In fact, the authors believe that if compaction time is increased such that the bulk density and moisture content of the compacted coal logs are the same, then the circulation performance of the coal logs will be the same. In this paper, some of the results of experiments designed to test this hypothesis are presented. Preliminary results indicate that the hypothesis is valid.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- OSTI ID:
- 20012994
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 23rd International Technical Conference on Coal Utilization and Fuel Systems, Clearwater, FL (US), 03/09/1998--03/13/1998; Other Information: PBD: [1998]; Related Information: In: The proceedings of the 23rd international technical conference on coal utilization and fuel systems, by Sakkestad, B.A. [ed.], 1164 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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