Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ENHANCING SOLID FUEL PROPERTIES
10001]
BACKGROUND
[0002] Field:
[0003] This invention relates to the treatment of solid fuels, and
more
particularly, treatment of solid fuels using a microwave energy to remove
contaminants.
[0004] Description of the Related Art:
[0005] The presence of moisture, ash, sulfur and other materials in
varied
amounts in all solid fuels generally results in inconsistencies in fuel burn
parameters and
contamination produced by the burning process. The burning of solid fuels may
result in
the production of noxious gases, such as nitrous oxides (NO) and sulfur oxides
(SO).
Additionally, burning solid fuel may result in the generation of inorganic ash
with
elements of additional materials. Amounts of carbon dioxide (CO3)) that are
generated as
a result of burning solid fuels may contribute to global warming. Each of
these
byproducts will be produced at varying levels depending on the quality of the
solid fuel
used.
[0006] Various processes have been used in the treatment of solid
fuels such
as washing, air drying, tumble drying, and heating to remove some of the
unwanted
materials that are be present in the solid fuels. These processes may require
the solid fuel
to be crushed, pulverized, or otherwise processed into a size that is not be
optimum for an
end-user. To further reduce emissions, exhaust scrubbers may be used at the
combustion
facility. There exists a need to farther reduce the harmful emissions produced
as a result
of burning solid fuels and reduce the costs associated with the control of
such emissions.
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SUMMARY
[0007] An aspect of the present invention relates to cleaning sold fuels based
at
least in part on the initial condition of the solid fuel. In embodiments, the
solid fuel is
tested or sampled to generate an initial data set relating to the starting
characteristics of
the fuel. Target or final (treated) fuel characteristics may be known and the
treatment
process may be set up, monitored and/or regulated with respect to the initial
characteristics and the target characteristics. A method and system described
herein may
include providing as inputs, a starting solid fuel sample data and desired
solid fuel
characteristics to determine a product start and finish composition delta;
comparing and
combining the inputs relative to a solid fuel treatment facility capabilities
for
determination of operational treatment parameters to produce the desired
treated product;
and transmitting the operational parameters to a monitoring facility and
controller for
controlling the treatment of the product in a solid fuel treatment facility.
[0008] An aspect of the present invention relates to feeding information
relating
to treated solid fuels back to the sold fuel treatment facility to further
regulate the
process. A method and system disclosed herein may include testing a solid fuel
following a cleaning treatment and then feeding information pertaining to the
test back to
the treatment facility. A solid fuel output parameter facility may receive the
final treated
solid fuel characteristics from a post treatment testing facility; the
characteristics may be
representative of the final produced treated solid fuel; the solid fuel output
parameter may
transmit the final treated solid fuel characteristics to a monitoring
facility; the monitoring
facility may compare the final treated solid fuel characteristics to desired
solid fuel
characteristics for determination of solid fuel treatment operational
parameter
adjustments; and the adjustments made for the final treated solid fuel
characteristics may
be in addition to any other solid fuel operational parameter adjustments.
[0009] A method and system disclosed herein may include a solid fuel
continuous feed treatment facility controlled by operational parameters. A
controller may
provide solid fuel treatment operational parameters to the continuous feed
treatment
facility components such as a transport belt, microwave systems, sensors,
collection
systems, preheat facility, cool down facility, and the like. Continuous feed
treatment
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facility sensors may measure solid fuel treatment process results, component
operation,
continuous feed treatment facility environmental conditions, and transmitting
the
measured information to the controller and a monitoring facility. The
monitoring facility
may compare the measured information to the solid fuel treatment operational
parameters
and adjust the operational parameters. The adjusted operational parameters may
be
provided to the continuous feed treatment facility controller.
[0010] A method and system disclosed herein may include monitoring and
adjusting the treatment of a solid fuel using generated processing parameters
and sensor
input. The method and system may involve receiving operational treatment
parameters
from a parameter generation facility for the control of solid fuel treatment
within a
continuous feed treatment facility. The method and system may involve
monitoring and
adjusting the operational treatment parameters based on input from the
continuous feed
treatment facility sensors. The method and system may involve providing the
adjusted
operational treatment parameters to a controller, the controller providing the
operational
parameters to the components of the continuous feed treatment facility.
[0011] A method and system disclosed herein may include sensors used to
measure operational performance of a solid fuel belt facility. Sensors of a
solid fuel
treatment belt facility may measure the products released from the solid fuels
such as
moisture, sulfur, ash, and the like. Sensors of the solid fuel continuous feed
treatment
facility may measure operational parameters of the continuous feed treatment
facility
components used to treat the solid fuel. The sensors may transmit measured
information
to a continuous feed treatment facility controller, a monitoring facility, and
a pricing
transactional facility. The released product sensor information may be used by
the
monitoring facility and controller to adjust the belt facility operational
parameters. The
component operational sensor information may be used by the pricing
transactional
facility for determination of operational cost.
[0012] A method and system disclosed herein may include controlling
solid
fuel treatment using a continuous real time operational parameter feedback
loop. The
method and system may involve providing a continuous feed treatment facility
controller
with component parameters from a parameter generation facility. The continuous
feed
treatment facility controller may apply the component parameters to operate
the various
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treatment components tor the proper treatment ot the solid fuel. Belt facility
sensors may
measure various operational and solid fuel released products and transmit the
measurement information to the monitoring facility. The monitoring facility
may adjust
the solid fuel treatment parameters by a comparison of the sensor measurements
and the
operational requirements; and the monitoring facility may transmit the
adjusted
parameters to the controller. The controller/sensor/monitor adjustment loop
may be
continuous in a real time feedback loop to maintain the desired final treated
solid fuel.
[0013] A method and system disclosed herein may include the monitor and
control of a solid fuel microwave system operation. A microwave system set of
operational parameters such as frequency, power, and duty cycle may be
controlled by a
belt facility controller during the treatment of the solid fuel. The microwave
system
outputs and solid fuel released products may be measured by sensors to
determine the
effectiveness of the microwave parameters; the measurements may be transmitted
to a
monitoring facility. The monitoring facility may adjust the microwave system
operational parameters based on comparison of the sensor measured information
and the
required operational requirements (e.g. parameter generation facility). The
adjusted
microwave operational parameters may be transmitted to the microwave system by
the
continuous feed treatment facility controller.
[0014] A method and system disclosed herein may include controlled
removal
of solid fuel released products using a solid fuel continuous feed treatment
facility. A set
of sensors may measure the volume or rate of release of the solid fuel
released products.
The set of sensors may transmit the released products information to the
controller and
monitoring facility to provide rate of removal information. The set of sensors
may
transmit the released products removal rate to the pricing transactional
facility; the
pricing transactional facility may determine the value of the released
products or the cost
to dispose of the released products.
[0015] An aspect of the present invention relates to a conveyor that
operates
within a continuous feed treatment facility. The conveyor may carry the solid
fuel
through the treatment facility while the solid fuel is being treated (e.g.
carrying coal
through a microwave energy field). A method and system of providing a conveyor
facility may involve adapting it to transport solid fuel through a treatment
facility. The
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conveyor may include a combination of features such as low microwave loss,
high
abrasion resistance, prolonged elevated temperature resistance, temperature
insulation,
burn-through resistance, high melt point, non-porous, and resistance to
thermal run-away.
The conveyor facility may be a substantially continuous belt. The conveyor
facility may
include a plurality of ridge sections that are flexibly coupled.
[0016] Aspects of the present invention relate to a solid fuel
treatment
methods and systems. Embodiments of the present invention relate to a conveyor
belt
adapted to move solid fuel (e.g. coal) through a treatment facility. In
embodiments, the
solid fuel treatment facility is adapted to treat the solid fuel by processing
it through a
microwave field. In embodiments the conveyor system is specially adapted to
provide
resilient performance when used in conjunction with the solid fuel treatment
process.
[0017] Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and
methods
of transporting solid fuel through a solid fuel treatment facility. The
systems and
methods may involve providing a conveyor facility adapted to transport the
solid fuel
through a solid fuel microwave processing facility. In embodiments the
conveyor facility
is adapted to have at least one of or a combination of features such as low
microwave
loss, high abrasion resistance, prolonged elevated temperature resistance,
localized
elevated temperature resistance, temperature insulation, burn-through
resistance, high
melting point, non-porous with respect to particulates, non-porous with
respect to
moisture, resistance to thermal run-away or the other such features that
create a resilient
conveyor facility.
[0018] In embodiments the conveyor facility is a conveyor belt. The
conveyor belt may be a substantially contiguous belt. The conveyor belt may
comprise a
plurality of rigid sections flexibly coupled together. In other embodiments,
the conveyor
is another physical arrangement intended to transport the solid fuel through a
continuous
or substantially continuous treatment process.
[0019] In embodiments the solid fuel treatment facility may be a
microwave
treatment facility and it may also process the solid fuel through other
systems as well,
such as heating, washing, gasification, burning, and steaming. The conveyor
facility may
be made of a low microwave loss material. For example it may be adapted to
have low
loss between microwave frequencies of approximately 300 MHz and approximately
1
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UHz. 1 he conveyor facility may be resistant to prolonged high temperatures.
For
example it may be resistant to prolonged temperatures within the range of
approximately
200 F or above. The conveyor facility may be resistant to high localized
temperatures.
For example it may be resistant to localized temperatures of approximately 600
F or
above. There are many other conveyor facility attributes and materials as well
as
processes for managing the conveyor system described herein.
[0020] An aspect of the present invention relates improved methods and
systems for operating microwave generating magnetrons associated with a
continuous
feed solid fuel treatment facility. A method and system disclosed herein may
include
powering the magnetron through a direct utility high voltage transmission
supply to avoid
the step of stepping the voltage down (e.g at a sub station) and then back up
(e.g. for use
at the magnetron). The power system may include providing a high voltage power
conversion facility that may be adapted to receive high voltage alternating
current and
deliver high voltage direct current.
[0021] A method and system disclosed herein may include direct high
voltage
usage by receiving high voltage alternating current from a high power
distribution
facility; directly generating high voltage direct current from the high
voltage alternating
current; and applying the high voltage direct current to a magnetron
associated with a
continuous feed solid fuel treatment facility.
[0022] A method and system disclosed herein may include direct high
voltage
usage by receiving high voltage alternating current from a high power
distribution
facility; converting the high voltage alternating current to high voltage
direct current; and
applying the high voltage direct current to a magnetron associated with a
continuous feed
solid fuel treatment facility, the high power distribution facility may be
protected by a
non-transforming inductor facility in association with a high speed circuit
breaker.
[0023] A method and system disclosed herein may include transactional
pricing for solid fuel treatment using processing feedback. A transactional
facility may
receive solid fuel treatment operational information from solid fuel facility
systems such
as a monitoring facility, sensors, removal system, solid fuel output parameter
facility, or
the like. The transactional facility may be able to determine the operational
cost of the
final treated solid fuel using the operational information of the above
systems. The cost
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may include the power requirements tor the various solid treatment belt
facility
components, solid fuel released products collected in the removal system,
inert gases
used, and the like. The transactional facility may determine the final value
of the treated
solid fuel by adding the treatment cost to the starting cost of the raw solid
fuel.
[0024] A method and systems disclosed herein may include modeling cost
associated with processing solid fuel for a specific end-use facility. The
method and
system may involve providing a database containing a set of solid fuel
characteristics for
a plurality of solid fuel samples, a set of specifications for solid fuel
substrates used by a
set of end-user facilities, a set of operational parameters used to transform
a solid fuel
sample into a solid fuel substrate used by an end-user and a set of solid
fuels associated
with implementation of the set of operational parameters. The method and
system may
further involve identifying solid fuel characteristics for a designated
starting solid fuel
sample; identifying specifications for the solid fuel substrate used by the
end-user
facility; retrieving from the database the set of operational parameters
associated with
transforming the starting solid fuel sample into the solid fuel substrate; and
retrieving
from the database the set of costs associated with the set of operational
parameters
[0025] A method and system disclosed herein may include a transaction
involving producing solid fuel adapted for a selected end use facility. The
method and
system may involve obtaining specifications from a selected end use facility
for a solid
fuel substrate; comparing the specifications to a set of characteristics for a
starting solid
fuel sample; determining operational treatment parameters for processing the
starting
solid fuel sample to transform it into a solid fuel substrate conforming to
the
specifications from the selected end use facility; processing the starting
solid fuel sample
in accordance with the operational treatment parameters, measuring
characteristics of the
solid fuel substrate; and calculating a price for the solid fuel substrate.
[0026] A method and system disclosed herein may include a database for
solid fuel processing; a set of solid fuel characteristics for a plurality of
solid fuel
samples; a set of specifications for solid fuel substrates used by a set of
end-user
facilities; and a set of operational parameters used to transform a solid fuel
sample into a
solid fuel substrate used by the end-user facility.
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100271 A method and system disclosed herein may include compiling a
database for solid fuel processing. The method and system may involve
aggregating a set
of solid fuel characteristics for a plurality of solid fuel samples;
aggregating a set of
specifications for solid fuel substrates used by a set of end-user facilities;
and aggregating
a set of operational parameters used to transform a solid fuel sample into a
solid fuel
substrate used by an end-user.
[0028] A method and system disclosed herein may include generating
solid
fuel treatment parameters based on a desired final treated characteristic. The
method and
system may involve providing as inputs, the starting solid fuel sample data
and desired
solid fuel characteristics for a selected end-use facility; comparing and
combining the
inputs relative to the solid fuel treatment facility capabilities for
determination of
operational treatment parameters to produce a treated solid fuel suitable for
the selected
end-use facility; and transmitting the operational parameters to a monitoring
facility and
controller for controlling the treatment of the product in the solid fuel
treatment facility.
[0029] A method and system disclosed herein may include producing solid
fuel adapted for a selected end-use facility. The method and system may
involve
determining a first set of characteristics for a starting solid fuel sample;
identifying a set
of characteristics for output solid fuel adapted for a selected end-use
facility; determining
operational treatment parameters for processing the starting solid fuel sample
to
transform it into output solid fuel adapted for the selected end-use facility;
and processing
the starting solid fuel sample in accordance with the operational treatment
parameters,
whereby the starting solid fuel sample may be transformed into output solid
fuel adapted
for the selected end-use facility.
[0030] A method and system may include solid fuel gasification by
selecting
a solid fuel suitable for gasification; identifying characteristics of the
solid fuel pertinent
to gasification; determining solid fuel treatment operational parameters for
the solid fuel
based on the characteristics pertinent to gasification; treating the solid
fuel using the
operational parameters to release a gas; and collecting the gas released
during treatment
of the solid fuel. The solid fuel may be treated using microwave technology,
treated
using heating technology, treated using pressure, treated using steam, or the
like. The gas
may be syngas, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or the like.
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100311 A method and system may include solid fuel gasification by
selecting
a solid fuel suitable for gasification; determining solid fuel treatment
operational
parameters based on a gasification requirement from an end-user; treating the
solid fuel
using the operational parameters to release a gas; and collecting the gas
released during
treatment of the solid fuel. The end-user may be a power generation facility,
a chemical
facility, a fuel cell facility, or the like. The solid fuel may be treated
using microwave
technology, treated using heating technology, treated using pressure, treated
using steam,
or the like. The gas may be syngas, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or the like.
[0032] A method and system may include solid fuel gasification by
selecting
a solid fuel suitable for gasification; determining solid fuel treatment
operational
parameters based on a gasification requirement; treating the solid fuel using
the
operational parameters to release a gas; and collecting the gas released
during treatment
of the solid fuel. The gasification requirement may include obtaining a
preselected
amount of the gas. The gasification requirement may include obtaining a
preselected gas.
The solid fuel may be treated using microwave technology, treated using
heating
technology, treated using pressure, treated using steam, or the like. The gas
may be
syngas, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or the like.
[0033] A method and system may include solid fuel liquefaction by
selecting
a solid fuel suitable for liquefaction; identifying characteristics of the
solid fuel pertinent
to liquefaction; determining solid fuel treatment operational parameters for
the solid fuel
based on the characteristics pertinent to liquefaction; treating the solid
fuel using the
operational parameters to produce a desired liquid; and collecting the desired
liquid. The
operational parameters may include using a Fischer-Tropsch process, using a
Bergius
process, using a direct hydrogenation process, using a low temperature
carbonization
(LTC) process, or the like.
[0034] A method and system may include solid fuel treatment by
selecting a
solid fuel for treatment; identifying characteristics of the solid fuel;
determining solid fuel
treatment operation parameters for the solid fuel based on the
characteristics; and treating
the solid fuel using the operational parameters, the operational parameters
may include
pre-heating the solid fuel, and the operational parameters may include post
heating the
solid fuel.
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100351 A system tor integrated solid fuel treatment may include a solid
fuel
continuous feed treatment facility that removes contaminants from a solid fuel
to produce
a cleaned solid fuel energy source (e.g. coal cleaned using a continuous feed
microwave
treatment facility); and a solid fuel usage facility (e.g. a power plant,
steel plant, etc.), co-
located with the solid fuel treatment facility, wherein the cleaned solid fuel
energy source
is used as an energy source in the co-located usage facility. The solid fuel
treatment
facility may provide treated solid fuel directly to the solid fuel usage
facility, to the solid
fuel usage facility, to the solid fuel usage facility, or the like. The solid
fuel treatment
facility may provide treated solid fuel indirectly to the solid fuel usage
facility, to the
solid fuel usage facility, to the solid fuel usage facility, or the like. The
solid fuel usage
facility may request a particular solid fuel treatment from the solid fuel
treatment facility.
The particular solid fuel treatment may produce a type of solid fuel energy
source for the
solid fuel usage facility. The particular solid fuel treatment may produce a
type of non-
solid fuel product for the solid fuel usage facility. The particular solid
fuel treatment may
produce a specific characteristic in the solid fuel. The solid fuel energy
source may be
syngas, hydrogen, or the like. The solid fuel energy source may be a solid
fuel usage
facility optimized solid fuel. The non-solid fuel product may be ash, sulfur,
water, sulfur,
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, syngas, hydrogen, or the like. The solid fuel
usage
facility may be a power generation facility, a steel mill, chemical facility,
a landfill, a
water treatment facility, or the like.
[0036] A method and systems disclosed herein may include providing a
starting solid fuel sample data relating to one or more characteristics of a
solid fuel to be
treated by a solid fuel treatment facility; providing a desired solid fuel
characteristic;
comparing the starting solid fuel sample data relating to one or more
characteristics to the
desired solid fuel characteristic to determine a solid fuel composition delta;
determining
an operational treatment parameter for the operation of the solid fuel
treatment facility to
clean the solid fuel based at least in part on the solid fuel composition
delta; and
monitoring contaminants emitted from the solid fuel during treatment of the
solid fuel
and regulating the operational treatment parameter with respect thereto to
create a
cleaned solid fuel. The solid fuel treatment facility may be a microwave solid
fuel
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treatment facility. The solid fuel may be coal. The solid fuel sample data may
be a database.
[0037] The solid fuel characteristic may be water moisture
percentage, ash percentage,
sulfur percentage, a type of solid fuel, or the like.
[0038] The operational treatment parameter may be microwave power, a
microwave
frequency, a frequency of microwave application, or the like.
[0039] The contaminants may include water, hydrogen, hydroxyls,
sulfur gas, liquid
sulfur, ash, or the like.
[0040] The emitted contaminants may be monitored by solid fuel
facility sensors. The
sensors may provide feedback information for the regulating of the operational
treatment
parameter.
[0041] The method and system may further include the step of
providing a high voltage
power from a utility owned power transmission line directly to a microwave
generator in the
treatment facility, wherein the utility owned power transmission line may be
adapted to carry high
voltage (e.g. over 15kv).
[0042] The method and system may further include the step of providing a
multi-layered
conveyor belt to carry the solid fuel through the treatment facility, wherein
the multi-layered
conveyor belt may be adapted to pass a substantial portion of microwave energy
through the belt
while having a top layer that may be resistant to abrasion and a second layer
that may be resistant
to high temperatures.
[0043a] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a method of
cleaning a solid fuel, comprising: providing a starting solid fuel sample data
relating to one or
more characteristics of a solid fuel to be treated by a solid fuel treatment
facility; providing a
desired solid fuel characteristic; comparing the starting solid fuel sample
data relating to one or
more characteristics to the desired solid fuel characteristic to determine a
solid fuel composition
delta; determining an operational treatment parameter for the operation of the
solid fuel treatment
facility to clean the solid fuel based at least in part on the solid fuel
composition delta; monitoring
contaminants emitted from the solid fuel during treatment of the solid fuel
and regulating the
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operational treatment parameter with respect thereto to create a cleaned solid
fuel; and providing a
multi-layered conveyor belt to carry the solid fuel through the treatment
facility, wherein the
multi-layered conveyor belt is adapted to pass a substantial portion of
microwave energy through
the belt while having a top layer that is resistant to abrasion and a second
layer that is resistant to
high temperatures, wherein the top layer is removable and non-porous.
[00431b] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a solid fuel
treatment facility, comprising: an input facility adapted to receive a
starting solid fuel sample
data related to one or more characteristics of a solid fuel to be treated by a
solid fuel treatment
facility and a desired solid fuel characteristic; a comparison facility
adapted to compare the
starting solid fuel sample data related to the one or more characteristics to
the desired solid fuel
characteristic to determine a solid fuel composition delta; the solid fuel
treatment facility further
adapted to clean the solid fuel based at least in part on the solid fuel
composition delta; at least
one sensor adapted to monitor contaminants emitted from the solid fuel during
treatment of the
solid fuel; a treatment regulation facility adapted to regulate an operational
treatment parameter in
accordance with feedback obtained from the at least one sensor with respect
thereto the
composition delta to create a cleaned solid fuel; and a multi-layered conveyor
belt to carry the
solid fuel through the treatment facility, wherein the multi-layered conveyor
belt is adapted to
pass a substantial portion of microwave energy through the belt while having a
top layer that is
resistant to abrasion and a second layer that is resistant to high
temperatures, wherein the top layer
is removable and non-porous.
