The ENCOAL Project Initial Commercial Shipment and Utilisation of Both Solid and Liquid Products

The ENCOAL Corporation has shipped, to two utility customers, over, 500 rail cars (six partial trains and two full trains) of solid product’(PDF) from its plant located at Triton Coal Company’s Buckskin Mine near Gillette Wyoming. Shipments span a range of blends from 15% to essentially unblended PDF. Utility handling of these shipments is comparable to that of run-of-mine Buckskin coal. Results related to spontaneous combustion and generation of fugitive dust are particularly favorable. Combustion tests were performed both in a pulverized-fired boiler and in a cyclone-fired boiler. Commercial utilization of the liquid product (CDL) depends on customer facility capabilities and the source of any blending fuel, as expected. A total of 56 tank cars have been sent to three customers. The 1994 test program met or exceeded ENCOAL’s major objectives of transporting and burning both PDF and CDL in existing customer facilities.