Comparative studies of magnetite and magnetically fractioned coal fly ash heavy media

Technical Report · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983

OSTI ID:5970135

Mitas, D W

To meet air quality standards, high-sulfur, high-ash coals are beneficiated by washing in heavy media separation units prior to combustion. Over 300 million tons of coal were cleaned last year and this amount is predicted to rise to 400 million tons by 1985. Finely ground magnetite, a dense form of iron oxide, is used in the preparation of the heavy medium suspensions used in the separation units. The average magnetite loss from a large heavy medium coal-cleaning facility can be as large as 10,000 to 13,000 tons per year, representing nearly one million dollars of annual operating costs. The possibility of using the iron-rich fraction derived from coal fly ash as a heavy media material has been recognized for some time, however, its use has not been fully investigated. In this work, a detailed comparison of the physical properties and media stabilities of commercial magnetites and the high-iron fly ash fraction were evaluated. Suspensions of several media materials were tested in a test loop to determine particle attrition, abrasion of system materials, and flow circuit power requirements. The results of this study indicate that high-iron fly ash shows promise as a lower cost, suitable replacement for ground magnetite.

• Research Organization: Ames Lab., IA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-82
• OSTI ID: 5970135
• Report Number(s): IS-T-1029; ON: DE83016143
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010800 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Waste Management
013000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320305 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Industrial Waste Management
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360603 -- Materials-- Properties
ABRASION
AEROSOL WASTES
ASHES
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHALCOGENIDES
CLEANING
COAL
COAL PREPARATION
COMMINUTION
DENSITY
ENERGY SOURCES
FLY ASH
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HEAVY MEDIA SEPARATION
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON ORES
IRON OXIDES
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
MAGNETITE
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MATERIALS RECOVERY
MATERIALS TESTING
MINERALS
ORES
OXIDE MINERALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
RESIDUES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TESTING
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
WASHING
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION
WASTES