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Effect of Mean Specific Gravity on Combustion Characteristics of Selected High Ash Indian Coal

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Abstract

The present research shows the combustion characteristics of different specific gravity fractions of high ash thermal coal. Coal with different mean specific gravity (SGM) ranging from 1.25 to 2.0 was produced using the float–sink experiment. All SGM coals were characterized with proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, higher heating value, ash analysis, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Combustion experiments were performed with thermogravimetric analysis to identify the impact of SGM. Experimental results inferred that ignition temperature ranged from 285 to 408 °C as SGM varied from 1.25 to 2.0. The combustion rate of 1.25 SGM coal was found to be the highest due to the strong or moderate presence of hydrocarbons like alkane, alkene, aldehyde and alcoholic, as observed from FTIR. Activation energy ranged from 121.81 to 54.60 kJ/ mol as SGM of coal increased from 1.25 to 2.0. Thermodynamic analysis inferred that 1.65 SGM coal had the highest ΔS (− 158.21 J/mol. K) and minimum ΔH (48.93 kJ/ mol), inferring ease of decomposition and higher combustion reactivity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fuel Minerals and Metallurgical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, 826004, India

    Dibyajyoti Behera, Pritam Kumar & Barun Kumar Nandi

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  1. Dibyajyoti Behera
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Correspondence to Barun Kumar Nandi.

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Behera, D., Kumar, P. & Nandi, B.K. Effect of Mean Specific Gravity on Combustion Characteristics of Selected High Ash Indian Coal. Nat Resour Res 33, 727–741 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-023-10300-6

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