Burning PRB coal: Problems and Solutions
As seen in POWER Magazine, November 2009. Click here to download this article as a pdf file (260k).
Following are three case studies of plants that have found a way either to minimize PRB coal dust or to improve coal blending.
Minimizing PRB coal dust
One of the big challenges to the safe handling of Powder River Basin (PRB) coal is the fuel’s high concentration of fine particulates. The presence of these particulates, combined with PRB coal’s high (20% to 30%) moisture content, raises the risk of spontaneous combustion. Accordingly, plant operations play a major role in the safe handling of PRB coal.
Particular attention must be paid to cleaning because the buildup of dust on the walls of bunkers and silos and along conveyors and transfer points poses safety problems. However, even fanatical cleaning is no substitute for a well-designed and -operated plant dust collection system. [... continues ...]
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