DOE Patents title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Cleaning and dewatering fine coal

Abstract

Fine coal is cleaned of its mineral matter impurities and dewatered by mixing the aqueous slurry containing both with a hydrophobic liquid, subjecting the mixture to a phase separation. The resulting hydrophobic liquid phase contains coal particles free of surface moisture and droplets of water stabilized by coal particles, while the aqueous phase contains the mineral matter. By separating the entrained water droplets from the coal particles mechanically, a clean coal product of substantially reduced mineral matter and moisture contents is obtained. The spent hydrophobic liquid is separated from the clean coal product and recycled. The process can also be used to separate one type of hydrophilic particles from another by selectively hydrophobizing one.

Inventors:
; ;
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1400259
Patent Number(s):
9789492
Application Number:
13/576,067
Assignee:
VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B03 - SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS B03B - SEPARATING SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS
C - CHEMISTRY C10 - PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES C10L - FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
DOE Contract Number:  
FC26-05NT42457
Resource Type:
Patent
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2011 Jan 31
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT; 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

Citation Formats

Yoon, Roe-Hoan, Eraydin, Mert K., and Freeland, Chad. Cleaning and dewatering fine coal. United States: N. p., 2017. Web.
Yoon, Roe-Hoan, Eraydin, Mert K., & Freeland, Chad. Cleaning and dewatering fine coal. United States.
Yoon, Roe-Hoan, Eraydin, Mert K., and Freeland, Chad. Tue . "Cleaning and dewatering fine coal". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1400259.
@article{osti_1400259,
title = {Cleaning and dewatering fine coal},
author = {Yoon, Roe-Hoan and Eraydin, Mert K. and Freeland, Chad},
abstractNote = {Fine coal is cleaned of its mineral matter impurities and dewatered by mixing the aqueous slurry containing both with a hydrophobic liquid, subjecting the mixture to a phase separation. The resulting hydrophobic liquid phase contains coal particles free of surface moisture and droplets of water stabilized by coal particles, while the aqueous phase contains the mineral matter. By separating the entrained water droplets from the coal particles mechanically, a clean coal product of substantially reduced mineral matter and moisture contents is obtained. The spent hydrophobic liquid is separated from the clean coal product and recycled. The process can also be used to separate one type of hydrophilic particles from another by selectively hydrophobizing one.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Oct 17 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Tue Oct 17 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

Works referenced in this record:

Treatment of coal slurries
patent, June 1980


Treating and cleaning coal methods
patent, January 1981


Coal recovery process
patent, February 1981


Methods for processing coal
patent, November 1984


Process for removing mineral matter from coal
patent, September 1986


Time-controlled processes for agglomerating coal
patent, September 1988


Inclined fluidized bed system for drying fine coal
patent, February 1992


Method and apparatus for dewatering
patent, August 1993


Method for dewatering fine coal
patent, October 1995


Coal beneficiation by gas agglomeration
patent, October 2003


Methods of increasing flotation rate
patent-application, August 2003


Methods of Enhancing Fine Particle Dewatering
patent-application, March 2008


A survey of oil agglomeration in wet fine coal processing
journal, October 1984


An investigation of a separation process involving liquid—water—coal systems
journal, January 1987


The Demineralization of Coal Using Selective Agglomeration by the T-Process
journal, January 1990


Particles as surfactants—similarities and differences
journal, March 2002