[0043] These and other systems, methods, objects, features, and
advantages of the present
invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following
detailed description of the
preferred embodiment and the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0044] The invention and the following detailed description of certain
embodiments
thereof may be understood by reference to the following figures:
[0045] Fig. 1 depicts an embodiment of the overall system
architecture of the solid fuel
treatment facility.
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100461 Fig. 2 depicts an embodiment ot the relationship ot the solid
fuel
treatment facility to end users of the treated solid fuel.
[0047] Fig. 3 depicts an embodiment of a conveyor belt with a multiple
layer
configuration.
[0048] Fig. 4 depicts an embodiment of a conveyor belt without a cover
layer.
[0049] Fig. 5 depicts a conveyor belt incorporating an inserted middle
layer of
temperature resistant material.
[0050] Fig. 6 depicts an embodiment of a conveyor belt incorporating a
multiple layer configuration that may include a temperature resistant
material.
[0051] Fig. 7 depicts an embodiment of a magnetron that may be used as
a part of
the microwave system of the solid fuel treatment facility.
[0052] Fig. 8 depicts an embodiment of a high voltage supply facility
for a
magnetron.
[0053] Fig. 9 depicts an embodiment of a transformerless high voltage
input
transmission facility.
[0054] Fig. 10 depicts an embodiment of a high voltage input
transmission facility
with a transformer.
[0055] Fig. 11 depicts an embodiment of a transformerless high voltage
input
transmission facility with inductor.
[0056] Fig. 12 depicts an embodiment of a direct DC high voltage input
transmission facility with a transformer.
[0057] Fig. 13 depicts an embodiment of a high voltage input
transmission facility
with transformer isolation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0058] Fig. 1 illustrates aspects of the present invention that relate
to a solid fuel
treatment facility 132 using electromagnetic energy to remove products from a
solid fuel by
heating the products contained within the solid fuel to enhance the solid fuel
properties. In an
embodiment, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be used to treat any
type of solid fuel,
including, for example and without limitation, coal, coke, charcoal, peat,
wood, and briquettes.
While many embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed in
connection with coal
processing, it should be understood that such embodiments may relate to other
forms of solid fuel
processing such as coke, charcoal, peat, wood, briquettes, and the like.
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100591 As depicted in Fig. 1, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may
be used
as a stand alone facility, or it may be associated with, a coal mine 102, a
coal storage
facility 112, or the like. As depicted in more detail in Fig. 2, the solid
fuel treatment
facility 132 may be associated with a coal use facility such as a coal
combustion facility
200, coal conversion facility 210, a coal byproduct facility 212, a coal
shipping facility
214, a coal storage facility 218, or the like.
[0060] In embodiments, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be
used to
improve the quality of a coal by removing non-coal products that may prevent
the
optimum burning characteristics of the particular type coal. Non-coal products
may
include moisture, sulfur, ash, water, hygrogen, hydroxyls, volatile matter, or
the like.
The non-coal products may reduce the BTU/lb burn characteristics of a coal by
requiring
BTU to heat and remove the non-coal product before the coal can burn (e.g.
water), or
such products may inhibit air flow into the structure of the coal during
burning (e.g. ash).
Coal may have a plurality of grades that may be rated by the amount of non-
coal products
in the coal (e.g. water, sulfur, hygrogen, hydroxyls and ash). In an
embodiment, the solid
fuel treatment facility 132 may treat coal by performing a number of process
steps
directed at removing the non-coal products from the coal. In an embodiment, a
method
of removing non-coal products from the coal may be accomplished by heating of
the non-
coal products within the coal to allow the release of the non-coal products
from the coal.
The heating may be accomplished by using electromagnetic energy in the form of
microwave or radio wave energy (microwave) to heat non-coal products. In
embodiments, the coal may be treated using a transportation system to move
coal passed
at least one microwave system 148 and/or other process steps.
[0061] Referring to Fig. 1, aspects of the solid fuel treatment
facility 132 are
shown with an embodiment of the solid fuel treatment facility 132 with other
associated
coal treatment components. The solid fuel treatment facility 132 may receive
coal from
at least a mine 102 or a coal storage facility 112. There may be a number of
databases
that track and store coal characteristics of raw mined coal and the desired
coal
characteristics 122 of a particular type of coal or a particular batch of
coal. The solid fuel
treatment facility 132 may have a plurality of systems and facilities to
support the
treatment of coal that may determine operational parameters, monitor and
modify the
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operational parameters, transport the coal through a chamber for the treatment
ot coal,
remove non-coal products from the chamber, collect and dispose of non-coal
products,
output the treated coal, and the like. After the coal has been treated in
accordance with
the systems and methods described herein, it may be transferred to a coal
usage facility,
as shown in Fig. 2. In addition, data and other relevant information produced
during
testing of the treated coal may be transferred to a coal usage facility, as
shown in Fig. 2.
[0062] Referring to Fig. 2, aspects of the coal usage after the solid
fuel
treatment facility 132 treatment of the coal is shown. The solid fuel
treatment facility
132 may improve the coal quality by removing non-coal products that may allow
the
various coal use facilities to use the coal with improved burn rates and fewer
byproducts.
Coal use facilities may include, but not limited to, coal combustion
facilities (e.g. power
generation, heating, metallurgy), coal conversion facilities (e.g.
gasification), coal
byproduct facilities, coal shipping facilities, coal storage facilities, and
the like. By using
treated coal from the solid fuel treatment facility 132, the coal use
facilities may be able
to use lesser grades of coal, have fewer byproducts, have lower emissions,
have higher
burn rates (e.g. BTU/lb), and the like. Depending, for example, on the coal
volumes
required by a particular coal use facility, there may be a solid fuel
treatment facility 132
directly associated with a coal use facility or the solid fuel treatment
facility 132 may be
remote from the coal use facility.
[0063] At a high level, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may
include a
number of components that may provide the aspects of the invention; some of
the
components may contain additional components, modules, or systems. Components
of
the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may include a parameter generation
facility 128,
intake facility 124, monitoring facility 134, gas generation facility 152,
anti-ignition
facility 154, belt facility 130, containment facility 162, treatment facility
160, disposal
facility 158, cooling facility 164, out-take facility 168, testing facility
170, and the like.
The belt facility 130 may additionally include a preheat facility 138,
controller 144,
microwave/radio wave system 148, parameter control facility 140, sensor system
142,
removal system 150, and the like. The solid fuel treatment facility 132 may
receive coal
from at least a coal mine 102 or coal storage facility 112 and may provide
treated coal to
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at least a coal combustion facility 200, coal conversion facility 210, coal
byproduct
facility 212, coal shipping facility 214, coal storage facility 218 and the
like.
[0064] Referring again to Fig. 1, the solid fuel treatment facility
132 may
receive raw coal from a plurality of different raw coal sources such as coal
mines 102 or
coal storage facilities 112. The output of the solid fuel treatment facility
132 may be to a
plurality of different coal use enterprises such as coal combustion facilities
200, coal
conversion facilities 210, coal byproduct facilities 212, coal shipping
facilities 214,
treated coal storage facilities 218, and the like. The treatment of coal in a
solid fuel
treatment facility 132 may input raw coal at the beginning of a process,
perform a number
of processes (heating, cooling, non-coal product collection), and output the
treated coal to
an out-take facility 168 for distribution. The solid fuel treatment facility
132 may be
associated with a coal source (e.g. coal mine or storage facility), stand
alone facility,
associated with a coal use facility, or the like.
100651 In embodiments, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be
located at
a coal source to allow the coal source to provide optimum coal characteristics
for the coal
it produces. For example, the coal mine may be mining a low grade coal with a
high
moisture content. The coal mine may be able to mine the coal and treat the
coal at the
same location and therefore be able to provide the highest grade of that
particular grade
of coal. Another example may be a coal mine 102 with varying grades of coal,
where the
coal mine 102 may be able to treat the various grades of coal to have similar
properties
by treating the coal in a solid fuel treatment facility 132. This may allow
the coal mine
102 to have a simplified storage system by being able to store a single grade
of coal
instead of storing various grades of the coal in a number of locations. This
single coal
grade storage may also allow the coal mine 102 to provide its customers with a
consistent
high quality single grade of coal. This may also simplify the customer's coal
burning
requirements by only managing the use of a single coal grade quality.
Consistency of
coal supply may enhance the efficiency of coal usage, as described below in
conjunction
with Fig. 2.
[0066] In embodiments, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be a
stand-
alone facility that may receive raw coal from a plurality of individual coal
mines 102 and
coal storage facilities 112 and process the coal to a higher quality grade of
coal for resale.
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lhe stand-alone solid fuel treatment facility 132 may store a plurality ot
different raw and
treated coals on-site. For example, based on a customer request, the solid
fuel treatment
facility may be able to select a grade of raw coal and treat the coal to a
certain
specification for delivery to that customer. The solid fuel treatment facility
132 may also
treat and store coal types and grades that customers may regularly request.
[0067] A solid fuel treatment facility 132 associated with a coal use
enterprise
may receive raw coal from a plurality of coal mines 102 and coal storage
facilities 112
for treatment of the raw coal for its own purposes, as described below in more
detail in
connection with Fig. 2. In this manner, the coal use enterprise may be able to
treat the
coal to the specifications it requires. The coal use enterprise may also have
a dedicated
solid fuel treatment facility 132, for example if the enterprise requires a
high volume of
treated coal.
[0068] As depicted in Fig. 1, raw coal may be obtained directly from a
coal
mine 102. The coal mine 102 may be a surface mine or an underground mine. A
coal
mine 102 may have varying grades of the same type of coal or may have various
types of
coal within the single coal mine 102. After mining, the coal the coal mine 102
may store
the raw mined coal at an on-site coal storage facility 104 that may store
different coal
types and/or may store various grades of coal. After mining, the raw coal may
be tested
to determine the characteristics 110 of the raw coal. The coal mine 102 may
use a
standard coal testing facility to determine the characteristics 110 of the
coal. The coal
characteristics may include percent moisture, percent ash, percentage of
volatiles, fixed-
carbon percentage, BTU/lb, BTU/lb M-A Free, forms of sulfur, Hardgrove
grindability
index (HGI), total mercury, ash fusion temperatures, ash mineral analysis,
electromagnetic absorption/reflection, dielectric properties, and the like.
The raw coal
may be tested using standard test such as the ASTM Standards D 388
(Classification of
Coals by Rank), the ASTM Standards D 2013 (Method of Preparing Coal Samples
for
Analysis), the ASTM Standards D 3180 (Standard Practice for Calculating Coal
and
Coke Analyses from As-Determined to Different Bases), the US Geological Survey
Bulletin 1823 (Methods for Sampling and Inorganic Analysis of Coal), and the
like.
[0069] The coal storage facility 104 may also sort or resize the coal
that is
received from the coal mine 102. The as-mined raw coal may not be in a
required size or
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shape tor resale to a coal use enterpnse. It resizing is desirable, the coal
storage facility
104 may resize the raw coal by using a pulverizer, a coal crusher, a ball
mill, a grinder, or
the like. After the raw coal has been resized, the coal may be sorted by size
for storage or
may be stored as received from the resizing process. Different coal use
enterprises may
find different coal sizes advantageous for their coal burning processes; fixed
bed coal
combustion 220 may require larger coal that will have a long burn time,
pulverized coal
combustion 222 may require very small coal sizes for rapid burning.
[0070] Using the raw coal characteristics 110, the coal mine 102
storage
facility 104 may be able to store the raw coal by raw coal classifications for
shipment to
coal treatment facilities or coal use enterprises. A shipping facility 108 may
be
associated with the coal storage facility 104 for shipping the raw coal to
customers. The
shipping facility 108 may be by rail, ship, barge, or the like; these may be
used separately
or in combination to deliver the coal to a customer. The coal storage facility
104 may use
a transportation system that may include conveyor belts 300, carts, rail car,
truck, tractor,
or the like to move the classified coal to the shipping facility 108. In an
embodiment,
there may at least one coal transportation system to transport the raw coal to
the shipping
facility 108.
[0071] A coal storage facility 112 may be a stand alone coal storage
enterprise
that may receive raw coal from a plurality of coal mines 102 for storage and
resale. The
received raw coal from the coal mine 102 may be as-mined coal, resized coal,
sorted coal,
or the like. The coal mine 102 may have previously tested the coal for
characteristics 110
and may provide the coal characteristics to the coal storage facility 112. The
coal storage
facility 112 may be an enterprise that purchases coal from coal mines 102 for
distribution
and resale to a plurality of customers or may be associated with the coal mine
102 that
may be a remote location storage facility 112.
[0072] As part of the coal storage facility 112, the raw coal may be
tested to
determine its characteristics. The coal storage facility 112 may use a
standard coal
testing facility to determine the characteristics of the coal. The coal
characteristics may
include percent moisture, percent ash, percentage of volatiles, fixed-carbon
percentage,
BTU/lb, BTU/lb M-A Free, forms of sulfur, Hardgrove grindability index (HGI),
total
mercury, ash fusion temperatures, ash mineral analysis, electromagnetic
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absorption/reflection, dielectric properties, and the like. 1 he raw coal may
be tested
using standard test such as the ASTM Standards D 388 (Classification of Coals
by Rank),
the ASTM Standards D 2013 (Method of Preparing Coal Samples for Analysis), the
ASTM Standards D 3180 (Standard Practice for Calculating Coal and Coke
Analyses
from As-Determined to Different Bases), the US Geological Survey Bulletin 1823
(Methods for Sampling and Inorganic Analysis of Coal), and the like.
[0073] The coal storage facility 112 may also sort or resize the coal
that is
received from the coal mine 102 if, for example, the as-mined coal is not
suitably sized or
shaped for resale to a coal use enterprise. The coal storage facility 112 may
resize the
raw coal by using a pulverizer, a coal crusher, a ball mill, a grinder, or the
like. After the
raw coal has been resized, the coal may be sorted by size for storage or may
be stored as
received from the resizing process. Different coal use enterprises may find
different coal
sizes advantageous. For example, in coal combustion, certain fixed bed coal
combustion
220 systems may require larger coal that will have a long burn time, while
others may
require very small coal sizes for rapid burning.
[0074] Using the raw coal characteristics, the storage facility 104
may be able
to store the raw coal by raw coal classifications for shipment to coal
treatment facilities
or coal use enterprises. A shipping facility 118 may be associated with a coal
storage
facility 114 for shipping the raw coal to customers. The shipping facility 118
may be by
rail, ship, barge, or the like; these may be used separately or in combination
to deliver the
coal to a customer. The coal storage facility 114 may use a transportation
system that
may include conveyor belts 300, carts, rail car, truck, tractor, or the like
to move the
classified coal to the shipping facility 118. In an embodiment, there may at
least one coal
transportation system to transport the raw coal to the shipping facility 118.
[0075] Coal characteristics 110 from both the coal mines 102 and coal
storage
facilities 112 may be stored in a coal sample data facility 120. The coal
sample data
facility 120 may contain all the data for a particular coal lot, batch, grade,
type, shipment,
or the like that may have been characterized with parameters that may include
the percent
moisture, percent ash, percentage of volatiles, fixed-carbon percentage,
BTU/lb, BTU/lb
M-A Free, forms of sulfur, Hardgrove grindability index (HGI), total mercury,
ash fusion
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temperatures, ash mineral analysis, electromagnetic absorption/reflection,
dielectric
properties, and the like.
[0076] In embodiments, the coal sample data facility 120 may be an
individual computer device or a set of computer devices to store and track the
coal
characteristics 110. The computer devices may be a desktop computer, server,
web
server, laptop computer, CD device, DVD device, hard drive system, or the
like. The
computer devices may all be located locally to each other or may be
distributed over a
number of computer devices in remote locations. The computer devices may be
connected by a LAN, WAN, Internet, intranet, P2P, or other network type using
wired or
wireless technology. The coal sample data facility 120 may include a
collection of data
that may be a database, relational database, XML, RSS, ASCII file, flat file,
text file, or
the like. In an embodiment, the coal sample data facility 120 may be
searchable for the
retrieval of needed data characteristics for a coal.
[0077] The coal sample data facility 120 may be located at the coal
mine 102,
coal storage facility 112, the solid fuel treatment facility 132, or may be
remotely located
from any of these facilities. In an embodiment, any of these facilities may
have access to
the coal characteristic data using a network connection. Updating and
modification
access may be granted to any of the connected facilities. In an embodiment,
the coal
sample data facility 120 may be an independent enterprise for the storage and
distribution
of coal characteristic data.
[0078] The coal sample data facility 120 may provide baseline
information to
a parameter generation facility 128, coal desired characteristics facility
122, and/or a
pricing/transactional facility 178. In embodiments, the baseline information
may not be
modified by these facilities, but may be used, for example, to determine
operational
parameters for the solid fuel treatment facility 132, to memorialize the
initial coal
characteristics, or to calculate the cost of a coal batch.
[0079] Desired characteristics for coal are determined in the coal
desired-
characteristics facility 122. The coal desired-characteristics facility 122
may be an
individual computer device or a set of computer devices to store the final
desired coal
characteristics for an identified coal. The computer devices may be a desktop
computer,
server, web server, laptop computer, CD device, DVD device, hard drive system,
or the
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like. lhe computer devices may all be located locally to each other or may be
distributed
over a number of computer devices in remote locations. The computer devices
may be
connected by a LAN, WAN, Internet, intranet, P2P, or other network type using
wired or
wireless technology.
[0080] The coal desired-characteristics facility 122 may include a
collection
of data that may be a database, relational database, XML, RSS, ASCII file,
flat file, text
file, or the like. In an embodiment, the coal desired-characteristics facility
122 may be
searchable for the retrieval of the desired data characteristics for a coal.
[0081] In an embodiment, the coal desired characteristics 122 may be
determined and maintained by the solid fuel treatment facility 132, for
example, the
desired characteristics of the final treated coal for each type and grade of
coal that the
facility may treat. These characteristics may be stored in the coal desired-
characteristics
facility 122 and may be use in conjunction with the information from the coal
sample
data facility 120 by a parameter generation facility 128 to create the
operational
parameters for the solid fuel treatment facility 132.
[0082] In an embodiment, there may be a plurality of coal desired-
characteristics 122 data records; there may be a data record for each coal
type and coal
grade that the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may treat.
[0083] In an embodiment, there may be a coal desired-characteristics
122 data
record for each shipment of coal received by a solid fuel treatment facility.
There may be
coal desired characteristics 122 developed by the solid fuel treatment
facility 132 based
on the quality of the received coal and the changes effected by the solid fuel
treatment
facility 132. For example, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may only be
able to reduce
the amount of sulfur or ash by certain percentages, therefore a coal desired
characteristic
122 may be developed based on the starting sulfur and ash percentages in view
of the
changes that the solid fuel treatment facility 132 is capable of effectuating.
[0084] In an embodiment, the coal desired characteristics 122 may be
developed based on the requirements of a customer. The coal desired
characteristics 122
may be developed to provide improved burn characteristics, reduction of
certain
emissions, or the like.
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100851 Based on the characteristics ot the coal sample and the data
from the
desired-characteristics facility 122, operational parameters may be determined
for
processing the coal in the solid fuel treatment facility 132. The operational
parameters
may be provided to the belt facility 130 controller 144 and the monitoring
facility 134.
The operational parameters may be used to control the belt facility 130 gas
environment,
intake of coal volume, preheat temperatures, required sensor settings,
microwave
frequency, microwave power, microwave duty cycle (e.g. pulse or continuous),
out-take
volume, cooling rates, and the like.
[0086] In embodiments, a parameter generation facility 128 may
generate the
base operational parameters for the various facilities and systems of the
solid fuel
treatment facility 132. The parameter generation facility 128 may be an
individual
computer device or a set of computer devices to store the final desired coal
characteristics
for an identified coal. The computer devices may be a desktop computer,
server, web
server, laptop computer, or the like. The computer devices may all be located
locally to
each other or may be distributed over a number of computer devices in remote
locations.
The computer devices may be connected by a LAN, WAN, Internet, intranet, P2P,
or
other network type using wired or wireless technology. The parameter
generation facility
128 may be capable of storing the base operational parameters as a database,
relational
database, XML, RSS, ASCII file, flat file, text file, or the like. In an
embodiment, the
stored base operational parameters may be searchable for the retrieval of the
desired data
characteristics for a coal.
[0087] To begin the parameter generation process, the solid fuel
treatment
facility 132 may identify a certain coal shipment that may be processed and
request the
parameter generation facility 128 to generate operational parameters for this
coal
shipment. The solid fuel treatment facility 132 may further indicate the
required final
treated coal parameters. The parameter generation facility 128 may query both
coal
sample data facility 120 and the coal desired-characteristics facility 122 to
retrieve the
required data to generate the operational parameters.
[0088] From the coal sample data facility 120, the data for the raw
coal
characteristics 110 may be requested to determine the beginning
characteristics of the
coal. In an embodiment, there may be more than one data record for a
particular coal
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shipment. lhe parameter generation facility 128 may select the latest
characteristics,
average the characteristics, select the earliest characteristics, or the like.
There may be an
algorithm to determine the proper data to use for the beginning coal
characteristics from
the coal sample data 120.
[0089] From the coal desired characteristics 122, the data for the
final treated
coal may be selected. In an embodiment, the solid fuel treatment facility 132
may have
selected a particular coal desired characteristic 122. In an embodiment, the
parameter
generation facility 128 may select a coal desired-characteristic 122 record
based on the
characteristics that may best match the final treated coal parameters
requested by the
solid fuel treatment facility 132. The parameter generation facility 128 may
provide the
solid fuel treatment facility 132 with an indication of the selected coal
desired
characteristics 122 for approval before proceeding with the operational
parameter
generation.
[0090] In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may use
a
computer application that may apply rules for treating the raw coal to create
the final
treated coal. The rules may be part of the application or may be stored as
data. The rules
applied by the application may determine the operation parameters that may be
required
by the solid fuel treatment facility 132 to process the coal. A resulting data
set may be
created that may contain the baseline operational parameters of the solid fuel
treatment
facility 132.
