Control systems in coal-preparation plants. Final report

Technical Report · Mon Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:6174407

Wells, C H

This report for RP1338-1 presents the results of a preliminary assessment of control systems in coal preparation plants. This is Phase I of a project dealing with US coal-cleaning instrumentation and automation. During this project phase, 12 coal-cleaning plants were investigated to determine current instrumentation and control practices. At each plant, the plant manager and operators were interviewed, and four coal-cleaning plant design firms were surveyed to determine their attitudes toward new and improved coal-cleaning instrumentation and control systems. General findings of the project are that instrumentation in current coal-cleaning plants is relatively primitive and that often even the most basic operations, such as fluid levels and cleaning media gravities, are not automatically controlled. Even when control instrumentation is installed, it is not adequately maintained. The report concludes that the lack of control systems in coal-cleaning plants is attributable to a lack of economic incentives due to past low coal prices and to the fact that reliable instrumentation has generally not been available. The Continuous On-line Nuclear Analyzer of Coal (CONAC), developed under RP983, could help to alleviate this situation by providing on-line measurements on a real-time basis. The report details possible uses of instrumentation and controls in all phases of coal cleaning, from feed control to automated operation of unit processes. It also discusses possible economic gains that could result from tighter product quality control and consequent higher clean-coal yields.

• Research Organization: Envirotech Corp., Palo Alto, CA (USA). Envirotech Measurement Systems Div.
• OSTI ID: 6174407
• Report Number(s): EPRI-CS-1880; ON: DE81903784
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
013000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
AUTOMATION
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
COAL PREPARATION
COAL PREPARATION PLANTS
COMMINUTION
CONCENTRATORS
CONTROL SYSTEMS
CYCLONE SEPARATORS
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
DISPLAY DEVICES
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
FLOTATION
FLOWMETERS
HEAVY MEDIA SEPARATION
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INERTIAL SEPARATORS
JIGS
LEVEL INDICATORS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METERS
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
NONMETALS
ON-LINE CONTROL SYSTEMS
ON-LINE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS
ON-LINE SYSTEMS
PARTICLE SIZE
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
REAGENTS
SEPARATION EQUIPMENT
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SIZE
SULFUR
X-RAY EMISSION ANALYSIS
X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS