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Amax builds large coal drying plant at its Belle Ayr Mine

Journal Article · · Min. Eng. (Littleton, Colo.); (United States)
OSTI ID:6475407
Coal seams in Wyoming's Powder River Basin range in thickness from 21 m (70 ft) to more than 61 m (200 ft). That's good. And Powder River Basin coal is low in sulfur. That's also good. But Powder River Basin coal is high in moisture. That lowers its heating value. And that's not so good. Coal mined at Amax's Belle Ayr mine averages only 0.3% to 0.4% sulfur. The result is a clean burning fuel. But the coal's moisture content averages about 30% and its heating value rates about 8860 kJ (8400 Btu). Amax decided to do something about the moisture in its Wyoming coal. Dry the coal, remove some of the moisture, and raise the heating value. So Amax is building a 1.1-Mt/a (1.2-million stpy) thermal coal-drying facility at its Belle Ayr mine in Wyoming. In addition to being the first commercial scale unit, the drying facility will be one of the largest construction projects in the history of Amax coal company. The reason for building a coal drying facility is to expand the marketability of the Powder River Basin coals. In 1971, the Environmental Protection Agency adopted New Source Performance Standards. By using the dried coal product, utilities will be able to reduce the sulfur emissions at some generating stations, to better comply with.
OSTI ID:
6475407
Journal Information:
Min. Eng. (Littleton, Colo.); (United States), Journal Name: Min. Eng. (Littleton, Colo.); (United States) Vol. 40:11; ISSN MIENA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English