[0091] In an embodiment, there may be a set of predetermined baseline
operational parameters for the treatment of certain coals. The parameter
generation
facility 128 may perform a best match between the coal sample data 120, coal
desired
characteristics 122, and the preset parameters for the determination the
baseline
operational parameters.
[0092] The parameter generation facility 128 may also determine the
operational parameter tolerances that may be maintained to treat coal to the
required final
treated coal characteristics.
[0093] Once the baseline operational parameters are determined, the
parameter generation facility 128 may provide the operational parameters to
the
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controller 144 and the monitoring facility 134 tor the control of the solid
fuel treatment
facility 132.
[0094] As shown in Fig. 1, coal that is to be processed by the solid
fuel
treatment facility 132 may be subjected to a set of processes from raw coal to
final treated
coal such as intake 124, processing in the belt facility 130, processing in
the cooling
facility 164, and out-take to and external location. Within the belt facility
130, there may
be a number of coal treatment processes such as preheating the coal,
microwaving the
coal, collecting the non-coal products (e.g. water, sulfur, hygrogen,
hydroxyls), and the
like. In an embodiment, the coal to be treated may be processed by some or all
of the
available processes, some processes may be repeated a number of times while
others may
be skipped for a particular type of coal. All of the process steps and process
parameters
may be determined by the parameter generation facility 128 and provided to the
controller 144 for the control of the processes and the monitor facility 134
for revisions to
the operational parameters based on sensor 142 feedback. The monitoring
facility 134
may also be transmitted a set of sensor parameters that may be used to
determine if the
coal treatment processes are treating the coal as required.
[0095] As indicated herein, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may
utilize a
conveyor belt 300 (e.g., elements 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D, as described in
connection with Figs. 3-6 herein) to transport solid fuel through the belt
facility 130.
Processing steps within the belt facility 130 may include RF microwave
heating,
washing, gasification, burning, steaming, recapture, and the like. These solid
fuel
processing steps may be performed while the solid fuel is on the conveyor belt
300.
Processing steps may expose the conveyor belt 300 to conditions such as RF
microwave
emissions, high temperatures, abrasion, and the like, and may have to
withstand these
conditions under extended operating time frames. The conveyor belt 300 may be
a
continuous flexible structure, a hinged plated structure or other conveyor
structure, and,
in embodiments, require a unique design to survive the environmental
conditions of the
belt facility 130. Such a conveyor belt may be faced with environmental
conditions such
as RF microwave emissions, high temperature, abrasion, and the like, In the
case of a
hinged plated structure there may be issues with environmental conditions such
as
material becoming jammed in the hinged spaces, microwave absorption, and the
like, that
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may be related to hinged structures. 1 he effect of these conditions on the
conveyor belt
300 may be minimized with proper selection of materials and structure for the
conveyor
belt 300.
[0096] The environmental conditions of the belt facility 130 may
require the
conveyor belt 300 to be associated with a plurality of characteristics, such
as low
microwave loss, high structural integrity, high strength, abrasion resistance,
constant high
temperature resistance, localized elevated high temperature resistance,
temperature
isolation, burn-through resistance, high melting point, non-porousness to
particulates and
moisture, resistance to thermal run-away, capable of fluid transport, and the
like.
[0097] The conveyor belt 300 may be required to have low microwave
loss.
The solid fuel treatment facility 132 may utilize microwaves to heat the solid
fuel. The
conveyor belt 300 may absorb microwave energy and heat up. If the materials
comprising the conveyor belt 300 do not have low microwave loss, the conveyor
belt 300
may heat up and break down with use. The RF microwave frequencies that the
microwave system 148 of the belt facility 130 may use may be in the range from
300
MHz to 1 GHz, and may represent the RF frequencies the conveyor may have low
microwave loss for. Certain operational conditions within the belt facility
130 may cause
the amount of microwave energy absorbed by the conveyor belt 300 to be
greater. For
example, when the solid fuel is dry, or when there is a reduced amount of
solid fuel on
the conveyor belt 300, there may be little material for the microwave energy
to be
absorbed into. As a result, the conveyor belt 300 may absorb more microwave
energy.
[0098] The conveyor belt 300 may be required to sustain constant high
temperatures as a result of the operational temperatures of the belt facility
130. These
constant temperatures may reach 150 F, 200 F, 250 F, or the like. The
conveyor belt
300 may have to withstand these high temperatures over extended operational
time
frames. In addition, the conveyor belt 300 may be required to sustain
localized high
temperatures in excess of the constant operational temperatures of the belt
facility 130.
These localized high temperatures may be due to individual pieces of solid
fuel
developing temperatures of 500 F, 600 F, 700 F, or the like. These
localized hot spots
could burn through the conveyor belt 300, which may lead to interruptions of
the solid
fuel treatment facility 132 operations.
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[U0991 The conveyor belt 300 may be required to sustain
constant abrasions
from the processing of the solid fuel. For instance, the solid fuel may be
dropped onto
= the conveyor belt 300 from heights of one foot, two feet, three feet, or
the like. Another
example may be solid fuel abrading the conveyor belt 300 as the solid fuel
slides off the
conveyor belt 300. The conveyor belt 300 may be required to sustain constant
abrasion
over extended operational time frames.
1001001 The conveyor belt 300 may be required to be non-porous to
particulates, moisture, and the like. If particulates of the solid fuel where
to fall through
the conveyor belt 300, the particulates may degrade the performance of the
conveyor belt
300. For instance, if solid fuel where to constantly drop through the conveyor
belt 300
into the mechanical portions of the belt system 130, the mechanical portions
of the belt
system 130 may clog or jam, which may lead to interruptions of the solid fuel
treatment
facility 132 operations. In addition, moisture absorbed into the conveyor belt
300 may
increase the amount of microwave energy that may be absorbed by the conveyor
belt 300.
The absorption of microwave energy may lead to heating of the conveyor belt
300, and a
resulting decrease in the life of the conveyor belt 300.
[00101] The conveyor belt 300 configuration may utilize a plurality of
materials in order to satisfy the requirements created by the environmental
conditions of
the belt facility 130. In embodiments, these materials may be used in bulk, in
a mixture,
in a composite, in layers, in a foam, as a coating, as an additive, or in any
other
combinations known to the art, in order for the conveyor belt 300 to withstand
the
environmental conditions of the belt facility 130. Materials may include white
butyl
rubber, woven polyester, alumina, polyester, fiberglass, KevlarTM, NomexTM,
silicone,
polyurethane, multi-ply materials, ceramic, high-temperature plastics,
combinations
thereof, and the like. In embodiments, the conveyor belt 300 may be
constructed in
layers, such as a top layer, a structural layer, a middle layer, a ply layer,
a woven layer, a
mat layer, a bottom layer, a heat resistive layer, a low microwave loss layer,
a non-porous
layer, or the like. In further embodiments, the layer may be removable in
order to
facilitate replacement, repair, replenishment, or the like.
[00102] In embodiments, the conveyor belt 300A may withstand
environmental conditions of the belt facility 130 with a multiple layer
configuration such
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as shown in Fig. 3. In this embodiment, the lower layer is a structural layer
310, made up
of a matrix material 302 reinforced with structural cords 304 in a ply like
structure. This
structural layer 310 may satisfy requirements such as high structural
integrity, high
strength, and the like. An example of a combination of materials that may be
combined
to make up the structural layer 310 may be a white butyl rubber matrix 302
with woven
polyester as the structural cords 304. Other materials that may be used as the
matrix 302
material may be natural rubber, synthetic rubber, hydrocarbon polymer, or the
like.
Other materials that may be used as structural cords 304 may be Kevlar, Nomex,
metal,
plastic, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon, and the like. In
this
embodiment, the upper layer is a cover layer 308 that can withstand very high
temperatures. The cover layer 308 may also have thermal insulating properties
in order
to insolate hot solid fuel from the lower layer. The cover layer 308 may not
require
strength properties, but may require abrasion resistant properties, have a low
microwave
loss factor, have thermal properties that prevent thermal runway, or the like.
Examples of
this upper cover layer 308 may be fiberglass, low loss ceramic such as
alumina, optical
fiber, corundum, organic fibers, carbon fiber, composite materials, or the
like. In
embodiments, the cover layer 308 may be implemented as a tightly woven
product, or in
the form of foam. Another example of a cover layer 308 material may be
silicone.
Silicone may be able to handle high temperatures, but may not be as abrasion
resistant.
In this instance, a coating on top of the silicone, such as polyurethane, or
an additive into
the silicone, may be added to increase abrasion resistance.
[00103] In embodiments, the cover layer 308 may be designed so that it is
easily removable, which may enable replacement, repair, replenishment, or the
like, of
the cover layer 308. In this case the requirements for being abrasion
resistant and non-
porous may be relaxed. In one embodiment, the cover layer 308 may be applied
in roll
form with a feeding roller on one side of the conveyer belt 300 system, and a
take up
roller on the exit side.
[00104] In embodiments, the conveyor belt 300B, as shown in Fig. 4, may
withstand environmental conditions of the belt facility 130 without a cover
layer 308.
This may be done by introducing high temperature material components into the
matrix
302 material that will make the matrix 302 material, such as the white butyl
rubber, more
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resistant to the belt facility's 130 high temperature environmental
conditions. In
embodiments, the structural layer 310 may prevent high temperature solid fuel
from
burning through the conveyor belt 300C by inserting a middle layer 502 of
temperature
resistant material, as shown in Fig. 5. An example of such a middle layer 502
may be
Kevlar, Nomex, metal, ceramic, fiberglass, or the like. In this configuration,
the upper
portion of the structural layer 310 may melt, but the conveyor belt 300C may
still be
usable until repairs to the upper portion of the structural layer 310 can be
made.
[00105] In embodiments, the conveyor belt 300D may withstand
environmental conditions of the belt facility 130 with the multiple layer
configuration as
shown in Fig. 6, where a combination of layers, as previously discussed
herein, are
repeated. The additional layers may add further strength to the conveyor belt
300D, as
well as further reducing the possibility of high temperature solid fuel from
burning
through. There may be a top cover layer 308 that may be heat resistant,
abrasive
resistant, removable, and the like. There may be a structural layer 310A with
a middle
layer 502. This composite layer is shown as an intermediate layer in the belt,
but may in
embodiments be a top layer, an intermediate layer, a bottom layer, and the
like. There
may be a structural layer 310B. The structural layer 310B is shown as a bottom
layer, but
may in embodiments be an intermediate layer or a top layer. Other embodiments,
consisting of multiple layers, are not limited to the combinations illustrated
in Fig. 6. For
instance, an embodiment may consist of a combination of layers where the
middle layer
502, within structural layer 310A, is absent, or there are a different number
of layers in
composite layers, or a composite layer is made up of a plurality of sub-
layers, and the
like. While Fig. 6 illustrates a structure with multiple layers and composite
layers, other
multiple layer structures will become obvious to anyone skilled in the art,
and is
incorporated into the invention.
[00106] In embodiments, other methods of preventing high temperature solid
fuel from burning through may be employed. An example of an alternate method
may be
utilizing a thermographic camera to image the location of high temperature
pieces of
solid fuel. After determining the location of the high temperature piece of
solid fuel, a
cooling spray may be used to lower its temperature, or a sweeper may be
employed for
removing the piece before it has time to damage the conveyor belt 300. Another
example
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ot an alternate method may be to measure the dielectric properties ot all the
pieces ot
solid fuel as they enter the belt system 130, and remove them if they are
determined to be
high temperature. Another example of an alternate method may be to transport
the solid
fuel on a conveyor belt 300 that incorporates a fluidized bed in its
configuration, thereby
equalizing the temperature of all pieces, and eliminating isolated high
temperature pieces
of solid fuel from the conveyor belt 300.
[00107] In embodiments, the controller 144 and monitor facility 134 may have
a feedback loop system with the controller providing operational parameters to
the solid
fuel treatment facility 132 and belt facility 130 and the monitoring facility
134 receiving
data from the belt facility 130 sensors 142 to determine if the operational
parameters
require adjustment to produce the required treated coal. During the treatment
of the coal,
there may be a continual application and adjustment to the operational
parameters of the
solid fuel treatment facility 132 and the belt facility 130.
[00108] The controller 144 may be a computer device that may be a desktop
computer, server, web server, laptop computer, or the like. The computer
devices may all
be located locally to each other or may be distributed over a number of
computer devices
in remote locations. The computer devices may be connected by a LAN, WAN,
Internet,
intranet, P2P, or other network type using wired or wireless technology. The
controller
144 may be a commercially available machine control that is designed for the
controlling
of various devices or may be a custom designed controller 144. The controller
144 may
be fully automatic, may have operational parameter override, may be manually
controllable, may be locally controlled, may be remotely controlled, or the
like. The
controller 144 is shown as part of the belt facility 130 but may not have a
required
location relative to the belt facility 130; the controller 144 may be located
at the
beginning or end of the belt facility 130 or anywhere in between. The
controller 144 may
be located remotely from the belt facility 130. The controller 144 may have a
user
interface; the user interface may be viewable at the controller 144 and may be
viewable
remotely to a computer device connected to the controller 144 network.
[00109] The controller 144 may provide the operational parameters to the belt
facility 130 and solid fuel treatment facility 132 systems that may include
the intake 124,
preheat 138, parameter control 140, sensor control 142, removal system 150,
microwave
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system 148, cooling facility 164, out-take facility 168, and the like. lhere
may be a
duplex communication system with the controller 144 transmitting operational
parameters and the various systems and facilities transmitting actual
operation values.
The controller 144 may provide a user interface to display both the
operational
parameters and the actual operational values. The controller 144 may not be
able to
provided automated adjustments to the operational parameters, operational
parameter
adjustment may be provided by the monitoring facility 134.
[00110] The monitoring facility 134 may be a computer device that may be a
desktop computer, server, web server, laptop computer, or the like. The
computer
devices may all be located locally to each other or may be distributed over a
number of
computer devices in remote locations. The computer devices may be connected by
a
LAN, WAN, Internet, intranet, P2P, or other network type using wired or
wireless
technology. The monitoring facility 134 may have the same operational
parameters as
the controller 144 and may receive the same actual operational parameters from
the
various facilities and systems. The monitoring facility 134 may have
algorithms to
compare the required sensor parameters provided by the parameter generation
facility
128 and the actual operational values provided by the sensors 142 and
determine if a
change in the operational parameters are required. For example, the monitoring
facility
134 may compare the actual vapor sensor values at a particular location of the
belt
facility 130 with the required sensor values and determine if the microwave
power needs
to be increased or decreased. If a change in an operational parameter requires
adjustment, the adjusted parameter may be transmitted to the controller 144 to
be applied
to the appropriate device or devices. The monitoring facility 134 may
continually
monitor the solid fuel treatment facility 132 and belt facility 130 systems
for parameter
adjustments.
[00111] As a more complete example, the controller 144 may provide
operational parameters to the belt facility parameter control 140 for the
operation of the
various belt facility 130 systems. As the coal treatment progresses, the
monitor facility
134 may monitor the sensors 142 to determine if the treated coal is meeting
the sensor
requirements for the desired treated coal. If there is a delta between the
required sensor
readings and the actual sensor readings beyond the acceptable limits, the
monitoring
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facility 134 may adjust one or more ot the operational parameters and transmit
the new
operational parameters to the controller 144. The controller 144 may receive
the new
operational parameters and transmit new parameters to parameter control 140 to
control
the various belt facility 130 systems.
[00112] The monitoring facility 134 may also receive feedback information
from the end of the coal treatment process from the feedback facility 174 and
the coal
output parameters facility 172. These two facilities may receive the final
characteristics
of the process coal and transmit the information to the monitoring facility
134. The
monitoring facility 134 may compare the final treated coal characteristics to
the coal
desired characteristics 122 to determine if an operational parameter requires
adjustment.
In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may use an algorithm to combine
the
actual operational values and the final treated coal characteristics for the
determination of
adjustments to the operational parameters. The adjustments may then be
transmitted to
the controller 144 for the revised operation of the solid fuel treatment
facility 132
systems.
[00113] The functions and interactions of the various coal treatment
facilities
132 systems and facilities shown in Fig. 1 may be illustrated through an
example of coal
being treated by the solid fuel treatment facility 132.
[00114] In this example, the operators of the solid fuel treatment
facility 132
may select a raw coal to process within the solid fuel treatment facility 132
for the
delivery of a particular treated coal to a customer. The solid fuel treatment
facility 132
may select the starting coal and the coal desired characteristics 122 for the
final treated
coal. As described previously, the parameter generation facility 128 may
generate the
operations parameters for the treatment of the selected coal. The parameters
may include
the volume rate of coal to treat, air environment, belt speed, coal
temperatures,
microwave power, microwave frequency, inert gases required, required sensor
readings,
preheat temperatures, cool down temperatures, and the like. The parameter
generation
facility 128 may transmit the operational and sensor parameters to the
monitoring facility
134 and the controller 144; the controller 144 may transmit the operational
and sensor
parameters to the parameter control 140 and sensor system 142.
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1001151 Continuing with this example, the intake facility 124 may receive raw
coal from one of the coal mines 102 or coal storage facilities 112 that may
supply coal to
the solid fuel treatment facility 132. The raw coal may be supplied from a
stored area
located at the solid fuel treatment facility 132. The intake facility 124 may
have an input
section, a transition section, and adapter section that may receive and
control the flow and
volume of coal that may enter the solid fuel treatment facility 132. The
intake facility
124 may have an intake system such as a conveyor belt 300, auger, or the like
that may
feed the raw coal to the belt facility 130.
[00116] In the exemplary embodiment, the intake facility may control the
volume rate of raw coal input into the belt facility based on the operational
parameters
provided by the controller 144. The intake facility may be capable of varying
the speed
of the intake system based on the controller 144 supplied parameters. In an
embodiment,
the intake facility 124 may be able to supply raw coal to the belt facility
130 at a
continuous rate or may be able to supply the raw coal at a variable or pulsed
rate that may
apply the raw coal to the belt facility 130 in coal batches; the coal batches
may have a
predefined gap between the coal batches.
[00117] In this example, the belt facility 130 may receive the raw coal from
the
intake facility 124 for transporting the raw coal through the coal treatment
processes.
The coal treatment processes may include a preheat 138 process, microwave
system 148
process, cooling process 164, and the like. The belt facility 130 may have a
transportation system that may be enclosed to create a chamber where the coal
may be
treated and the process may be preformed.
[00118] In embodiments, the transportation system may be a conveyor belt
300, a series of individual containers, or other transportation method that
may be used to
move the coal through the treatment process. The transportation system may be
made of
materials that may be capable of holding high temperature treated coal (e.g.
metal or high
temperature plastics). The transportation system may allow the non-coal
products to
release from the coal either as a gas or as a liquid; the released non-coal
products may
need to be collected by the belt facility 130. The transportation system speed
may be
variably controlled by the controller 144 operational parameters. The belt
facility 130
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transportation system may run at the same speeds as the intake facility 124 to
keep the
coal input volumes balanced.
[00119] Within the belt facility 130 chamber, an air environment may be
maintained that may be used to aid in the release of the non-coal products,
prevent
premature coal ignition, provide a flow of gases to move the non-coal product
gases to
the proper removal system 150. The air environment may be dry air (low or no
humidity)
to aid in the removal of moisture from the coal or may be used to direct any
condensed
moisture that forms on the chamber walls to a liquid collection area.
[00120] The belt facility 130 chamber may have an inert or partially inert
atmosphere; the inert atmospheres may prevent the ignition of the coal during
high
temperatures that may be needed to remove some of the non-coal product (e.g.
sulfur).
[00121] The inert gases may be supplied by an anti ignition facility 154 that
may store inert gases for supply to the belt facility 130 chamber. Inert gases
include
nitrogen, argon, helium, neon, krypton, xenon, and radon. Nitrogen and argon
may be
the most common inert gases used for providing non-combustion gas atmospheres.
The
anti-ignition facility 154 may have gas supply tanks that may hold the inert
gases for the
chamber. The input of the inert gas to create the proper gas environment may
be
controlled by the controller 144 operational parameters. The controller 144
may adjust
the inert gas flow using feedback from sensors within the chamber that may
measure the
actual inert gas mixtures. Based on the sensors 142, the controller 144 may
increase or
decrease the inert gas flow to maintain the atmosphere operational parameters
provided
by the controller 144 and the parameter generation facility 128.
[00122] If the belt facility 130 chamber uses nitrogen as the inert gas, the
nitrogen may be generated on-site at a gas generation facility 152. For
example, the gas
generation facility 152 may use a pressure swing absorption (PSA) process to
supply the
nitrogen required by the belt facility 130 chamber. The gas generation
facility 152 may
supply the nitrogen to the anti-ignition facility for insertion into the
chamber. The flow
of the nitrogen into the chamber may be controlled by the controller 144 as
previously
discussed.
[00123] Any of
the supplied gas environments may be applied using positive
or negative pressures to provide flow of the atmosphere within the chamber.
The gases
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may be input to the chamber with a positive pressure to flow over the belt
facility 130
coal and flow out exit areas with in the chamber. In a similar fashion, a
negative pressure
may be supplied to draw the gases into the chamber and over the coal. Either
process
may be used for the collection of non-coal product released gases into the
removal system
150.
[00124] In the exemplary embodiment, the controller 144 may control the flow
of the gases in the chamber by measuring gas velocity, gas direction, input
pressures,
output pressures, and the like. The controller 144 may provide the control and
adjustment to the flow of the gases by varying fans and blowers within the
belt facility.
[00125] Within the belt facility 130 chamber a vacuum or partial vacuum may
be maintained for the processing of coal. A vacuum environment may provide an
additional aid in removing non-coal products out of the coal and may also
prevent the
ignition of the coal by removing an environment that is favorable to coal
ignition.
[00126] Continuing with the processing of coal within the belt facility 130,
the
coal may first enter a preheat facility 138. The preheat facility 138 may be
heat the coal
to a temperature specified by the operational parameters; the operational
parameters may
be provided by the controller 144. The coal may be preheated to remove surface
moisture and moisture that may be just below the surface from the coal. The
removal of
this excess moisture may allow the microwave systems 148 that will be used
later, to be
more effective because there may be a minimum of surface moisture to absorb
the
microwave energy.
