Washed Coal from a Utilization Perspective03.PDF

One day in my life concerning coal quality has struck me more than most. We asked a group of utility and power plant people what properties of coal they liked and what caused them concern. As each person provided their response you could see that each had their own view. Some wanted dustless coal, others coal that has good flow through chutes. Many wanted large, lumpy coals, the engineers wanted coal that was dry and easy to grind. The maintenance folk preferred coal that had low abrasion properties. The environmental people liked low sulfur and low ash levels. Then, the ash sales department wanted high ash to dilute the carbon and increase the sales volume. The fuel purchasing group liked low cost coals. Near the end of the discussion I asked if the group was describing coal or natural gas. I have worked with power companies that burn all sorts of coals from lignite and sub -bituminous, dozens of bituminous coals and high rank coals such as low volatile bituminous and anthracite. In twenty years I have not come across a coal that would meet everyone’s preferences.