Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Coal is a major source of energy in the U.S. and more than 51% of the electricity used in this
country is generated from coal. The state of illinois is one of the largest coal producing states
with an annual production of about 35 million tons of which more than 90% is consumed by the
electric utility industry. Much more Illinois coal can be sold at a higher price if a cost-effective
dry cleaning process is developed for cleaning of pulverized fine coal at the power plants to
remove additional ash and sulfur content prior to its combustion.
The proposed project is intended to develop a novel rotary triboelectrostatic separator to
further clean the Illinois coal after pulverization at the power plant to produce better quality coal
with lower ash and sulfur prior to combustion. After pulverization or size reduction more ash
and pyrite minerals are liberated from coal, providing an ideal feed to the rotary triboelectrostatic
separator which can effectively clean micronized fine coal particles without the need of water or
any chemical reagents. The cleaned product can be directly fed to the boiler without further
treatment, reducing the cost of post-combustion treatment to meet the stringent environmental air
quality regulations.
The proposed novel rotary triboelectrostatic separator is characterized by an innovative high
efficiency rotary charger, charger electrification, laminar air flow, and specially designed
electrodes. It is anticipated that compared to existing triboelectrostatic separators, the innovative
separator will 1) increase particle charge density 2-4 times; 2) improve solids throughput by one
order of magnitude; 3) enhance process efficiency by up to 70%; 4) reduce overall energy
consumption by more than 50%. Preliminary testing with some fine coal samples has
demonstrated the great potential for this technology to significantly reduce ash, mercury, and
sulfur content with a process efficiency similar to or better than froth flotation. Compared to
post combustion flue gas 502 scrubbing process, the proposed technology can save 502 removal
cost alone by $4/t for a typical pulverized Illinois coal.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 9/1/08 → 4/30/10 |
Funding
- Illinois Clean Coal Institute: $275,000.00
Fingerprint
Explore the research topics touched on by this project. These labels are generated based on the underlying awards/grants. Together they form a unique fingerprint.