[00127] The preheat facility 138 may contain the same atmosphere as the rest
of the belt facility 130 or may maintain a different atmosphere.
[00128] The preheat facility 138 may use the same transportation facility as
the
rest of the belt facility 130 or may have its own transportation facility. If
the preheat
facility has its own transportation facility, it may be controlled by the
controller 144 and
vary its speed to assure that the proper moisture is removed during the
preheat. The
moisture removal may be sensed by a water vapor sensor or may use a before and
after
weight of the coal to determine the volume of moisture that has been removed
by the
preheat facility 138. In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may measure the coal
weight
with in-process scales before the preheat and after the preheat process. There
may be a
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feedback to the controller 144 as to the effective amount ot moisture removed
from the
coal and the controller 144 may adjust the preheat facility 138 transportation
system
speed to compensate as needed.
[00129] After the preheat facility 138 the coal may continue on into the belt
facility 130 coal treatment process with at least one microwave/radio wave
system
(microwave system) 148 used to treat the coal. The microwave system 148
electromagnetic energy may be created by devices such as a magnetron,
klystron,
gyrotron, or the like. The microwave system 148 may input microwave energy
into the
coal to heat the non-coal products and release the non-coal products from the
coal.
Because of the heating of the non-coal products in the coal, the coal may be
heated. The
release of the non-coal products may occur when there is a material phase
change from a
solid to a liquid, liquid to a gas, solid to gas, or other phase change that
may allow the
non-coal product to be released from the coal.
[00130] In belt facilities 130, where there may be more than one microwave
system 148, the microwave systems 148 may be in a parallel orientation, a
serial
orientation, or a parallel and serial combination orientation to the
transportation system.
[00131] As discussed in more detail below, the microwave systems 148 may be
in parallel where there may be more than one microwave system 148 grouped
together to
form a single microwave systems 148 process station. This single station may
allow the
use of several smaller microwave systems 148, allow different frequencies to
be used at a
single station, allow different power to be used at different stations, allow
different duty
cycles to be used at a single station, or the like.
[00132] The microwave systems 148 may also be setup in serial where there
may be more than one microwave system 148 station set up along the belt
facility 130.
The serial microwave system 148 stations either may be individual microwave
systems
148 or may be a group of parallel microwave systems 148. The serial microwave
system
148 stations may allow the coal to be treated differently at the different
serial microwave
system 148 stations along the belt facility 130. For example, at a first
station the
microwave system 148 may attempt to remove water moisture from the coal that
may
require certain power, frequency, and duty cycles. At a second station, the
microwave
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system 148 may attempt to remove sulfur from the coal that may require
different power,
frequency, and duty cycles.
[00133] Using a series of microwave systems may also allow other process
stations between the microwave systems 148 such as wait stations to allow the
complete
release of a non-coal product, non-coal product removal system 150 station, a
sensor
system 142 to record non-coal product release, or the like.
[00134] The series of microwave system 148 stations may allow different non-
coal products to be released and removed at different stages of the belt
facility 130. This
may make it easier to keep the removed non-coal products separated and
collected by the
appropriate removal system 150. This may also allow mapping one microwave
system
148 to a process step or set of process steps, so that a particular microwave
system 148
may be used to carry out a particular process step or set of process steps.
Thus, for
example, microwave systems 148 are activated only for those process steps that
need to
be carried out. In this example, if a process step need not be performed, the
correlative
microwave system 148 need not be activated; if a process step needs to be
repeated, the
correlative microwave system 148 can be activated again, for example to remove
a non-
coal product that was not completely removed after the first activation.
[00135] In the exemplary embodiment, the control of the microwave system
148 may include a series of control steps, such as sensing, monitoring the
state of the coal
treatment process, adjusting the operational parameters, and applying the new
operational
parameters to at least one microwave system 148. As will be discussed further,
the
control, adjustment, and feedback process for providing operational parameters
to the
microwave system 148 may be applicable to one or more microwave systems at
substantially the same time.
[00136] At least one of the microwave systems 148 may be controlled by the
controller 144. In embodiments the controller 144 may provide operational
parameters
that control the microwave frequency, microwave power, microwave duty cycle
(e.g.
pulsed or continuous). The controller 144 may have received the initial
operational
parameters from the parameter generation facility 128. The control of the
microwave
system 148 may take place in real time, with, for example, operational
parameters being
applied to the microwave system 148, with the sensors 142 providing process
values,
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with the monitoring facility 134 receiving and adjusting the operational
parameters, with
feedback of the operational parameters being provided to the controller 144,
and then
with the control cycle being repeated as necessary.
[00137] The controller 144 may apply operational parameters to one or more
microwave systems 148. The microwave systems 148 may respond by applying the
power, frequency, and duty cycle that the controller 144 commands, thereby
treating the
coal in accordance with the controller 144 commands at a particular station.
[00138] The microwave systems may require a significant amount of power to
treat the coal. For certain embodiments of microwave systems 148 of the solid
fuel
treatment facility 132 the microwave power required may be at least 15 kW at a
frequency of 928 MHz or lower; in other embodiments, the microwave power
required
may be at least 75 kW at a frequency of 902 MHz. The power for the microwave
systems 148 may be supplied by a high voltage input transmission facility 182.
This
facility 182 may be able to step up or down the voltage from a source to meet
the
requirements of the microwave system 148. In embodiments, the microwave system
148
may have more than one microwave generator. A power-in system 180 may provide
the
connection for the high voltage input transmission facility 182 for the
voltage
requirements. If the solid fuel treatment facility 132 is located at a power
generation
facility 204 the power-in 180 may be taken directly from the power supplied
from the
power generation facility 204. In other embodiments, the power-in 180 may be
taken
from a local power grid.
[00139] As indicated herein, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may utilize
magnetrons 700 to generate microwaves to treat the solid fuel (e.g. coal).
Fig. 7
illustrates a magnetron that may be used as a part of the microwave system 148
of the
solid fuel treatment facility 132. In embodiments, the magnetron 700 may be a
high-
powered vacuum tube that generates coherent microwaves. A cavity magnetron 700
may
consist of a hot filament that acts as the cathode 714, kept at a high
negative potential by
a high-voltage direct-current (DC) 802 power source. The cathode 714 may be
built into
the center of an evacuated, lobed, circular chamber. The outer, lobed portion
of the
chamber may act as the anode 710, attracting the electrons that are emitted
form the
cathode. A magnetic field may be imposed by a magnet or electromagnet in such
a way
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as to cause the electrons emitted from the cathode 714 to spiral outward in a
circular path.
The lobed cavities 708 are open along their length and so connect to the
common cavity
712 space. As electrons sweep past these openings they may induce a resonant
high
frequency radio field in the common cavity 712, which in turn may cause the
electrons to
bunch into groups. A portion of this field may be extracted with a short
antenna 702 that
is connected to a wave-guide. The wave-guide may direct the extracted RF
energy out of
the magnetron to the solid fuel, thereby heating and treatment the solid fuel
as indicated
elsewhere herein. Alternatively, the energy from the magnetron may be
delivered
directly to the solid fuel from the antenna, without the use of a wave-guide.
[00140] Fig. 8 illustrates a high voltage supply facility for the magnetron
700.
High-voltage DC 802 supplied through leads 718 to the cavity magnetron 700 for
treatment of the solid fuel may be a high voltage such as 5,000 VDC, 10,000
VDC,
20,000 VDC, 50,000 VDC, or the like. In embodiments, a typical range for the
high
voltage may be 20,000 ¨ 30,000 VDC. This high-voltage DC 802 may be derived
from
an electric power utility in the form of a voltage that is single or multi-
phase alternating
current (AC) power in 180, and converted to high voltage DC 802 through the
high
voltage input transmission 182 facility. The electric power utility supplying
the AC
voltage power in 180 may be a publicly operated facility or a privately
operated facility
for example. The AC voltage power in 180 supplied by the electric power
utility may be
120 VAC, 240 VAC, 480 VAC, 1000 VAC, 14,600 VAC, 25,000 VAC, or the like. In
embodiments, a typical voltage used on site may be 160 kV AC, and may be
typically
three-phase. Since it may be necessary to convert the utility AC voltage power
in 180 to
the high voltage DC 802 used by the magnetron, some electrical power losses
may result
from the electrical inefficiencies of the high voltage input transmission 182
facility. It
may be desirable to reduce these electrical power losses associated with the
high voltage
input transmission 182 facility in order to minimize the operational costs of
the facility
associated with the solid fuel treatment facility 132. A number of embodiments
may be
utilized in the configuration of the high voltage input transmission 182
facility.
[00141] Fig. 9 illustrates a transformerless high voltage input
transmission
facility 900, which is one embodiment of the high voltage input transmission
182 facility.
The transfomerless high voltage input transmission facility 900 may convert
high voltage
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AC power in 180, in embodiments this may be 14,600 VAC, directly into the high
voltage DC 802 required by the magnetron 700, in embodiments this may be
20,000
VDC. By converting directly from high-voltage AC power in 180 to high-voltage
DC
802, some intermediate steps may be eliminated which may allow for improved
power
efficiency and thus reduced operating costs of the solid fuel treatment
facility 132. In
embodiments, the eliminated steps may include the process of stepping down the
utility
high voltage AC power in 180 to a low-voltage AC, with say a transformer,
rectifying to
create low-voltage DC, and then stepping the DC back up again with a boost
converter to
the high voltage DC 802A required by the magnetron. By eliminating these
intermediate
stages within the high voltage input transmission 182 facility both efficiency
and
reliability may be improved, as well as reducing capital and maintenance
costs.
[00142] The first stage of the transformerless high voltage input transmission
facility 900 takes the high voltage AC power in 180 and passes it through a
high-speed,
high-current circuit breaker 902, sometimes referred to as an interrupter. A
circuit
breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch that is designed to
protect an
electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short-circuit. There is
one high-
speed, high-current circuit breaker 902 for each phase of the input high-
voltage AC
power in 180 from the utility. The high-speed, high-current circuit breaker
902 should be
fast enough to open circuit in the event of a short-circuit condition within
the
transformerless high voltage input transmission facility 900, to protect the
utility's
electrical distribution system. The high-speed, high current circuit breaker
may provide
electrical isolation and protection to the utility's electrical distribution
system that would
otherwise be provided by other components, such as a transformer 1002. The use
of the
high-speed, high-current circuit breaker 902 in place of a transformer 1002
may allow
greater electrical power efficiency, as the transformer 1002 has electrical
power losses
due to inefficiency, and the high-speed, high current circuit breaker may not.
The high-
speed, high-current circuit breaker 902 may also serve to protect the
magnetrons 700 in
the system. A surge, or spike of voltage, may collapse the field of the
magnetrons 700.
This may cause the system to lose microwave power delivered to the solid fuel,
and
possibly cause damage to the magnetrons.
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1001431 1 he second stage ot the transtormerless high voltage input
transmission facility 900 takes the high voltage AC 910 output from the high
speed, high
current circuit breaker and sends it through a rectifier stage 904, where it
is converted to
high-voltage DC 802. A rectifier 904 is an electrical device comprising one or
more
semiconductor devices, such as diodes, thyristors, SCRs, IGBTs, and the like,
arranged
for converting AC voltage to DC voltage. The output of a very simple rectifier
904 may
be described as a half-AC current, which is then filtered into DC. Practical
rectifiers 904
may be half-wave, full-wave, single-phase bridge, three-phase 3-pulse, three-
phase 6-
pulse, and the like, which when combined with filtering produce various
reduced
amounts of residual AC ripple. The resulting output high voltage DC 802 of a
rectifier
904 may also be adjustable, for instance by changing the firing angle of the
SCRs. This
output high voltage DC 802 may be adjusted up to a theoretical maximum of the
peak
value of the input AC voltage power in 180. As an example, an input AC voltage
power
in 180 of 14,600 VAC may theoretically produce a DC voltage that meets the
required
20,000 VDC. If the high voltage DC 802 meets the requirements of the input
high
voltage DC 802A to the magnetron 700, than the final DC-to-DC converter 908
stage,
shown as dashed in Fig. 9, may not be needed. Since DC-to-DC converters 908
may
have efficiencies of 80%, 85%, 95% and the like, by eliminating the need for
them,
further electrical power efficiencies for the solid fuel treatment facility
132 may be
gained.
[00144] The third stage, if needed, of the transformerless high voltage input
transmission facility 900 is the DC-to-DC converter 908. In this embodiment,
there may
still be a need for a DC-to-DC converter 908 between the rectifier 904 stage
and the
magnetron 700 if the output high voltage DC 802 from the rectifier is not high
enough to
meet the requirements of the high voltage DC 802A inputs of the magnetron 700.
A DC-
to-DC converter 908 is a circuit, which converts a source of DC from one
voltage to
another. Generally, DC-to-DC converters perform the conversion by applying a
DC
voltage across an inductor or transformer for a period of time, for instance,
in the 100
kHz to 5 MHz range, which causes current to flow through it and store energy
magnetically. Then this voltage may be switched off, causing the stored energy
to be
transferred to the voltage output in a controlled manner. By adjusting the
ratio of on-to-
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oft time, the output voltage may be regulated even as the current demand
changes. In this
embodiment, the need for the DC-to-DC converter may be dependent upon the
voltage
level of the supplied high voltage AC power in 180. For example, in the case
of a 12,740
VAC utility distribution voltage power in 180, the rectifier 904 may provide a
maximum
high voltage DC 802 that is less than 18,000 VDC. If the high voltage DC 802A
required
by the magnetron 700 is 20,000 VDC, then, in this case, the DC-to-DC converter
908
stage may be required to boost the voltage to a higher voltage DC 802A in
order to meet
the requirements of the magnetron 700.
[00145] The Inclusion of a high-speed, high-current circuit breaker in the
transformerless power conversion facility 900 may also protect the power
utility's
electrical system from a non-electrical fault within the solid fuel treatment
facility 132.
Aside from electrical shorts due to equipment failure, the magnetron 700 could
arc-off
due to a collapse of the field within the magnetron 700. This arc-off
condition may cause
a large in-rush of current from the utility's electrical system. In
embodiments, the high-
speed, high current circuit breaker may protect the utility's electrical
system from these
high fault currents. An example of a condition that could lead to the
magnetron 700
arcing-off is excessive reflected power back into the magnetron 700. There may
typically
be reflections back into the magnetron 700 during operations, and the
magnetron's 700
circulator (isolator) is designed to protect the magnetron 700 from damage due
to this
reflected power. However, failure of the circulator may result in the
magnetron 700
arcing-off. So although the system is designed to tolerate reflected power,
failures within
the system may still produce the large rush of current associated with the
magnetron 700
arcing-off. This is only one example of a condition that could lead to high in-
rush
currents from the utility's electrical system. Under any high current
condition that lasts
more than a couple of cycles of 60 Hz, the power distribution system feeding
the facility
may experience a failure that could potentially cause the tripping of breakers
back
through the utility's distribution and transmission system, possibly all the
way back to the
utility's generation faculty. Even variations in the product stream within the
solid fuel
treatment facility 132 may cause large reflections and lead to arc-off. Other
fault
conditions that could result in high in-rush currents will be obvious to one
skilled in the
art. This, and all other high current fault conditions, may be eliminated by
the presence
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of the high-speed, high-current circuit breaker. The transtormerless high
voltage input
transmission facility 900 may provide the greatest electrical power efficiency
and fault
protection due to the elimination or reduction of inefficiencies within the
high voltage
input transmission 182 facility.
1001461 Fig. 10 illustrates a high voltage input transmission facility
with a
transformer 1000, which is one embodiment of the high voltage input
transmission 182
facility. This power conversion configuration for delivering high voltage DC
to the
magnetron is performed in three steps. In the first step, high voltage AC
power in 180 is
transformed into low voltage AC 910 with a transformer 1002. A transformer
1002 may
be an electrical device that transfers energy from one electrical circuit to
another by
magnetic coupling. A transformer 1002 comprises two or more coupled windings,
and
may also have a magnetic core to concentrate the magnetic flux. In Fig. 10,
the input AC
voltage power in 180 applied to one winding, referred to as the primary,
creates a time-
varying magnetic fluµx in the core, which induces an AC voltage 910 in the
other winding,
referred to as the secondary. Transformers 1002 are used to convert between
voltages, to
change impedance, and to provide electrical isolation between circuits. For
example, the
high voltage AC power in 180 input in Fig. 10 may be 14,600 VAC, and the low
voltage
AC 910 output may be 480 VAC. In addition to these AC voltages being
different, they
may also be electrically isolated from one another. The transformer 1002 may
be a
single-phase transformer, multiple single-phase transformers, a banked set of
transformers, a multi-phase transformer, or the like. Further, the transformer
may be
provided by the electric power utility. The transformer may have electrical
power
inefficiency associated with the conversion from one voltage to another, and
this
inefficiency may be associated with voltage and current of the input and
output of the
transformer 1002.
1001471 In the second step of the high voltage input transmission facility
with a
transformer 1000 configuration, the low voltage AC 204A is passed through a
rectifier
904 stage to produce an equivalent low voltage DC 802. As an example, an input
AC
voltage 910 of 480 VAC may theoretically produce an output DC voltage 802 as
high as
677 VDC. The voltage of 677 VDC may not be sufficient to supply the high
voltage DC
104 needs of the magnetron. In this event a third DC-to-DC converter 908 stage
may be
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required, where the low voltage DC 802 from the rectifier 904 is stepped up to
the
required high voltage DC 802A, say 20,000 VDC, using a DC-to-DC converter 908.
[00148] The high voltage input transmission facility with a transformer 1000
embodiment may take advantage of standard three-phase, low voltage,
transformer
arrangements available from the utility. One example of such an arrangement is
the
three-phase, 4-wire, 480/277 V transformer that typically delivers power to
large
buildings and commercial centers. The 480 V is utilized to run motors, while
the 277 V
is used to operate the florescent lights of the facility. For 120 V
convenience outlets,
separate transformers may be required, which may fed from the 480V line. Other
examples of standard three-phase voltages may utilize 575-600 V, rather than
480 V,
which may reduce the need for the third DC-to-DC converter 908 stage. These
examples
are not meant to be limiting, and other configurations will be obvious to one
skilled in the
art. Utilization of a standard utility transformer may eliminate the need for
special
equipment from the utility, and may therefore reduce the initial cost of this
embodiment.
However, the operating power losses associated with transforming the AC
voltages
down, and then the converting the DC voltages back up again, may be
undesirable, as it
may increase the operational costs of the solid fuel processing facility.
[00149] Fig. 11 illustrates a transformerless high voltage input transmission
facility with inductor 1100, which is a variation of the previously discussed
transformerless power conversion facility 900, and is one embodiment of the
high voltage
input transmission 182 facility. This embodiment is similar to the
transfomerless high
voltage input transmission facility 900 in that it has no transformer 1002,
but rather than
feeding the high voltage AC power in 180 through a high speed, high current
circuit
breaker for protection, the high voltage AC power in 180 is fed directly into
the rectifier
904. As was the case in the transformerless power conversion facility 900, the
rectifier
904 output high voltage DC 802 may be sufficient so that a DC-to-DC converter
908 may
not be required. A purpose of the high speed, high current circuit breaker 902
in the
transformerless high voltage input transmission facility 900 was to provide
protection to
the utility's electrical distribution system in the event of a short-circuit
within the solid
fuel treatment facility 132. The high speed, high current circuit breaker 902
may have
provided a faster response circuit breaker than the electric power utility
normally
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provides. 1 his taster speed may be needed because ot the absence ot an
isolating
transformer. The transformerless high voltage input transmission facility with
inductor
1100 provides an alternative short-circuit protection component, a high
current inductor
1102 in series with the magnetron 700. The inductor 1102 slows the short-
circuit
response time, providing standard utility low speed utility circuit breakers
enough time to
respond, open, and protect the utility's electrical power distribution system.
The
inductor, under DC conditions, doesn't affect the circuit, and acts as a
virtual short in the
line. But if a short-circuit condition occurred within the solid fuel
treatment facility 132,
the inductor would react to slow the current response, delaying the effect of
the short-
circuit. This delay may allow enough time so that standard utility circuit
breakers may be
utilized, which may eliminate the need for the high-speed, circuit breaker
902.
[00150] Fig. 12 illustrates a direct DC high voltage input transmission
facility
with a transformer 1200, which is one embodiment of the high voltage input
transmission
182 facility. This power conversion configuration for delivering high voltage
DC 802 to
the magnetron is performed in two steps. In the first step, high voltage AC
power in 180
may be stepped up or down, as required, using a transformer 1002. The
transformer's
input-to-output voltage ratio may be determined by the available input high
voltage AC
power in 180 and the required output high voltage DC 802 used by the magnetron
700.
In the second step, the high voltage AC 910 from the output of the transformer
1002 is
sent through a rectifier 904 stage. The rectifier 904 converts the input high
voltage AC
910 into the high voltage DC 802 required by the magnetron 700. The voltage
ratio of
the transformer 1002, and the output adjustment of the rectifier 904, may both
be selected
based on the input high voltage AC power in 180 and the requirements for the
output
high voltage DC 802 to the magnetron 700. For example, the solid fuel
treatment facility
132 may be located in a geographic region where a utility-supplied high
voltage AC
power in 180 distribution voltage of 80,000 VAC is available. If the magnetron
700
required a high voltage DC 802 of 20,000 VDC, then the high voltage DC 910
input to
the rectifier 904 may be selected to be a voltage level that would, say,
produce the
smallest output voltage ripple, or greatest conversion efficiency for the
rectifier 904.
This selected input high voltage DC 910 may be for example 16,000 VDC. In this
case,
the voltage ratio for the transformer may be 5:1, which represents the ratio
of the primary
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windings to secondary windings of the transformer 1002. lhe 80,000 VAC high
voltage
AC power in 180 input would then be stepped down to a high voltage AC 910 of
16,000
VAC. The 16,000 VAC high voltage AC 910 would then be converted to the high
voltage DC 802 by the rectifier 904, and supplied to the magnetron 700 of the
solid fuel
treatment facility 132. This embodiment may allow for a higher efficiency
associated
with a high voltage input transmission 182 facility that keeps high voltage
throughout,
while maintaining the fault isolation afforded to by the transformer 1002.
These are
several illustrative embodiments, but that one skilled in the art would
appreciate
variations, and such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present
invention.
[00151] Fig. 13 illustrates a high voltage input transmission facility
with
transformer isolation, which is one embodiment of the high voltage input
transmission
182 facility. This power conversion configuration for delivering high voltage
DC 802A
to the magnetron 700 utilizes the transformer 1002 to electrically isolate the
high voltage
input transmission 182 facility from the utility's high voltage AC power in
180
distribution system. In this configuration the transformer 1002 may only be
acting as an
electrical isolator, and not performing a change in voltage function. The
input high
voltage AC power in 180 to the transformer 1002 may be the same voltage as the
output
high voltage AC 1002A output from the transformer. With the high voltage AC
910
unchanged as a result of the transformer 1002, the function of changing the
voltage level
to the high voltage DC 802A required by the magnetron 700 may be accomplished
primarily by the DC-to-DC Converter 908. The high voltage AC 910 at the output
of the
transformer is sent through the rectifier 904, where the high voltage AC 910
is converted
to high voltage DC 802. As a result of rectification, the voltage level of the
high voltage
DC 802 may be somewhat higher than the high voltage AC 910 at the input of the
rectifier, but may be limited to a small percentage increase. If the high
voltage DC 802
does not meet the high voltage DC 802A required by the magnetron 700, than the
DC-to-
DC converter 908 may act as the component in the high voltage input
transmission 182
facility that provides most of the voltage changing function. In embodiments,
this
configuration may provide a way for the high voltage input transmission 182
facility to
provide high voltage DC 802A to the magnetron 700 with electrical isolation to
the
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utility's high voltage AC power in ISO. A decrease in the electrical power
inefficiencies
due to the transformer may be realized with this configuration.
[00152] In embodiments, the power requirements for the solid fuel treatment
facility 132 may be high, and may require high voltage lines, for example, 160
kV power
transmission lines. The power requirements may be high enough to justify the
design and
construction of power substations on site with the solid fuel treatment
facility 132. These
power substations may be uniquely designed for the solid fuel treatment
facility 132, and
as such, may allow for the selection of high voltage levels that are best
suited to the
voltage requirements of the magnetrons. In this case, the requirement for a DC-
to-DC
converter 908 may be eliminated.
[00153] As the microwave systems 148 apply power, frequency, and duty
cycles to a particular coal process station, non-coal products may be released
from the
coal. A sensor system may be used to determine the rate of non-coal product
removal,
complete non-coal product removal, environmental settings, actual microwave
system
148 output, and the like. The sensor system 142 may include sensors for water
vapor,
ash, sulfur, volatile matter or other substances released from the coal. In
addition, the
sensor system 142 may include sensors for microwave power, microwave
frequency, gas
environment, coal temperature, chamber temperature, belt speed, inert gas, and
the like.
The sensors may be grouped together or may be spaced along the belt facility
130 as
required to properly sense the processes of the coal treatment. There may be
multiple
sensors for the same measurement value. For example, a water moisture sensor
may be
positioned at a microwave system 148 station and another water moisture sensor
may be
positioned after the microwave system 148 station. In this example, the sensor
arrangement may allow the sensing of the amount of water vapor being removed
at the
microwave station 148 itself and the amount of residual water vapor removed as
the coal
leaves the microwave system station 148. In a setup such as this, the first
sensor may be
used to determine if the proper power level, frequency, and duty cycle is
being used and
the second sensor may determine if a redundant microwave system 148 process
should be
executed to remove water adequately from the coal. Similar methods may be used
with
any of the other sensors of the sensor system 142.
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1001541 I he sensor readings may be received by a parameter control
facility
140 that may have a sensor interface for each type of sensor used by the
sensor system
142. The parameter control facility 140 may be able to read both digital and
analog
sensor readings. The parameter control facility 140 may use an analog to
digital
converter (ADC) to convert any analog readings to a digital format. After
receiving the
sensor data, the parameter control facility 140 may transmit the sensor
readings to both
the controller 144 and the monitoring facility 134. The controller 144 may use
the sensor
readings to display the actual coal process data on its user interface where a
user may be
able view the data verses the actual settings and carry out manual overrides
to the
operational parameters as appropriate.
[00155] In the exemplary embodiment, the monitor facility 134 may receive
the actual coal process data and compare them to the required coal process
parameters to
determine if the coal treatment process is producing the coal desired
characteristics 122.
The monitoring facility 134 may maintain at least two sets of coal treatment
parameters,
the target parameters that may have been provided by the parameter generation
facility
128, and the actual coal process data provided by the parameter control 140.
The
monitoring facility 134 may compare the required parameters and the actual
parameters
to determine if the coal treatment operational parameters are producing the
coal desired
characteristics 122. The parameter generation facility 128 may have also
provided the
monitoring facility 134 with a set of tolerances that must be maintained by
the coal
treatment process in order to produce the coal desired characteristics 122.
The
monitoring facility 134 may use a set of algorithms to determine if any
operational
parameter adjustments need to be made. The algorithms may compare the actual
sensor
142 data with the basic operational parameters and operational parameter
tolerances in
determining any adjustments to the operational parameters.
[00156] Additionally, the monitoring facility 134 may receive final
treated
coal data from a feedback facility 174 that may contain data from a coal
output
parameters 172 facility and a testing facility 170. The monitoring facility
134 algorithms
may use the data received from the feedback facility 174 along with the in-
process data
received from the sensor system 142 to adjust the coal treatment operational
parameters.
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1001571 lhe monitoring facility 134 may be able to adjust one or all of
the
operational parameters of the belt facility 130 in real time.
[00158] After the monitoring facility 134 adjusts the operational parameters,
the monitoring facility 134 may store the adjusted operational parameters as
the new
operational parameters and then transmit the new operational parameters to the
controller
144.
[00159] The controller 144 may determine that at least one new operational
parameter has been received from the monitoring facility 134 and may transmit
the new
operational parameters to the various belt facility 130 devices that may
include the
microwave system 148.
[00160] Using the above described process of providing operational
parameters, sensing the actual process values, interpreting the actual process
values,
adjusting the operational parameters as required, and transmitting the
adjusted
operational parameters to the belt facility 130, certain embodiments may
provide a real
time feedback system that may continually adjust for changing conditions
within the coal
treatment process.
[00161] It would be understood by someone knowledgeable in the art that the
above feedback system may be applied to any of the systems and facilities of
the belt
facility 130.
[00162] In the exemplary coal treatment process, non-coal products may be
released from the coal in the form of gas or liquids. The removal system 150
may be
responsible for removing the non-coal products from the belt facility 130; the
removal
system 150 may remove non-coal products such as water, ash, sulfur, hygrogen,
hydroxyls volatile matter and the like. The removal system 150 and the
controller 144
may receive sensor information from the sensor system 142 as to the volume of
non-coal
products that may be released from the coal treatment process.
[00163] There may be more than one removal system 150 in the belt facility
130 to remove gas and/or liquids. For example, there may be a water vapor
removal
system 150 at a microwave system 148 station with another removal system 150
after the
microwave system 148 station to collect the residual water vapor that may
continue to be
released after the microwave system 148 station. Or, as another example, one
removal
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system 150 may remove water vapor while another removal system 150 may remove
ash,
sulfur, or other materials.
[00164] The controller 144 may provide operational parameters to the removal
system 150 to control fan speeds, pump speeds, and the like. The removal
system 150
may utilize a feedback system similar to the microwave system 148 feedback
system
previously described. In such a feedback system, sensors may provide
information to the
parameter control 140 and the monitoring facility 134 to provide real time
feedback to the
removal system 150 for efficient removal of non-coal products.
[00165] The
removal system 150 may collect the coal treatment released gases
and liquids from the belt facility 130 and transfer the collected non-coal
products to a
containment facility 162. The containment facility 162 may collect the non-
coal products
from the belt facility 130 in at least one containment tank or container. The
monitoring
facility 134 may monitor the containment facility 162 to determine the level
of non-coal
product and may provide this information to a user interface viewable by a
computer
device accessing the solid fuel treatment facility 132. The monitoring
facility 134 may
also determine when the containment facility 162 is sufficiently full that the
contents of
the tank or container should be transferred to a treatment facility 160.
[00166] The treatment facility 160 may be responsible for the separation of
the
various collected non-coal products that may coexist within the containment
facility 162
tanks and containers. In an embodiment, more than one non-coal product may be
collected in a containment facility tank or container during the coal
treatment process.
For example, ash may be released with both water and sulfur during one of the
microwave system 148 processes, so that the collected product would comprise
ash
mixed with water and/or sulfur.
[00167] The treatment facility 160 may receive non-coal product from the
containment facility 162 for separation into single products. The treatment
facility 160
may use a plurality of filtering and separation processes that may include
sedimentation,
flocculation, centrifugation, filtration, distillation, chromatography,
electrophoresis,
extraction, liquid-liquid extraction, precipitation, fractional freezing,
sieving, winnowing,
or the like.
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1001681 1 he monitoring facility 134 may monitor the treatment facility
160
processes for proper operation and separation. The treatment facility 160 may
have its
own sensors for sending data to the monitoring facility 134 or the treatment
facility 160
may use the sensor system 142 to monitor the treatment processes.
[00169] Once the treatment facility 160 has separated the non-coal products
into individual products they may be transferred to a disposal facility 158
for removal
from the solid fuel treatment facility 132. The monitoring facility 132 may
monitor the
disposal facility 158 product levels to determine when the products should be
disposed.
The monitoring facility 134 may provide the information from the disposal
facility to a
user interface within the solid fuel treatment facility 132. Disposal from the
disposal
facility 158 may include releasing non-harmful products (e.g. water and water
vapor),
land file transfer (e.g. ash), sale of products, or commercial fee-based
disposal. In an
embodiment, a non-coal product collected at the disposal facility 158 may be
useful to
other enterprises (e.g. sulfur).
[00170] After the coal has finished being treated in the belt facility 130 it
may
proceed to a cooling facility 164 where the cooling of the coal from the
treatment
temperatures to ambient temperatures may be controlled. Similar to the belt
facility 130,
the cooling facility 164 may use a control atmosphere, a transport system,
sensors, and
the like to control the cooling of the coal. The cooling of the coal may be
controlled, for
example, to prevent re-absorption of moisture and/or to prevent other chemical
reactions
that may occur during the cooling process. The controller 144 may be used to
maintain
the cooling facility 164 systems and facilities such as transportation speed,
atmosphere,
cooling rate, air flow, and the like. The cooling facility 164 may use the
same previously
described real time feedback system used by the belt facility 130 to control
the
operational parameters.
[00171] An out-take facility 168 may receive final treated coal from cooling
facility 164 and belt facility 130. The out-take facility 168 may have an
input section, a
transition section, and adapter section that may receive and control the flow
and volume
of coal that may exit the solid fuel treatment facility 132. The final treated
coal may exit
the solid fuel treatment facility 132 to a coal combustion facility 200, coal
conversion
facility 210, coal byproduct facility 212, shipping facility 214, coal storage
facility 218,
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or the like. lhe out-take facility 168 may have an intake system such as a
conveyor belt
300, auger, or the like that may feed the finished treated coal to an external
location from
the solid fuel treatment facility 132.
[00172] Based on the operational parameters provided by the controller 144 the
out-take facility 168 may control the volume rate of the finished treated coal
output from
the belt facility 130. The out-take facility 168 may be capable of varying the
speed of the
out-take facility based on controller 144 supplied parameters.
[00173] Additionally, the out-take facility 168 may provide test samples to a
testing facility 170 for testing the final treated coal. The selection of coal
samples may
automatically or manually selected; the coal selection may be made a
predetermined
times, randomly selected, statistically selected, or the like.
[00174] The coal testing facility 170 may test the final treated coal
characteristics to be compared to the coal desired characteristics 122 as a
final quality test
of the treated coal. The test facility may be local to the solid fuel
treatment facility 132,
remotely located, or may be a standard commercial coal testing lab. In Fig. 1
the testing
facility is shown as local to the solid fuel treatment facility. The test of
the final treated
coal may provide coal characteristics that may include percent moisture,
percent ash,
percentage of volatiles, fixed-carbon percentage, BTU/lb, BTU/lb M-A Free,
forms of
sulfur, Hardgrove grindability index (HGI), total mercury, ash fusion
temperatures, ash
mineral analysis, electromagnetic absorption/reflection, dielectric
properties, and the like.
The final treated coal may be tested using standard test such as the ASTM
Standards D
388 (Classification of Coals by Rank), the ASTM Standards D 2013 (Method of
Preparing Coal Samples for Analysis), the ASTM Standards D 3180 (Standard
Practice
for Calculating Coal and Coke Analyses from As-Determined to Different Bases),
the US
Geological Survey Bulletin 1823 (Methods for Sampling and Inorganic Analysis
of
Coal), and the like.
[00175] Once the final treated coal characteristics have been determined by
the
testing facility 170, the characteristics may be transmitted to a coal output
parameters
facility 172 and/or may be supplied with the shipments of the final treated
coal.
Supplying the test characteristics with the shipment may allow the coal use
facility to
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know the coal characteristics and adjust the coal use characteristics to match
the Imal
treated coal characteristics.
[00176] Similar to
the coal desired-characteristics facility 122, the coal output
parameters facility 172 may store characteristic data coal, in this case the
final treated
coal characteristics. The coal output parameters facility 172 may be an
individual
computer device or a set of computer devices to store the final desired coal
characteristics
for an identified coal. The computer devices may be a desktop computer,
server, web
server, laptop computer, CD device, DVD device, hard drive system, or the
like. The
computer devices may all be located locally to each other or may be
distributed over a
number of computer devices in remote locations. The computer devices may be
connected by a LAN, WAN, Internet, intranet, P2P, or other network type using
wired or
wireless technology.
[00177] The coal output parameters facility 172 may include a collection of
data that may be a database, relational database, XML, RSS, ASCII file, flat
file, text file,
or the like. In an embodiment, the coal output parameter facility 172 may be
searchable
for the retrieval of the desired data characteristics for a coal.
1001781 There may be a plurality of coal output parameter records stored in
the
coal output parameter facility 172, based on the number of test samples
supplied by the
out-take facility 168 and the testing facility 170.
[001791 With every coal characteristic data record received from the testing
facility 170, the coal output parameters facility 172 may store the received
data and/or
transmit the received coal characteristic data record to the feedback facility
174. The
= coal output parameters facility 172 may transmit only the new received
coal
characteristics data record, transmit all of the data records for the
identified coal (e.g.
multiple test results), transmit an average of all the data records for the
identified coal,
transmit statistical data of the identified coal, or the like. The coal output
parameters
facility 172 may transfer any combination of the data records to the feedback
facility 174.
[00180] The feedback facility 174 may receive coal output parameter data from
the coal output parameter facility 172. The feedback facility 174 may be an
individual
computer device or a set of computer devices to store the final desired coal
characteristics
for an identified coal. The computer devices may be a desktop computer,
server, web
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server, laptop computer, CD device, D VD device, hard drive system, or the
like. lhe
computer devices may all be located locally to each other or may be
distributed over a
number of computer devices in remote locations. The computer devices may be
connected by a LAN, WAN, Internet, intranet, P2P, or other network type using
wired or
wireless technology.
[00181] The feedback facility174 may query the coal output parameters facility
172 for data on an identified coal that is being treated in the solid fuel
treatment facility
132. In embodiments, the feedback facility 174 may query the coal output
parameters
facility 172 periodically at set time periods, when data is requested by the
monitoring
facility 134, when the coal output parameters facility 172 sends a new record,
or the like.
[00182] The feedback facility 174 may receive only the new received coal
characteristics data record, receive all of the data records for the
identified coal (e.g.
multiple test results), receive an average of all the data records for the
identified coal,
receive statistical data of the identified coal, or the like. The feedback
facility 174 may
have algorithms for aggregating the received final treated coal
characteristics as a feed
forward to the monitoring facility 134. The feedback facility 174 may feed
forward to
the monitoring facility 134 the last coal characteristics data record, all of
the data records
for the identified coal (e.g. multiple test results), an average of all the
data records for the
identified coal, statistical data of the identified coal, or the like.
[00183] The coal output parameter facility 172 may transfer the coal
characteristics to a pricing transactional facility 178. The pricing
transactional facility
178 may determine the price and cost of the coal treatment from the as-
received raw coal
to the final treated coal. The pricing transactional facility 178 may retrieve
as-received
coal data from the coal sample data facility 120; this facility may store the
cost of the
received coal (e.g. cost/ton of coal). The pricing transactional facility 178
may retrieve
data from the coal output parameters facility 172 that may contain data
related to the cost
of treating the coal. The pricing transactional facility 178 may have
application software
that may determine the final price of the treated coal based on the cost data
retrieved and
derived from the coal sample data facility 120 and the coal output parameters
facility
172.
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1_00184] As depicted in Fig. 2, certain aspects ot coal usage are consistent
with
treatment of coal in the solid fuel treatment facility 132. As described
above, the solid
fuel treatment facility 132 may improve coal quality to render the coal more
suitable for a
variety of uses. In embodiments, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may
include an
outtake facility 168 through which coal treated in accordance with the systems
and
methods described herein may be transferred to usage facilities such as those
illustrated
in Fig. 2. In embodiments, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may include a
testing
facility 170 as described in more detail above. As described previously,
results of coal
tested in the testing facility 170 may be transferred to usage facilities such
as those
illustrated in Fig. 2, so that the usage facility may better take advantage of
the particular
properties of coal treated in accordance with the systems and methods
described herein.
[00185] Fig. 2 illustrates exemplary facilities that may use coal treated by
the
systems and methods described herein, including but not limited to a coal
combustion
facility 200 and coal storage facility 202 for combustible coal, a coal
conversion facility
210, a coal byproduct facility 212, a coal shipping facility 214 and a coal
storage facility
218 for coal shipments in transit. In embodiments, coal is shipped or
transported from
the out-take facility 168 to a facility for coal use. It is understood that
the solid fuel
treatment facility 132 may be in proximity to the coal use facility, or the
two may be
remote from each other.
[00186] Referring to Fig. 2, combustion of coal treated by the systems and
methods described herein may take place in a coal combustion facility 200.
Coal
combustion 200 involves burning coal at high temperatures in the presence of
oxygen to
produce light and heat. Coal must be heated to its ignition temperature before
combustion occurs. The ignition temperature of coal is that of its fixed
carbon content.
The ignition temperatures of the volatile constituents of coal are higher than
the ignition
temperature of the fixed carbon. Gaseous products thus are distilled off
during
combustion. When combustion starts, the heat produced by the oxidation of the
combustible carbon may, under proper conditions, maintain a high enough
temperature to
sustain the combustion. Coal to be used in a coal combustion 200 facility may
be
transported directly to the facility for usage, or it may be stored in a
storage facility 202
related to the coal combustion 200 facility.
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1_00187] As depicted in Fig. 2, coal combustion 200 may provide tor power
generation 204. Systems for power generation include fixed bed combustion
systems
220, pulverized coal combustion systems 222, fluidized bed combustion systems
224 and
combination combustion systems 228 that use renewable energy sources in
combination
with coal combustion.
[00188] In embodiments, fixed bed 220 systems may be used with coal treated
in accordance with the systems and methods described herein. Fixed bed 220
systems
may use a lump-coal feed, with particle size ranging from about 1-5 cm. In a
fixed bed
220 system, the coal is heated as it enters the furnace, so that moisture and
volatile
material are driven off. As the coal moves into the region where it will be
ignited, the
temperature rises in the coal bed. There are a number of different types of
fixed bed 220
systems, including static grates, underfeed stokers, chain grates, traveling
grates and
spreader stoker systems. Chain and traveling grate furnaces have similar
characteristics.
Coal lumps are fed onto a moving grate or chain, while air is drawn through
the grate and
through the bed of coal on top of it. In a spreader stoker, a high-speed rotor
throws the
coal into the furnace over a moving grate to distribute the fuel more evenly.
Stoker
furnaces are generally characterized by a flame temperature between 1200-1300
degrees
C and a fairly long residence time.
[00189] Combustion in a fixed bed 220 system is relatively uneven, so that
there can be intermittent emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides ("NOx")
and
volatiles during the combustion process. Combustion chemistry and temperatures
may
vary substantially across the combustion grate. The emission of SO2 will
depend on the
sulfur content of the feed coal. Residual ash may have a high carbon content
(4-5%)
because of the relatively inefficient combustion and because of the restricted
access of
oxygen to the carbon content of the coal. It will be understood by skilled
artisans that
particular properties allow coal to be burned advantageously in a fixed bed
220 system.
Hence, coal treated in accordance with the systems and methods described
herein may be
more particularly designed for combustion in a fixed bed 220 system.
[00190] In embodiments, pulverized coal combustion ("PCC") 222 may be
used as a combustion 200 method for power generation 204. As depicted in Fig.
2, PCC
222 may be used with coal treated in accordance with the systems and methods
described
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herein. For FCC, the coal may be ground (pulverized) to a tine powder. I he
pulverized
coal is blown with part of the air for combustion into the boiler through a
series of burner
nozzles. Secondary or tertiary air may also be added. Units operate at close
to
atmospheric pressure. Combustion takes place at temperatures between 1300-1700
degrees C, depending on coal rank. For bituminous coal, combustion
temperatures are
held between 1500-1700 degrees C. For lower rank coals, the range is 1300-1600
degrees C. The particle size of coal used in pulverized coal processes ranges
from about
10-100 microns. Particle residence time is typically 1-5 seconds, and the
particles must
be sized so that they are completely burned during this time. Steam is
generated by the
process that may drive a steam generator and turbine for power generation 204.
[00191] Pulverized coal combustors 222 may be supplied with wall-fired or
tangentially fired burners. Wall-fired burners are mounted on the walls of the
combustor,
while the tangentially fired burners are mounted on the corner, with the flame
directed
towards the center of the boiler, thereby imparting a swirling motion to the
gases during
combustion so that the air and fuel is mixed more effectively. Boilers may be
termed
either wet-bottom or dry-bottom, depending on whether the ash falls to the
bottom as
molten slag or is removed as a dry solid. Advantageously, PCC 222 produces a
fine fly
ash. In general, PCC 222 may result in 65%-85% fly ash, with the remainder of
the ash
taking the form of coarser bottom ash (in dry bottom boilers) or boiler slag
(wet bottom
boilers).
[00192] In embodiments, PCC 222 boilers using anthracite coal as a fuel may
employ a downshot burner arrangement, whereby the coal-air mixture is sent
down into a
cone at the base of the boiler. This arrangement allows longer residence time
that ensures
more complete carbon burn. Another arrangement is called the cell burner,
involving two
or three circular burners combined into a single, vertical assembly that
yields a compact,
intense flame. The high temperature flame from this burner may result in more
NOx
formation, though, rendering this arrangement less advantageous.
[00193] In embodiments, cyclone-fired boilers may be employed for coals with
a low ash fusion temperature that would be otherwise difficult to use with PCC
222. A
cyclone furnace has combustion chambers mounted outside the tapered main
boiler.
Primary combustion air carries the coal particles into the furnace, while
secondary air is
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injected tangentially into the cyclone, creating a strong swirl that throws
the larger coal
particles towards the furnace walls. Tertiary air enters directly into the
central vortex of
the cyclone to control the central vacuum and the position of the combustion
zone within
the furnace. Larger coal particles are trapped in the molten layer that covers
the cyclone
interior surface and then are recirculated for more complete burning. The
smaller coal
particles pass into the center of the vortex for burning. This system results
in intense heat
formation within the furnace, so that the coal is burned at extremely high
temperatures.
Combustion gases, residual char and fly ash pass into a boiler chamber for
more complete
burning. Molten ash flows by gravity to the bottom of the furnace for removal.
[00194] In a cyclone boiler, 80-90% of the ash leaves the bottom of the boiler
as a molten slag, so that less fly ash passes through the heat transfer
sections of the boiler
to be emitted. These boilers run at high temperatures (from 1650 to over 2000
degrees
C), and employ near-atmospheric pressure. The high temperatures result in high
production of NOx, a major disadvantage to this boiler type. Cyclone-fired
boilers may
use coals with certain key characteristics: volatile matter greater than 15%
(dry basis),
ash contents between 6-25% for bituminous coals or 4-25% for subbituminous
coals, and
a moisture content of less than 20% for bituminous and 30% for subbituminous
coals.
The ash must have particular slag viscosity characteristics; ash slag behavior
is especially
important to the functioning of this boiler type. High moisture fuels may be
burned in
this type of boiler, but design variations are required.
[00195] It will
be understood by skilled artisans that particular properties allow
coal to be burned advantageously in a PCC 222 system. Hence, coal treated in
accordance with the systems and methods described herein may be more
particularly
designed for combustion in a PCC 222 system.
[00196] PCC may be used in combination with subcritical or supercritical
steam cycling. A supercritical steam cycle is one that operates above the
water critical
temperature (374 degrees F) and critical pressure (22.1 mPa), where the gas
and liquid
phases of water cease to exist. Subcritical systems typically achieve thermal
efficiencies
of 33-34%. Supercritical systems may achieve thermal efficiencies 3 to 5
percent higher
than subcritical systems.
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1001971 It will be appreciated by skilled artisans that increasing the
thermal
efficiency of coal combustion 200 results in lower costs for power generation
204
because less fuel is needed. Increased thermal efficiency also reduces other
emissions
generated during combustion, such as those of SO2 and NOx. Older, smaller
units
burning lower rank coals have thermal efficiencies that may be as low as 30%.
For larger
plants, with subcritical steam boilers that burn higher quality coals, thermal
efficiencies
may be in the region of 35-36%. Facilities using supercritical steam may
achieve overall
thermal efficiencies in the 43-45% range. Maximum efficiencies achievable with
lower
grade coals and lower rank coals may be less than what would be achieved with
higher
grade and higher rank coals. For example, maximum efficiencies expected in new
lignite-fired plants (found, for example, in Europe) may be around 42%, while
equivalent
new bituminous coal plants may achieve about 45% maximum thermal efficiency.
Supercritical steam plants using bituminous coals and other optimal
construction
materials may yield net thermal efficiencies of 45-47%. Hence, coal treated in
accordance with the systems and methods described herein may be advantageously
designed for optimizing thermal efficiencies.
[00198] In embodiments, fluidized bed combustion ("FBC") 224 systems may
be used with coal treated in accordance with the systems and methods described
herein.
FBC 224 systems operate on the principle of fluidization, a condition in which
solid
materials are given free-flowing fluid-like behavior. As a gas is passed
upward through a
bed of solid particles, the flow of gas produces forces that tend to separate
the particles
from one another. In a FBC 224 system, coal is burned in a bed of hot
incombustible
particles suspended by an upward flow of fluidizing gas. The coal in a FBC 224
system
may be mixed with a sorbent such as limestone, with the mixture being
fluidized during
the combustion process to allow complete combustion and removal of sulfur
gases. It
will be understood by skilled artisans that particular properties allow coal
to be burned
advantageously in a FBC 224 system. Hence, coal treated in accordance with the
systems
and methods described herein may be more particularly designed for combustion
in a
FBC 224 system. Exemplary embodiments of FBC 224 systems are described below
in
more detail.
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1001991 For power generation 204, 1-,BC 224 systems are used mainly with
subcritical steam turbines. Atmospheric pressure FBC 224 systems may be
bubbling or
circulating. Pressurized FBC 224 systems, presently in earlier stages of
development,
mainly use bubbling beds and may produce power in a combined cycle with a gas
and
steam turbine. Relatively coarse coal particles, around 3 mm in size, may be
used. FBC
224 at atmospheric pressures may be useful with high-ash coals and/or those
with
variable characteristics. Combustion takes place at temperatures between 800-
900
degrees C., substantially below the threshold for forming NOx, so that these
systems
result in lower NOx emissions than PCC 222 systems.
[00200] Bubbling beds have a low fluidizing velocity, so that the coal
particles
are held in a bed that is about 1 mm deep with an identifiable surface. As the
coal
particles are burned away and become smaller, they ultimately are carried off
with the
coal gases to be removed as fly ash. Circulating beds use a higher fluidizing
velocity, so
that coal particles are suspended in the flue gases and pass through the main
combustion
chamber into a cyclone. The larger coal particles are extracted from the gases
and are
recycled into the combustion chamber. Individual particles may recycle between
10-50
times, depending on their combustion characteristics. Combustion conditions
are
relatively uniform throughout the combustor and there is a great deal of
particle mixing.
Even though the coal solids are distributed throughout the unit, a dense bed
is required in
the lower furnace to mix the fuel during combustion. For a bed burning
bituminous coal,
the carbon content of the bed is around 1%, with the rest made of ash and
other minerals.
[00201] Circulating FBC 224 systems may be designed for a particular type of
coal. In embodiments, these systems are particularly useful for low grade,
high ash coals
which are difficult to pulverize finely and which may have variable combustion
characteristics. In embodiments, these systems are also useful for co-firing
coal with
other fuels such as biomass or waste in a combination combustion 228 system.
Once a
FBC 224 unit is built, it may operate most efficiently with the fuel for which
it has been
designed. A variety of designs may be employed. Thermal efficiency for a
circulating
FBC 224 is generally somewhat lower than for equivalent PCC systems. Use of a
low
grade coal with variable characteristics may lower the thermal efficiency even
more.
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1002021 1-,BC 224 in pressurized systems may be useful tor low grade coals and
for those with variable combustion characteristics. In a pressurized system,
the
combustor and the gas cyclones are all enclosed in a pressure vessel, with the
coal and
sorbent fed into the system across the pressure boundary and the ash removed
across the
pressure boundary. When hard coal is used, the coal and the limestone may be
mixed
together with 25% water and fed into the system as a paste. The system may
operate at
pressures of 1-1.5 MPa with combustion temperatures between 800-900 degrees C.
The
combustion heats steam, like a conventional boiler, and also may produce hot
gas to drive
a gas turbine. Pressurized units are designed to have a thermal efficiency of
over 40%,
with low emissions. Future generations of pressurized FBC systems may include
improvements that would produce thermal efficiencies greater than 50%.
[00203] As depicted in Fig. 2, coal combustion 200 may be employed for
metallurgical purposes 208 such as smelting iron and steel. In certain
embodiments,
bituminous coals with certain properties may be suitable for smelting without
prior
coking. As an example, those coals having properties such as fusibility, and a
combination of other factors including a high fixed carbon content, low ash
(<5%), low
sulfur, and low calcite (CaCO3) content may be suitable for metallurgical
purposes 208.
Coals having properties suitable for metallurgical purposes 208 may be worth
15-50%
more than coal used for power generation 204. It will be understood by skilled
artisans
that particular properties allow coal to be burned advantageously in a
metallurgical 208
system. Hence, coal treated in accordance with the systems and methods
described
herein may be more particularly designed for combustion in a metallurgical 208
system.
[00204] Referring to Fig. 2, coal treated by the systems and methods described
herein may be used in a coal conversion facility 210. As depicted in Fig. 2, a
coal
conversion facility 210 may convert the complex hydrocarbons of coal into
other
products, using, for example, systems for gasification 230, syngas production
and
conversion 234, coke and purified carbon formation 238 and hydrocarbon
formation 240.
It will be understood by skilled artisans that particular properties allow
coal to be used
advantageously in a coal conversion facility 210. Hence, coal treated in
accordance with
the systems and methods described herein may be more particularly designed for
use in a
coal conversion facility 210.
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1002051 In embodiments, coal treated by the systems and methods described
herein may be used for gasification 230. Gasification 230 involves the
conversion of coal
to a combustible gas, volatile materials, char and mineral residues
(ash/slag). A
gasification 230 system converts a hydrocarbon fuel material like coal into
its gaseous
components by applying heat under pressure, generally in the presence of
steam. The
device that carries out this process is called a gasifier. Gasification 230
differs from
combustion because it takes place with limited air or oxygen available. Thus,
only a
small portion of the fuel burns completely. The fuel that burns provides the
heat for the
rest of the gasification 230 process.
[00206] During gasification 230, most of the hydrocarbon feedstock (e.g.,
coal)
is chemically broken down into a variety of other substances collectively
termed
"syngas." Syngas is primarily hydrogen, carbon monoxide and other gaseous
compounds. The components of syngas vary, however, based on the type of
feedstock
used and the gasification conditions employed. Leftover minerals in the
feedstock do not
gasify like the carbonaceous materials, so that they may be separated out and
removed.
Sulfur impurities in the coal may form hydrogen sulfide, from which sulfur or
sulfuric
acid may be produced. Because gasification takes place under reducing
conditions, NOx
typically does not form and ammonia forms instead. If oxygen is used instead
of air
during gasification 230, carbon dioxide is produced in a concentrated gas
stream that may
be sequestered and prevented from entering the atmosphere as a pollutant.
[00207] Gasification 230 may be able to use coals that would be difficult to
use
in combustion 200 facilities, such as coals with high sulfur content or high
ash content.
Ash characteristics of coal used in a gasifier affect the efficiency of the
process, both
because they affect the formation of slag and they affect the deposition of
solids within
the syngas cooler or heat exchanger. At lower temperatures, such as those
found in
fixed-bed and fluidized gasifiers, tar formation may cause problems. It will
be
understood by skilled artisans that particular properties allow coal to be
used
advantageously in a gasification 230 facility. Hence, coal treated in
accordance with the
systems and methods described herein may be more particularly designed for use
in a
gasification 230 facility.
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1002081 In embodiments, three types ot gasifier systems may be available:
fixed beds, fluidized beds, and entrained flow. Fixed bed units, not normally
used for
power generation, use lump coal. Fluidized beds use 3-6mm size coal. Entrained
flow
units use pulverized coal. Entrained flow units run at higher operating
temperatures
(around 1600 degrees C) than fluidized bed systems (around 900 degrees C).
[00209] In embodiments, gasifiers may run at atmospheric pressure or may be
pressurized. With pressurized gasification, the feedstock coal may be inserted
across a
pressure barrier. Bulky and expensive lock hopper systems may be used to
insert the
coal, or the coal may be fed in as a water-based slurry. Byproduct streams
then are
depressurized to be removed across the pressure barrier. Internally, the heat
exchangers
and gas-cleaning units for the syngas are also pressurized.
[00210] Although it is understood that gasification 230 facilities may not
involve combustion, gasification 230 may nonetheless be used for power
generation in
certain embodiments. For example, a gasification 230 facility in which power
is
generated may utilize an integrated gasification combined cycle ("IGCC") 232
system.
In an IGCC system 232, the syngas produced during gasification may be cleaned
of
impurities (hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, particulate matter, and the like) and
burned to
drive a gas turbine. In an IGCC system 232, the exhaust gases from
gasification may also
be heat-exchanged with water to generate superheated steam that drives a steam
turbine.
Because an IGCC system 232 uses two turbines in combination (a gas combustion
turbine and a steam turbine), such a system is called "combined cycle."
Generally, the
majority of the power (60-70%) comes from the gas turbine in this system. IGCC
systems 232 generate power at greater thermal efficiency than coal combustion
systems.
It will be understood by skilled artisans that particular properties allow
coal to be used
advantageously in an IGCC 232 facility. Hence, coal treated in accordance with
the
systems and methods described herein may be more particularly designed for use
in a,
IGCC 232 facility.
[00211] In embodiments, coal treated by the systems and methods described
herein may be used for the production of syngas 234 or its conversion into a
variety of
other products. For example, its components like carbon monoxide and hydrogen
may be
used to produce a broad range of liquid or gaseous fuels or chemicals, using
processes
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familiar to practitioners in the art. As another example, the hydrogen
produced during
gasification may be used as fuel for fuel cells, or potentially for hydrogen
turbines or
hybrid fuel cell-turbine systems. The hydrogen that is separated from the gas
stream may
be also be used as a feedstock for refineries that use the hydrogen for
producing upgraded
petroleum products.
[00212] Syngas 234 may also be converted into a variety of hydrocarbons that
may be used for fuels or for further processing. Syngas 234 may be condensed
into light
hydrocarbons using, for example, Fischer-Tropsch catalysts. The light
hydrocarbons may
then be further converted into gasoline or diesel fuel. Syngas 234 may also be
converted
into methanol, which may be used as a fuel, a fuel additive, or a building
block for
gasoline production. It will be understood by skilled artisans that particular
properties
allow coal to be used advantageously in a syngas production or conversion 234
facility.
Hence, coal treated in accordance with the systems and methods described
herein may be
more particularly designed for use in a syngas production or conversion 234
facility.
[00213] In embodiments, coal treated by the systems and methods described
herein may be converted 238 into coke or purified carbon. Coke 238 is a solid
carbonaceous residue derived from coal whose volatile components have been
driven off
by baking in an oven at high temperatures (as high as 1000 degrees C). At
these
temperatures, the fixed carbon and residual ash are fused together. Feedstock
for forming
coke is typically low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Coke may be used as a
fuel
during, for example, smelting iron in a blast furnace. Coke is also useful as
a reducing
agent during such processes. Converting coal to coke may also yield byproducts
such as
coal tar, ammonia, light oils and coal gas. Since the volatile components of
coal are
driven off during the coking process 238, coke is a desirable fuel for
furnaces where
conditions may not be suitable for burning coal itself. For example, coke may
be burned
with little or no smoke under combustion conditions that would cause a large
amount of
emissions if bituminous coal itself were used.
[00214] Coal must desirably meet certain stringent criteria regarding moisture
content, ash content, sulfur content, volatile content, tar and plasticity
before it can be
used as coking coal. It will be understood by skilled artisans that particular
properties
allow coal to be used advantageously in a coke production facility 238. Hence,
coal
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treated in accordance with the systems and methods described herein may be
more
particularly designed for use for producing coke 238.
[00215] In embodiments, amorphous pure carbon 238 may be obtained by
heating coal to a temperature of about 650-980 degrees C in a limited-air
environment so
that complete combustion does not occur. Amorphous carbon 238 is a form of the
carbon
allotrope graphite consisting of microscopic carbon crystals. Amorphous carbon
238 thus
obtained has a number of industrial uses. For example, graphite may be used
for
electrochemistry components, activated carbons are used for water and air
purification,
and carbon black may be used to reinforce tires. It will be understood by
skilled artisans
that particular properties allow coal to be used advantageously in a purified
carbon
production facility 238. Hence, coal treated in accordance with the systems
and methods
described herein may be more particularly designed for use for producing
purified carbon
238.
[00216] In embodiments, the basic process of coke production 238 may be
used to manufacture a hydrocarbon-containing 240 gas mixture that may be used
as fuel
("town gas"). Town gas may include, for example, about 51% hydrogen, 15%
carbon
monoxide, 21% methane, 10% carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and about 3% other
alkanes.
Other processes, for example the Lurgi process and the Sabatier synthesis use
lower
quality coal to produce methane.
[00217] In embodiments, coal treated with the systems and methods described
herein may be converted to hydrocarbon products 240. For example, liquefaction
converts coal into liquid hydrocarbon 240 products that can be used as fuel.
Coal may be
liquefied using direct or indirect processes. Any process that converts coal
to a
hydrocarbon 240 fuel must add hydrogen to the hydrocarbons comprising coal.
Four
types of liquefaction methods are available: (1) pyrolysis and
hydrocarbonization,
wherein coal is heated in the absence of air or in the presence of hydrogen;
(2) solvent
extraction, wherein coal hydrocarbons are selectively dissolved from the coal
mass and
hydrogen is added; (3) catalytic liquefaction, wherein a catalyst effects the
hydrogenation of the coal hydrocarbons; and (4) indirect liquefaction, wherein
carbon
monoxide and hydrogen are combined in the presence of a catalyst. As an
example, the
Fischer-Tropsch process is a catalyzed chemical reaction in which carbon
monoxide and
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3 0 6 1 - 2
hydrogen are converted to vanous forms of liquid hydrocarbons 240. Substances
produced by this process may include synthetic petroleum substitutes usable as
lubrication oils or fuels.
[00218] As another example, low temperature carbonization may be used for
manufacturing liquid hydrocarbons 240 from coal. In this process, coal is
coked 238 at
temperatures between 450 and 700 C (compared to 800 to 1000 C for
metallurgical
coke). These temperatures optimize the production of coal tars richer in
lighter
hydrocarbons 240 than normal coal tar. The coal tar is then further processed
into fuels.
[00219] It will be understood by skilled artisans that particular properties
allow
coal to be used advantageously in the formation 240 of hydrocarbon products.
Hence,
coal treated in accordance with the systems and methods described herein may
be more
particularly designed for use for producing hydrocarbons 240.
[002201 Referring to Fig. 2, coal treated by the systems and methods described
herein may be used in a coal byproduct facility 212. As depicted in Fig. 2, a
coal
byproduct facility 212 may convert coal into coal combustion byproducts 242
and coal
distillation byproducts 244.
1002211 In embodiments, a variety of coal combustion byproducts 242 may be
obtained. As examples, coal combustion byproducts 242 may include volatile
hydrocarbons, ash, sulfur, carbon dioxide, water and the like. Further
processing of these
byproducts may be carried out, with economic benefit. It will be understood by
skilled
artisans that particular properties allow coal to be used advantageously to
produce
economically beneficial combustion byproducts. Hence, coal treated in
accordance with
the systems and methods described herein may be more particularly designed for
use in
producing useful combustion byproducts.
[00222] As an example, volatile matter is a coal combustion byproduct 242.
Volatile matter includes those products, exclusive of moisture, that are given
off as a gas
or a vapor during heating. For coal, the percent volatile matter is detei
mined by first
heating the coal to 105 C degrees to drive off the moisture, then heating the
coal to 950
degrees C and measuring the weight loss. Volatile matter may include a mixture
of short
and long chain hydrocarbons plus other gases, including sulfur. Volatile
matter thus may
be comprised of a mixture of gases, low boiling point organic compounds that
condense
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into oils upon cooling, and tars. Volatile matter in coal increases with
decreasing rank.
Moreover, coals with high volatile matter content are highly reactive during
combustion
and ignite easily.
[00223] As another example, coal ash is a coal combustion byproduct 242.
Coal ash is made of fly ash (the waste removed from smoke stacks) and bottom
ash (from
boilers and combustion chambers). Coarse particles (bottom ash and/or boiler
slag) settle
to the bottom of the combustion chamber, and the fine portion (fly ash)
escapes through
the flue and is reclaimed and recycled. Coal ash may contain concentrations of
many
trace elements and heavy metals, including Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se,
Sr, V, and
Zn. Ash that is retrieved after coal combustion may be useful as an additive
to cement
products, as a fill for excavation or civil engineering projects, as a soil
ameliorization
agent, and as a component of other products, including paints, plastics,
coatings and
adhesives.
[00224] As another example, sulfur is a coal combustion byproduct 242.
Sulfur in coal may be released during combustion as a sulfur oxide, or it may
be retained
in the coal ash by reacting with base oxides contained in the mineral
impurities (a process
known as sulfur self-retention). The most important base oxide for sulfur self-
retention is
CaO, formed as a result of CaCO3 decomposition and combustion of calcium-
containing
organic groups. Coal combustion takes place in two successive steps:
devolatilization
and char combustion. During devolatilization, combustible sulfur is converted
to S02.
During char combustion, the process of SO2 formation, sulfation and Ca504
decomposition take place simultaneously.
