GE 3030 in-service coal quality fast-analyzer

What is coal analysis?

Coal stands for one of the most important energy sources. Coal analysis techniques are specific analytical methods designed to measure the particular physical and chemical properties of coals. These methods are used primarily to determine the suitability of coal for power generation or for iron ore smelting in the manufacture of steel. Ash content of coal is the non-combustible residue left after coal is burnt. It represents the bulk mineral matter after carbon, oxygen, sulfur, and water (including from clays) has been driven off during combustion. The remaining residue or ash is expressed as a percent of the original coal sample weight. The behavior of the coal’s ash residue at high temperature is a critical factor in selecting coals for steam power generation. Most furnaces are designed to remove ash as a powdery residue. Coal which has ash that fuses into a hard glassy slag known as clinker is usually unsatisfactory in furnaces as it requires cleaning.

GE 3030 by Enelex

The GE 3030 coal fast-analyzer enables fast analysis of non-combustible content and calorific value of coal samples immediately on site or in the laboratory. Operational evaluation of coal quality can significantly raise processing efficiency and consequently also keep running costs lower.

The measurement method evaluates the coal non-combustible content according to differences of attenuation of two gamma beams of different energy passing through the coal. While the changes in chemical composition in the ash content are low, there’s a significant correlation between the ash content and the average proton number. The measurement beam is passing through coal sample while the resulting radiation is evaluated by detector with control unit. Based on the retrieved attenuation values of radiation beams the control unit can compute the ash content and calorific values.