Coal - Application of Coal Petrography to Coal Preparation

The physical composition of coal and the distribution of its physical constituents will partially determine the efficiency of the process chosen for coal preparation. Distribution and concentration of coal macerals will, to a degree, be controlled by preparation processes. A number of preparation processes have been evaluated to determine this interrelation. These evaluations will help provide information needed for the production of coal that meets definite petrographic composition specifications. etrographic composition and degree of coalifica-tion of coal can determine the choice of cleaning processes and equipment used in coal preparation. The purpose of this paper is to present data on studies of the preparation processes of breakage, sizing, cleaning, and blending and to show the effect coal's petrographic composition has on these processes. Herrin (No. 6) and Danville (No. 7) Coals from Illinois were used in these tests. Nomenclature used herein is that approved in the Glossary of the International Committee for Coal Petrology,' based primarily on the Stopes-Heerlen system of classification2 and used in coal petrography laboratories throughout the world. BREAKAGE TESTS Breakage tests of Illinois coals related to petrographic composition have been conducted at various times at the Illinois State Geological Survey. These tests have been classified under two headings -impact tests and compression tests. Impact tests, as the name implies, consisted of breaking the coal by a sharp, sudden force. Impact tests were further divided into fall tests and block tests. Compression tests consisted of applying a constant pressure on a piece of coal until the coal fractured.