[00225] In embodiments, a variety of coal distillation products 244 may be
obtained. Destructive distillation 244 of coal yields coal tar and coal gas,
in addition to
metallurgical coke. Uses for metallurgical coke and coal gas have been
discussed
previously, as products of coal transformation. Coal tar, the third byproduct,
has a
variety of other commercial uses. It will be understood by skilled artisans
that particular
properties allow coal to be used advantageously to produce economically
beneficial
distillation byproducts 244. Hence, coal treated in accordance with the
systems and
methods described herein may be more particularly designed for use in
producing useful
distillation byproducts 244.
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1002261 Coal
tar is an example ot a coal distillation byproduct 244. Coal tar is
a complex mixture of hydrocarbon substances. The majority of its components
are
aromatic hydrocarbons of differing compositions and volatilities, from the
simplest and
most volatile (benzene) to multiple-ringed non-volatile substances of large
molecular
weights. The hydrocarbons in coal tar are in large part benzene-based,
naphthalene-
based, or anthracene- or phenanthrene-based. There may also be variable
quantities of
aliphatic hydrocarbons, paraffins and olefins. In addition, coal tar contains
a small
amount of simple phenols, such as carbolic acid and cumarone. Sulfur compounds
and
nitrogenated organic compounds may also be found. Most of the nitrogen
compounds in
coal tar are basic in character and belong to the pyridine and the quinoline
families, for
example, aniline.
[00227] In embodiments, coal tar may be further subjected to fractional
distillation to yield a number of useful organic chemicals, including benzene,
toluene,
xylene, naphthalene, anthracene and phenanthrene. These substances may be
termed
coal-tar crudes. They form the basis for synthesis of a number of products,
such as dyes,
drugs, flavorings, perfumes, synthetic resins, paints, preservatives, and
explosives.
Following the fractional distillation of coal-tar crudes, a residue of pitch
is left over. This
substance may be used for purposes like roofing, paving, insulation, and
waterproofing.
[00228] In embodiments, coal tar may also be used in its native state without
submitting it to fractional distillation. For example, it may be heated to a
certain extent to
remove its volatile components before using it. Coal tar in its native state
may be
employed as a paint, a weatherproofing agent, or as a protection against
corrosion. Coal
tar has also been used as a roofing material. Coal tar may be combusted as a
fuel, though
it yields noxious gases during combustion. Burning tar creates a large
quantity of soot
called lampblack. If the soot is collected, it may be used for the manufacture
of carbon
for electrochemistry, printing, dyes, etc.
[00229] Referring to Fig. 2, coal treated by the systems and methods described
herein may be transported in a shipping facility 214 or stored in a storage
facility 218. It
will be understood by skilled artisans that particular properties allow coal
to be safely and
efficiently transported and stored. Hence, coal treated in accordance with the
systems
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and methods described herein may be advantageously designed to facilitate its
shipping
and storage.
[00230] In embodiments, coal may be transported from where it is mined to
where it is used. Coal transportation may be effected in a shipping facility
214. Before it
is transported, coal may be cleaned, sorted and/or crushed to a particular
size. In certain
cases, power plants may be located on-site or close to the mine that provides
the coal to
the plant. For these facilities, coal may be transported by conveyors and the
like. In most
cases, though, power plants and other facilities using coal are located
remotely. The
main transportation method from mine to remote facility is the railway. Barges
and other
seagoing vessels may also be used. Highway transportation in trucks is
feasible, but may
not be cost-effective, especially for trips over fifty miles. Coal slurry
pipelines transport
powdered coal suspended in water. It will be understood by skilled artisans
that
particular handling properties facilitate coal transportation in a shipping
facility 214.
Hence, coal treated in accordance with the systems and methods described
herein may be
more particularly designed to facilitate its transport.
[00231] In embodiments, coal may be stored in a storage facility 218, either
at
the site where it will be used or at a remote site from which it may be
transported to the
point of use. In embodiments such as coal combustion facilities 200 and other
coal
utilization plants, coal may be stored on-site. As an example, for a power
generation
plant 204, 10% or more of the annual coal requirement may be stored.
Overstocking of
stored coal may cause problems, however, related to risks of spontaneous
combustion,
losses of volatile material and losses of calorific value. Anthracite coal may
present
fewer risks than other coal ranks. Anthracite, for example, may not be subject
to
spontaneous ignition, so may be stored in unlimited amounts per coal pile. A
bituminous
coal, by contrast, may ignite spontaneously if placed in a large enough pile,
and it may
suffer disintegration.
[00232] Two types of changes may occur in stored coal. Inorganic material
such as pyrites may oxidize, and organic material in the coal itself may
oxidize. When
the inorganic material oxidizes, the volume and/or weight of the coal may
increase, and it
may disintegrate. If the coal substances themselves oxidize, the changes may
not be
immediately appreciable. Oxidation of organic material in coal involves
oxidation of the
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carbon and hydrogen in the coal, and the absorption ot oxygen by unsaturated
hydrocarbons, changes that may cause a loss of calorific value. These changes
may also
cause spontaneous combustion. It will be understood by skilled artisans that
particular
properties of coal minimize the deleterious changes that may occur in coal
stored in a
storage facility 218. Hence, coal treated in accordance with the systems and
methods
described herein may be more particularly designed to permit its safe storage
in a storage
facility 218.
[00233] Now a more detailed description is presented for the individual
components of the solid fuel treatment facility, its inputs, outputs, and
related methods
and systems.
[00234] Coal is formed from plant matter that decomposes without access
to
air under the influence of moisture, elevated pressure and elevated
temperature. There
are two steps to the formation of coal. The first step is a biological one,
wherein
cellulose is turned into peat. The second step is a physicochemical one,
wherein peat is
turned into coal. The geological process that forms coal is termed
coalification. As
coalification progresses, the chemical composition of the coal gradually
changes to
compounds of higher carbon content and lower hydrogen content, as may be found
in
aromatic ring structures.
[00235] The type of coal, or coal rank, indicates the degree of
coalification that has
occurred. The ranks of coal, ranging from highest to lowest, include
anthracite, bituminous,
subbituminous, and brown coal/lignite. With an increase in degree of
coalification, the
percentage of volatile matter decreases and the calorific value increases.
Thus, higher-ranked
coals have less volatile matter and more calorific value. In general, too,
with increasing rank, a
coal has less moisture, less oxygen, and more fixed carbon, more sulfur and
more ash. The term
"grade" distinguishes between two coals with respect to ash and sulfur
content.
[00236] All
coal contains minerals. These minerals are inorganic substances found in
the coal. A mineral constituent that is integrated into the coal substance
itself is termed an
included mineral. A mineral constituent that is separate from the coal matrix
is termed an
excluded mineral. Excluded minerals may be dispersed among the coal particles,
or may be
present inadvertently because of mining techniques that draw from adjacent
mineral strata. The
inorganic material in coal becomes ash following coal combustion or coal
transformation.
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1002371 The uncombined carbon of coal is termed its fixed carbon
content. A certain
amount of the total carbon is combined with hydrogen so that it burns as a
hydrocarbon. This,
together with other gases that form when coal is heated, forms the volatile
matter in the coal.
Fixed carbon and volatile matter form the combustible. The oxygen and nitrogen
contained in the
volatile matter are included as part of the combustible, which is understood
to be the amount of
coal free from moisture and ash. In addition to the combustible, coal contains
moisture and a
variety of minerals that form the ash. The ash content of U.S. coal may vary
from approximately
3% to 30%. The moisture may vary from 0.75% to 45% of the total weight of
coal.
[00238] A large ash content is undesirable in coal because it reduces
the calorific
value of the coal and because it interferes with combustion by choking the air
passages in the
furnace. If the coal also has a high sulfur content, the sulfur may combine
with the ash to form a
fusible slag that can further impede effective combustion in a furnace.
Moisture in coal may
cause difficulties during combustion because it absorbs heat when it
evaporates, thus reducing
furnace temperatures.
[00239] While the technologies discussed herein are applied for illustrative
purposes to using coal as a single fuel, it is understood that they may also
be applied to
using coal in combination with other fuels, for example with biomass or waste
products,
using techniques familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art.
[00240] There may be two basic methods of mining coal 102, surface mining
and underground mining. Surface mining methods may include surface mining,
contour
mining, and open pit mining.
[00241] Surface coal mines may be covered by non-coal materials called
overburden, the overburden may be removed before mining the coal. Surface
mining
may be found on flat terrain, contour mining may follow a coal seam along a
hill or
mountain, and open pit mining may be where a coal seam is thick and may be
several
hundred feet deep. Equipment used in surface mines may include draglines,
shovels,
bulldozers, front-end loaders, bucket wheel excavators and trucks.
[00242] There three basic methods of extracting coal from underground coal
mines 102, room-and-pillar, long wall, and standard blasting and removal of
coal. Room-
and-pillar mining may consist of a continuous breaking up of the coal by a
mining
machine and shuttling the coal to a belt for removal. After a specified
distance, the
ceiling is supported and the process is repeated. Long wall mining may consist
of
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moving a mining machine over a long continuous wall of coal with the coal
being
removed by a belt system. The roof may be supported by steel beams that are
part of the
long wall mining machine. A standard blasting and removal mining method may
blast
the coal with explosives and then removing the coal using standard equipment
(e.g. belt
system, rail, tractor).
[00243] A coal mine 102 may consist of more that one coal seam, the coal
seam may be a continuous line of coal. A coal mine 102 may contain a plurality
of
different coal types with known characteristics 110 within a coal mine and/or
a coal
seam. Some of the defined coal types may include peat, brown coal, lignite,
subbituminous, bituminous, and anthracite coal. A coal mine 102 may test the
characteristics 110 of the coal within a mine and/or seam. The characteristic
110 testing
may be by sampling, periodic, continuous, or the like. A coal mine may test
the coal on
site for the coal characteristic 110 determination or may send samples of the
coal to an
external testing facility. A mining operation may survey a mine to classify
the types of
coal contain in the mine to determine where and what types of coal are within
a mine.
The different coal types may have standard classifications 110 by the moisture
content,
minerals, and materials such as sulfur, ash, metals, and the like. The
percentage of
moisture and other materials within a type of coal may affect the burning
characteristics
and the heating capability (BTU/lb) of the coal. A coal mine 102 operator may
selectively mine coal from the coal mine in order to maintain a consistent
type of coal for
supply to customers, to mine a type of coal that is better accepted on a
market, to provide
the most common coal to a market or customers, or the like. In an embodiment,
coals
with less moisture, such as bituminous and anthracite, may provide better
burning and
heating characteristics.
[00244] In an embodiment, coal mining 102 facilities may contain coal sizing,
storage 104 and shipping 108 facilities for the handling of the mined coal.
[00245] The coal sizing facility may be used to make the raw mined coal into a
more desirable shaped and sized coal. The coal may be sized within a facility
on the
surface of the mine by a pulverizer, coal crusher, ball mill, grinder, or the
like. The coal
may be provided to the coal sizing facility by the belt system from the mine,
by truck, or
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the like. 1 he coal sizing may be on a continuous teed process or may use a
batch process
to resize the coal.
[00246] The storage facility 104 may be used to temporarily store the raw or
resized coal from the coal sizing facility prior to shipping the coal to a
customer. The
storage facility 104 may contain additional sorting facilities where the raw
or resized coal
may be further classified by coal size. The storage facility 104 may be a
building, shed,
rail cars, open area, or the like.
[00247] The storage facility 104 may be associated with the shipping facility
108 by being close to a coal transportation method. The shipping facility 108
may use
rail, truck, or the like to move the coal from the coal mine 102 to customers.
The
shipping facility 108 may use conveyor belts 300, trucks, loaders, or the
like, either
individually or in combination, to move the coal to the coal transportation
method.
Depending on the coal mine volume, the shipping facility 108 may be a
continuous
loading operation or may ship coal on an on-demand process.
[00248] A coal storage facility 112 may be a coal reseller for at least one
remotely located coal source and may purchase, store and resell different coal
types to
various customers. A coal source for the coal storage facility 112 may be a
coal mine
102 or another coal storage facility 112. The coal storage facility 112 may
receive and
store a plurality of coal types from a plurality remotely located coal
sources. In an
embodiment, the coal storage facility 112 may store the coal by coal type.
Coal types
may include, but are not limited to, peat, brown coal, lignite, subbituminous,
bituminous,
and anthracite coal. The coal storage facility may include a storage facility
114, a
shipping facility 118, or other facilities for handling, storing, and shipping
coal. In an
embodiment, the coal storage facility 112 may purchase coal on spec from
remotely
located mines for later resale.
[00249] The coal storage facility 112 may receive coal from remotely located
coal sources; coal type and characteristics 110 may be provided by the coal
source. The
storage facility 112 may also perform additional coal testing to either verify
the received
coal characteristics or to further classify the coal; the coal storage
facility 112 may store
sub-coal types for different coal customers. Sub-coal types may be a further
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classification ot the coal by the coal characteristics 110. lhe storage
facility 112 may
have on-site coal testing facilities or may use a standard coal testing lab.
[00250] The storage facility 114 may be used to store the coal from the
remotely located coal source prior to shipping the coal to a customer. The
storage facility
114 may contain additional sorting facilities where the coal may be further
classified by
coal size or coal characteristic 110. The additional sorting facility may
further size the
coal by using a pulverizer, a coal crusher, a ball mill, a grinder, or the
like. The storage
facility 114 may be a building, shed, rail cars, open area, or the like.
[00251] The storage facility 114 may be associated with the shipping facility
118 by being close to a coal transportation method. The shipping facility 118
may use
rail, truck, or the like to move the coal from the storage facility 114 to
coal customers.
The shipping facility 118 may use conveyor belts 300, trucks, loaders, or the
like, either
individually or in combination, to move the coal to the coal transportation
method.
Depending on the storage facility 112 volume, the shipping facility 118 may be
a
continuous loading operation or may ship coal on an on-demand process.
[00252] The coal sample data 120 may be a storage location for the
classification 110 data of coal. The coal sample data 120 may be a database,
relational
database, table, text file, XML file, RSS, flat file, or the like that may
store the
characteristics 110 of the coal. The data may be stored on a computer device
that may
include a server, web server, desktop computer, laptop computer, handheld
computer,
PDA, flash memory, or the like. In an embodiment, the coal characteristics 110
data may
be shipped with the coal shipment on a paper hardcopy, electronic format,
database, or
the like. If the coal characteristics are shipped with paper hardcopy, the
characteristic
data may be input into the appropriate coal sample data format on the computer
device.
In an embodiment, the coal characteristics 110 data may be sent by email, FTP,
Internet
connection, WAN, LAN, P2P, or the like from a coal mine 102, coal storage
facility 112,
or the like. The coal sample data 120 may be maintained by the coal mine 102,
coal
storage facility 112, the receiving facility, or the like. The coal sample
data 120 may be
accessible over a network that may include the Internet.
[00253] The coal sample data 120 may include the sending coal mine name,
storage facility name, final use for the coal, desired properties, possible
final properties,
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coal characteristics (e.g. moisture), the coal testing facility used, coal
test date, tested as
received or dry, electromagnetic absorption/reflection, verification test
facility,
verification test date, and the like. In an embodiment, there may be at least
one coal
characteristic test data and test date per coal sample.
[00254] In an embodiment, coal characteristics stored in the coal sample data
120 may be provided by a standard laboratory such as Standard Laboratories of
South
Charleston, West Virginia, USA. The standard laboratory may provide coal
characteristics that may include percent moisture, percent ash, percentage of
volatiles,
fixed-carbon percentage, BTU/lb, BTU/lb M-A Free, forms of sulfur, Hardgrove
grindability index (HGI), total mercury, ash fusion temperatures, ash mineral
analysis,
electromagnetic absorption/reflection, dielectric properties, and the like. In
an
embodiment, the standard laboratory may test the coal as received or dry. In
an
embodiment, as received test may be as the raw coal is received without any
treatment.
In an embodiment, dry test may be the coal after processing to remove residual
water.
The standard laboratory may classify the coal using standards such as the ASTM
Standards D 388 (Classification of Coals by Rank), the ASTM Standards D 2013
(Method of Preparing Coal Samples for Analysis), the ASTM Standards D 3180
(Standard Practice for Calculating Coal and Coke Analyses from As-Determined
to
Different Bases), the US Geological Survey Bulletin 1823 (Methods for Sampling
and
Inorganic Analysis of Coal), and the like.
[00255] In an embodiment, there may be at least one data record stored in the
coal sample data for each coal shipment. There may be more than one data
record if the
coal shipment was subject to random or periodic checks during the mining,
storage, or
shipping process. In an embodiment, each test performed on a coal shipment may
have
the coal characteristics stored in the coal sample data 120. The coal
characteristic test
may be performed at the request of the coal mine 102, storage facility 112,
the receiving
facility, or the like.
[00256] The coal desired characteristics 122 may be a database of treated coal
burn characteristics required by a certain coal use facility. The coal desired
characteristics 122 may be a database, relational database, table, text file,
XML file, RSS,
flat file, or the like that may store the required burn characteristics of the
coal for a
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53061-2
particular coal use facility. The coal desired charactenstic 122 data may be
stored on a
computer device that may include a server, web server, desktop computer,
laptop
computer, handheld computer, PDA, flash memory, or the like.
[00257] In an embodiment, there may be at least one coal desired
characteristic
122 data for a particular coal use facility. There may be coal desired
characteristic 122
data for each type of coal received or stored by the solid fuel treatment
facility 132. In an
embodiment, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may receive or store a
plurality of coal
types that may include peat, brown coal, lignite, subbituminous, bituminous,
and
anthracite coat. Each type of coal may have different desired characteristics
122 for the
coal use facility and the desired characteristics 122 may be based on the
ability to modify
the received or stored coal characteristics 110. In an embodiment, the
received or stored
coal characteristics may be stored in the coal sample data 120.
[00258] The coal desired characteristics 122 may be based on the capability
parameters of the solid fuel treatment facility 132 such as system capacity,
coal size, type
of process chamber, conveyor system size, conveyor system flow rate,
electromagnetic
frequency, electromagnetic power level, electromagnetic power duration, power
penetration depth into coal, and the like. These parameters types and values
may vary
depending on the input coal characteristics. In an embodiment, the solid fuel
treatment
facility 132 may know which coal type may be used by the coal use facility and
the
proper parameters may be selected from the coal desired characteristics 122 to
produce a
treated coal for the coal use facility.
100259] In an embodiment, a coal use facility, in order to meet efficiency or
environmental requirements, may require certain coal operational parameters
such as
BTU/lb, sulfur percent, ash percent, metals percent, and the like. The coal
desired
characteristics 122 may be based on these parameters; maintaining these
parameters may
allow the coal use facility to meet the coal burning emission requirements.
1002601 In an embodiment, the coal desired characteristics 122 may target
specific coal combustion properties such as BTU/lb, moisture, sulfur, ash, and
the like.
In an embodiment, the specific coal combustion properties may only be limited
by the
coal treatment facilities ability to measure the coal treatment properties.
For example, if
the solid fuel treatment facility 132 is only able to measure the moisture and
sulfur
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emissions then the target specific coal combustion properties may only contain
moisture
and sulfur targets.
[00261] A solid fuel treatment facility 132 (facility) may be used to modify
the
grade of coal by removing non-coal products such as moisture, sulfur, ash,
water,
hygrogen, hydroxyls, and the like that may be part of the coal. The solid fuel
treatment
facility 132 may use microwave energy and/or other means to remove the non-
coal
products from the coal. The solid fuel treatment facility 132 may include a
plurality of
devices, modules, facilities, computer devices, and the like for the handling,
movement,
treatment of the coal. The solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be modular,
scalable,
portable, fixed, or the like.
[00262] In an embodiment, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be a
modular facility with devices, modules, facilities, computer devices, and the
like
designed to be complete individual units that may be associated to each other
in a
predetermined manner or non-predetermined manner.
[00263] In an embodiment, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be
scalable
for both continuous flow and batch processes. For continuous flow, the solid
fuel
treatment facility 132 may scale inputs, treatment chambers, outputs, and the
like to
match the volume required for a particular installation. For example, an
electric
generation facility may require a higher volume of treated coal than a
metallurgic facility
and therefore the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be scaled to process
the required
volume of coal. The continuous flow processing of coal may include a chamber
with a
belt for moving the coal through certain processes. The chamber and belt
systems may
be scaled to provide the required volume per time for the installation.
[00264] In an embodiment, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may use a
batch process and the batch treatment chamber, inputs, outputs, and the like
may be
scaled for the volume of coal that is required to be treated. The batch
processing of coal
may include an enclosed chamber that may treat a certain amount of coal in
each cycle.
[00265] The solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be portable with the ability
to
be moved between a plurality of installations or to a plurality of locations
within an
installation. For example, a single enterprise may have a plurality of
installations that
may need treated coal and may own a single solid fuel treatment facility 132
to treat the
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coal. I he solid fuel treatment facility 132 may spend a certain amount of
time at each
enterprise installation to provide a stockpile of treated coal before moving
to the next
enterprise installation. In another example, a storage facility 112 may have a
single solid
fuel treatment facility 132 that is moved between a plurality of locations
within a storage
facility 112 to treat a plurality of coal types that may be stored at the
storage facility 112.
In an embodiment, by being portable, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may
also be
modular to allow for the facility 132 to be easily relocated.
[00266] The solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be a fixed structure that
remains in place at a certain installation. In an embodiment, the installation
may require
a volume of treated coal that requires the solid fuel treatment facility 132
to produce a
continuous flow of treated coal. For example, a power generation facility may
require a
continuous volume of treated coal that may require a dedicated solid fuel
treatment
facility 132.
[00267] In an embodiment, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be in-line
or off-line to an installation. A solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be in-
line with an
installation to provide a continuous flow of treated coal to a process within
the coal use
facility. For example, a power generation installation may have a solid fuel
treatment
facility 132 directly feeding the boilers to produce steam. A solid fuel
treatment facility
132 may be off-line from an installation by treating coal with the output to
at least one
storage location. For example, a power generation installation may have a
solid fuel
treatment facility 132 stockpiling different types of coal as it is treated.
The treated coal
may then be fed onto a conveyor belt 300 system to the power generation
installation as
needed.
