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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Preparation of hot-water-dried LRC-water fuel slurries

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6262177

Hot-water coal drying is a means of thermally beneficiating and dewatering lignite and subbituminous coal for the purpose of producing dense low-rank coal-water slurries. During hot-water drying, low-rank coal is treated at elevated temperatures (250/sup 0/ to 350/sup 0/C) and pressures in excess of the saturated steam pressures to minimize vaporization. This produces coal particulates with less than one-third the moisture of the raw coal which do not reabsorb appreciable water. The hot-water-dried coal-water slurries resulting from the process can be concentrated by mechanical means or by flash evaporation to form pumpable slurries with greater than 60% bone-dry solids content, which have energy contents of greater than 15.4 MJ/Kg (6600 Btu/lb). Hot-water drying also beneficiates the coal by reducing oxygen and minerals. Over 94% of the energy content of the raw coal remains in the product. Concentrated low-rank coal-water fuel slurries typically exhibit pseudoplastic flow behavior and some slurries are stable towards settling, without the use of additives. 14 references, 11 figures, 8 tables.

Research Organization:
North Dakota Univ., Grand Forks (USA). Energy Research Center
DOE Contract Number:
FC21-83FE60181
OSTI ID:
6262177
Report Number(s):
DOE/FE/60181-95; CONF-850357-2; ON: DE85004380
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English