TY - GEN
T1 - Practical optimization of coal preparation plants
AU - Luttrell, Gerald H.
AU - Honaker, Rick Q.
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - A coal preparation plant incorporates a variety of solid-solid separation processes that operate in relatively independent parallel circuits. Studies have shown that total plant performance can be optimized by selecting circuit cutpoints that maximize total clean coal yield irrespective of the performance of individual circuits. Although the optimum cutpoints can be determined using simulation programs, these mathematical routines require detailed washability data and empirical partition information that is not often available to plant operators. In addition, routine fluctuations in the washability characteristics of the plant feed make this approach impractical to implement in industrial facilities. As an alternative, practical optimization criteria can be developed for plant operators through a fundamental understanding of scientific principles involved in coal cleaning operations. This article provides an overview of the most important optimization criteria and presents several industrial case studies that illustrate the financial benefits of this practical approach to plant optimization.
AB - A coal preparation plant incorporates a variety of solid-solid separation processes that operate in relatively independent parallel circuits. Studies have shown that total plant performance can be optimized by selecting circuit cutpoints that maximize total clean coal yield irrespective of the performance of individual circuits. Although the optimum cutpoints can be determined using simulation programs, these mathematical routines require detailed washability data and empirical partition information that is not often available to plant operators. In addition, routine fluctuations in the washability characteristics of the plant feed make this approach impractical to implement in industrial facilities. As an alternative, practical optimization criteria can be developed for plant operators through a fundamental understanding of scientific principles involved in coal cleaning operations. This article provides an overview of the most important optimization criteria and presents several industrial case studies that illustrate the financial benefits of this practical approach to plant optimization.
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M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:33745639469
SN - 0873352416
SN - 9780873352413
T3 - Proceedings of the Jan D. Miller Symposium - Innovations in Natural Resource Processing
SP - 367
EP - 382
BT - Innovations in Natural Resource Processing - Proceedings of the Jan D. Miller Symposium
T2 - Proceedings of the Jan D. Miller Symposium - Innovations in Natural Resource Processing
Y2 - 28 February 2005 through 2 March 2005
ER -