[00268] The solid fuel treatment facility 132 may include a plurality of
devices,
modules, facilities, computer devices, and the like such as a parameter
generation facility
128, an intake facility 124, a monitoring facility 134, a gas generation
facility 152, an anti
ignition facility 154, a disposal facility 158, a treatment facility 160, a
containment
facility 162, a belt facility 130, a cooling facility 164, an out-take
facility 168, and a
testing facility 170.
[00269] The parameter generation facility 128 may be a computer device such
as a server, web server, desktop computer, laptop computer, handheld computer,
PDA,
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flash memory, or the like. lhe parameter generation facility 128 may generate
and
provide the operational parameters to the solid fuel treatment facility 132
for the
treatment of the received or stored coal. The parameter generation facility
128 may be
able to calculate and store the operational parameters for the facility. In an
embodiment,
the parameter generation facility 128 may use data from both the coal sample
data 120
and coal desired characteristics 122 to generate the operational parameters.
In an
embodiment, the coal sample data 120 and coal desired characteristic 122
information
may be available by a LAN, WAN, P2P, CD, DVD, flash memory, or the like.
[00270] In an embodiment, the coal to be treated by the facility 132 may be
identified by the solid fuel treatment facility 132 operator. In an
embodiment, the coal
may be identified by type, batch number, test number, identification number,
or the like.
The parameter generation facility 128 may have access to the coal test
information stored
in the coal sample data 120 and the coal desired characteristics 122 data for
the identified
coal. In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may retrieve the
received
or stored test data of the coal from the coal sample data 120. In an
embodiment,
parameter generation facility 128 may retrieve the desired treated coal
characteristics
from the coal desired characteristics 122. In an embodiment, there may be at
least one set
of desired treated coal characteristics for each received or stored coal test
data. In a case
where there may be more than one set of data available for the coal test data
and the
desired coal characteristics, the parameter generation facility may average
the data, use
the latest data, use the first data, use a statistical value of the data, or
the like.
[00271] In an embodiment, based on the coal test information and the desired
treated coal characteristics, the parameter generation facility may determine
the starting
operational parameters for the facility. The operational parameters may be
used to set the
parameters of the various devices and facilities of the solid fuel treatment
facility 132 to
produce the desired coal characteristics. The parameter generation facility
128
determined parameters may include belt speed, volume of coal per time period,
microwave frequency, microwave power, coal surface temperature, sensor basic
readings,
air flow rates, inert gas use, intake rates, outtake rates, preheat
temperatures, preheat
time, cool down rates, and the like. In an embodiment, all parameters that may
be
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required by the facility to treat the desired coal may be determined by the
parameter
generation facility.
[00272] In an embodiment, the microwave frequency parameters may have a
plurality of settings that may include a single frequency, a phased frequency
(e.g.
transitioning from one frequency to a second frequency), frequencies for a
plurality of
microwaves, continuous frequency, pulsed frequency, pulsed frequency duty
cycle, and
the like.
[00273] In an embodiment, the microwave power parameters may have a
plurality of settings that may include continuous power, pulsed power, phased
power (e.g.
transitioning from one power to a second power), power for a plurality of
microwaves,
and the like.
[00274] In an embodiment, depending on the coal type and the non-coal
products to be removed from the coal, the coal surface temperature may be
monitored.
The parameter generation facility 128 may determine the coal surface
temperature that is
to be monitored during the coal treatment. In an embodiment, different coal
surface
temperatures may be required at different times in the coal treatment process
to remove
the non-coal products. For example, one temperature may be required to remove
moisture from the coal where a second temperature may be required to remove
the sulfur
from the coal. Therefore, the parameter generation facility may determine a
plurality of
coal surface temperatures to be monitored during the coal treatment process.
In an
embodiment, the various coal surface temperature parameters may be provided to
a
sensor facility, the sensed temperatures may range from ambient to 250 degrees
C. In an
embodiment, the coal may be heated to certain interior and surface
temperatures because
of the heating of the non-coal products by the microwave energy of the
microwave
system 148.
[00275] The intake facility 124 may receive coal into the solid fuel treatment
facility 132 from a coal mine 102 or coal storage facility 112, the coal
storage facility 112
may be on the same site as the solid fuel treatment facility 132 or may be a
remote coal
storage facility 112. The intake facility 124 may include a dust collection
facility, a
sizing and sorting facility, an input section, a transition section, and
adapter section, and
the like. In an embodiment, the intake facility may control the coal volume
that enters
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the belt 130 tor treatment. For example, the intake facility may be able to
control the
volume of coal passing through it by restricting or opening a door, the speed
of an input
auger, or the like.
[00276] Coal may be provided to the intake facility 124 by a conveyor belt 300
system, truck, front loader, back loader, and the like.
[00277] In an embodiment, the action of inputting the coal into the intake
facility 124 may create an unacceptable amount of coal dust, therefore a dust
collection
facility may be provided. In an embodiment, the coal dust may be collected
into
containers and removed from the intake facility.
[00278] The solid fuel treatment facility 132 may treat coal more efficiently
if
a consistent sized coal is provided to the belt 130; a consistent coal size
may optimize the
microwave heating of the coal. The intake facility 124 may sort or size the
incoming coal
into a plurality of sizes. In an embodiment, there may a plurality of belts to
process coal
of different sizes. The coal may be sorted using a sorting grate, different
height doors to
divert coal to another belt, or the like.
[00279] In an embodiment, the intake facility 124 may move coal from the
input source to the belt 130 using a plurality of sections that may include an
input section,
a transition section, an adapter section, and the like. In an embodiment, the
input section
may receive the raw coal into the intake facility; this section may be large
enough to
provide a buffer of coal to prevent coal overflow or running out of coal. In
an
embodiment, the transition section may be a channel or duct to move the coal
from the
input section to the adapter section; this section may be tapered to properly
fit differing
sizes of the input and adapter sections. In an embodiment, the adapter section
may move
the coal from the transition section to the processing belt 130; the exit of
this section may
be the same size as the belt.
[00280] In an embodiment, if there is coal sorting or sizing, there may be
more
than one input section, transition section, and adapter section.
[00281] The monitoring facility 134 may monitor a plurality of facilities,
systems, and sensors of the solid fuel treatment facility 132. The monitoring
facility 134
may receive and provide information to sensors, controllers, treatment
facilities, and the
like. In an embodiment, the monitor facility may make in-process adjustments
to the coal
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treatment process based on the input from various sensors and facilities. For
example,
the monitor may receive information from a moisture sensor and a weight sensor
to
determine if the correct amount of moisture is being removed from the coal; an
operation
parameter may be adjusted based on the information.
[00282] In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may change the facility
operational parameters to adjust the treating of the coal in the solid fuel
treatment facility
132. In an embodiment, the changes to the operational parameters may be
provided to
other facilities that may include a belt controller 144, a treatment facility
160, a
containment facility 162, a feedback facility 174, a anti ignition facility
154, or the like.
[00283] In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may contain a computer
device such as a server, web server, desktop computer, laptop computer,
handheld
computer, PDA, flash memory, or the like. In an embodiment, the monitoring
facility
134 may communicate with the various facilities and sensors using a LAN, WAN,
P2P,
CD, DVD, flash memory, or the like. In an embodiment, the monitoring facility
may use
an algorithm to determine the changes in the operational parameters of the
solid fuel
treatment facility 132.
[00284] An anti-ignition facility 154 may be a source of gases to prevent the
ignition of the coal during the coal treatment process. Because of the heating
of the non-
coal products, the coal treatment process may heat the coal to temperatures
close to the
coal ignition temperatures in order to remove non-coal products. To prevent
the
premature ignition of the coal during the coal treatment process, inert gases
may be used
to supply an inert gas atmosphere into the coal treatment chamber. Inert gases
include
nitrogen, argon, helium, neon, krypton, xenon, and radon. Nitrogen and argon
may be
the most common inert gases used for providing non-combustion gas atmospheres.
[00285] The inert gases may be supplied to the anti-ignition facility 154 by
pipeline, truck/tanker, on-site gas generation, or the like. In and
embodiment, if a
truck/tanker supply system is used, the gas supply may be provided by the
truck/tanker
into an on-site gas storage tank or the truck may leave the tanker trailer to
be used as a
temporary gas storage tank.
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1002861 In an embodiment, the inert gas from the anti-ignition facility 154
may
be used in conjunction with an air atmosphere or may be the entire atmosphere
in the coal
treatment chamber.
[00287] To supply the anti-ignition facility 154 with nitrogen, the
solid fuel
treatment facility 132 may use an on-site nitrogen generation facility 152 to
generate the
required nitrogen for the coal treatment chamber. In an embodiment, nitrogen
may be
generated using a commercially available pressure swing absorption (PSA)
process. The
gas generation facility may be properly sized to generate the required volume
of nitrogen
for the solid fuel treatment facility 132.
[00288] The power-in 180 may be an electrical power connection to a power
grid that may be used to power the solid fuel treatment facility 132; the
solid fuel
treatment facility 132 power requirements may include the microwave system
148. The
power-in may be from a power grid that is external to the installation or may
be from a
power grid internal to the installation if the installation is a power
generation facility.
[00289] A high voltage input transmission facility 182 may provide the proper
power stepping to supply the proper power levels required by the solid fuel
treatment
facility 132. The high voltage input transmission facility may receive power
in 180 at a
very high voltage that needs to be stepped down to be used in the facility
182. In an
embodiment, the high voltage input transmission facility 182 may include the
required
components and devices to step the supplied power to the proper power level
for the solid
fuel treatment facility 132. The high voltage input transmission facility may
provide the
transmission lines into the solid fuel treatment facility 132 to connect the
solid fuel
treatment facility 132 to the power-in 180.
[00290] A belt facility 130 may transport the coal through the coal treatment
process for the removal of non-coal products; the transport of the coal may be
a
continuous feed. The belt facility 130 may receive the coal from the intake
facility 124,
transport the coal through at least one coal treatment process, and deliver
the treated coal
to a cooling facility 164. In an embodiment, the belt facility 130 may include
a
transportation facility such as a conveyor, a plurality of individual coal
holding buckets,
or other holding device to move coal through the at least one coal treatment
process. The
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transportation facility may be made of a material that is designed tor the
temperatures ot
the treated coal such as metal, high temperature plastic, or the like.
[00291] The belt facility 130 may contain a plurality of facilities and
systems
that may include a preheat facility 138, parameter control system 140, sensor
system 142,
removal system 150, controller 144, microwave/radio wave system 148, and the
like. All
of the individual facilities and systems may be coordinated to process the
coal during the
treatment process by using the operational parameters of the parameter
generation facility
128 and/or monitoring facility 134. The belt facility 130 may be able to
adjust
operational parameters during the coal treatment process; the adjustment of
operational
parameters may be done manually by an operator that is monitoring the process
or
automatically in real time by a controller 144.
[00292] In an embodiment, the belt facility 130 may be an enclosure around
the transportation facility; the enclosure may be considered a chamber. In an
embodiment, the chamber may contain the coal treatment processes, chamber gas
environment, sensors, non-coal product removal systems 150, dust containment,
and the
like. The chamber may support all of the inputs and outputs of the coal
treatment process
such as gas environment inputs, non-coal product outputs, coal dust output,
coal input,
coal output, and the like.
[00293] In an embodiment, the transportation facility may be capable of
variable speeds in response to operational parameters. For example, the
transportation
facility may run at a slower speed if a large volume of coal is processed at
once or if the
coal is a lesser type of coal (e.g. peat) that contains large percentages of
non-coal
products. The transportation facility may run slower to allow more time under
the
microwave generators. The transportation facility may move at a constant speed
or may
vary the speed at different locations of the process. For example, the
transportation
facility may move slowly at the microwave generators but quickly between the
microwave generators. Coal may be place on the transportation facility such
that there
are spaces between the coal, this may allow for the transportation facility to
move the
coal through the coal treatment processes in coordinated stages. For example,
the coal
may be spaced at the same distance as the microwave generators, this may allow
the coal
to be staged under each of the microwave generators during the process.
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1002941 In an embodiment, the transportation facility movement and speed
may be coordinated to the operation of the microwave generators. The
transportation
facility may speed up or slow down depending on the operation of the microwave
generators.
[00295] In an embodiment, the transportation facility operation may be
controlled by the operational parameters determined by the parameter
generation facility
128 and the monitored or revised operational parameters of the monitoring
facility 134.
[00296] A controller 144 may be a computer device that may apply the
operational parameters from the parameter generation facility 128 and
monitoring facility
134 to the coal treatment processes. In an embodiment, the controller 144 may
contain a
computer device such as a server, web server, desktop computer, laptop
computer,
handheld computer, PDA, flash memory, or the like. In an embodiment, the
controller
144 may communicate with the various facilities and sensors using a LAN, WAN,
P2P,
CD, DVD, flash memory, or the like. In an embodiment, the location of the
controller
144 in relation to the coal treatment chamber may not be important; the
controller 144
may be placed at the input, output, or anywhere along the coal treatment
chamber. If the
controller 144 is to be supervised or controlled by an operator, the
controller may be
placed at a location to allow the operator to view a critical part of the coal
treatment
process or the coal treatment process sensors.
[00297] In an embodiment, the controller 144 may apply the operational
parameters to at least the transportation facility, airflow control, inert
gas, microwave
frequency, microwave power, preheat temperatures, and the like.
[00298] In an embodiment, the controller 144 may control the frequency of at
least one microwave system 148. The microwave system 148 may be controlled to
provide a single frequency or a pulsed frequency. If there are more than one
microwave
systems 148 in the belt facility 130, the controller 144 may provide
operational
parameters to the more than one microwave facility 148; the more than one
microwave
facility may operate at different frequencies.
[00299] In an embodiment, the controller 144 may control the power of
at
least one microwave system 148. The microwave system 148 may be controlled to
provide a single power or a pulsed power. If there are more than one microwave
systems
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148 in the belt facility 130, the controller 144 may provide operational
parameters to the
more than one microwave facility 148; the more than one microwave facility may
operate
at different power.
[00300] In an embodiment, the controller 144 may control the belt facility 130
processing environment that may include airflow, inert gas flow, hydrogen
flow, positive
pressure, negative pressure, vacuum levels, and the like. The air flow in the
belt facility
130 may include providing drying air, inert gases, hydrogen, and pressure
changes to
control released gases from the coal. In an embodiment, dry air may be used to
aid in the
moisture reduction of the coal in the belt facility. In an embodiment, inert
gas may be
used to inhibit coal ignition during high coal temperatures; inert gases may
also be used
to prevent other oxidation processes. In an embodiment, hydrogen may be used
during
the sulfur reduction process. In an embodiment, pressures in the belt facility
130 may be
used to remove non-coal products as they are released as gases from the coal.
[00301] In an embodiment, the controller 144 may be a commercially available
machine controller or may be a custom designed controller for the belt
facility 130. In an
embodiment, the controller may receive operational status feedback from the
systems and
facilities of the belt facility 130. The feedback may be the current settings,
the actual
running parameters, percentage of capacity, and the like; the feedback may be
viewable
on the controller 144 or any computer device associated with the controller
144.
[00302] In an embodiment, the controller may have override controls that may
allow an operator to manually change the operational parameters of at least
one coal
treatment process. The manual changing of the operational parameters may be
considered an override or complete manual control of the coal treatment
processes.
[00303] In embodiments, the processing time (over the course of which the
coal may be subject to the microwaves) is typically between 5 seconds to 45
minutes,
depending on the size and configuration of the belt facility 130, the
microwave system
148 power available, and the volume of coal to be treated. Small volumes may
require
shorter processing times.
[00304] A preheat facility 138 may heat the coal prior to the coal reaching
the
microwave system 148. The preheat may be to heat the coal to remove external
moisture
from the coal. The removal of excess external moisture may make it easier for
the
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microwave systems 148 to remove the internal non-coal products by removing
moisture
that may absorb microwave energy.
[00305] In an embodiment, the coal may be preheated using thermal radiation,
infrared radiation, or the like that may be powered by electricity, gas, oil,
or the like.
[00306] In an embodiment, the preheat facility 138 may be internal to the belt
facility 130 or may be external and prior to the belt facility 130.
[00307] In an embodiment, the preheat facility may use an air environment that
may aid in the removal of moisture such as dry air. The air environment may
flow
through the preheat facility to aid in the drying of the coal.
[00308] In an embodiment, the preheat facility 138 may have a collection
facility to collect the removed moisture.
[00309] A microwave/radio wave system (microwave system) 148 may
provide electromagnetic wave energy to the coal in the belt facility 130 for
the removal
of non-coal products. Non-coal products may be water moisture, sulfur, ash,
metals,
water, hygrogen, hydroxyls, and the like. The non-coal products may be removed
from
the coal by heating the non-coal products using microwave energy to
temperatures that
release the non-coal products from the coal. The release may occur when there
is a
material phase change from a solid to a liquid, liquid to a gas, solid to gas,
or other phase
change that may allow the non-coal product to be released from the coal.
[00310] In an embodiment, different non-coal products may be released from
the coal at different temperatures; the coal temperatures surface temperatures
may range
between 70 and 250 degrees C. In an embodiment, water moisture may release at
the
lower end of this scale while sulfur may release between 130 and 240 degrees
C; ash may
release between the water and sulfur temperatures and may be released with the
water
and/or the sulfur. In an embodiment, the coal may be heated to certain
interior and
surface temperatures because of the heating of the non-coal products by the
microwave
energy of the microwave system 148.
[00311] In an embodiment, the microwave system 148 electromagnetic energy
may be created by devices such as a magnetron, klystron, gyrotron, or the
like. In an
embodiment, there may be at least one microwave system 148 in the belt
facility 130. In
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an embodiment, there may be more than one microwave systems 148 in the belt
facility
130.
[00312] In belt facilities 130 where there are more than one microwave system
148, the microwave systems 148 may be in a parallel orientation, a serial
orientation, or a
parallel and serial combination orientation to the transportation system.
[00313] The parallel microwave system 148 orientation may have more than
one microwave system 148 setup side-by-side on one side or both sides of the
belt facility
130. In an embodiment, the more than one microwave system 148 may be grouped
together and setup on both sides of the belt facility 130. For example, at a
certain
location along the belt facility 130 there may be N microwave systems 148 with
N/2 on
either side of the belt facility 130. This configuration may allow for more
microwave
power to be applied at a certain location on the belt facility, allow for
applying
microwave power at different levels within the certain location, allow the use
of more
than one smaller microwave systems to create the required power, allow the
ramping up
or down of microwave power at a certain location, allow for pulse microwave
power,
allow for continuous microwave power, allow for a combination of pulse and
continuous
microwave power, or the like. In an embodiment, the more than one parallel
microwave
systems 148 may be controlled independently or as a single unit.
[00314] It would be obvious to one skilled in the art that the parallel
microwave systems 148 may be controlled to provide microwave energy in a
number of
powers, frequencies, combination of powers, or combinations of frequencies to
meet the
requirement of treating coal.
[00315] The serial microwave system 148 orientation may have more than one
microwave system 148 set up along the length of the belt facility 130. In an
embodiment,
each individual microwave system 148 setup may be considered a station or
process
element of the total coal treatment process. In an embodiment, there may be
more than
one single or group of microwave systems 148 at more than one location along
the length
of the belt facility 130. There may be a distance between the serial microwave
systems
148 that may allow other processes to be performed between the serial
microwave
systems 148. The serial microwave systems 148 may allow for different
microwave
frequencies to be applied at different locations, different microwave power to
be applied
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at different locations, different microwave duty cycles (pulsed or continuous)
to be
applied at different locations, or the like.
[00316] In an embodiment, the distance between microwave systems 148 may
allow other processes to be preformed such as non-coal product removal, coal
cooling, a
location for non-coal products to complete the release process, coal
treatment, coal
weighting, non-coal product release sensing, or the like.
[00317] In an embodiment, the more than one serial microwave system 148
may have redundant single or group microwave systems that may be able to
repeat a
particular treatment process if required. For example, one microwave station
may apply
microwave power to remove water moisture from the coal followed by a coal
weigh
station to determine the amount of water moisture removed. Depending on the
coal
weight, it may be determined that there is still water moisture remaining in
the coal, a
redundant microwave system 148 may be the next location to reapply microwave
power
to remove the remaining water moisture. In an embodiment, the redundant
microwave
system 148 may or may not be used to further process the coal. In an
embodiment, the
redundant microwave system 148 may repeat the same process as the previous
microwave system 148 or may be used for a different process then the previous
microwave system 148.
[00318] In another example, water moisture sensors may determine that water
moisture is still being released from the coal and a second redundant
microwave process
may be applied to the coal. In an embodiment, the controller may make the
determination if the microwave process is to be repeated.
[00319] In an embodiment, the microwave system 148 power may be pulsed or
continuous. To regulate the microwave energy applied to the coal, the
microwave energy
output may be pulsed at a regular time interval at a constant frequency. In an
embodiment, the microwave power per source may be at least 15 kW at a
frequency of
928 MHz or lower and in other embodiments may be at least 75 kW at a frequency
of 902
MHz or more.
[00320] In an embodiment, lower frequencies of microwave energy may
penetrate deeper into the coal than do higher frequencies. A microwave system
148 may
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generate a frequency output between 100 MHz and 20 CIHz. Other frequencies ot
wave
energy may be used in accordance with embodiments of the invention.
[00321] As previously discussed, the microwave systems 148 may be setup as
coordinated stages. For example, the coal on the belt facility 130 may be
spaced at the
same distance as the microwave systems 148, this may allow the coal to be
staged under
each of the microwave generators during the coal treatment process. In an
embodiment,
there may be coal treatment processing advantages to varying the speed of the
belt at
each microwave system 148 station for the processing of the coal. In an
embodiment,
this may be a method of batch processing on a continuous belt facility 130.
[00322] In embodiments, the processing time (over the course of which the coal
may
be subject to the microwaves) is typically between 5 seconds to 45 minutes,
depending on the size
and configuration of the belt facility 130, the microwave system 148 power
available, and the
volume of coal to be treated. Small volumes may require shorter processing
times.
[00323] In an embodiment, at 100% efficiency, 1 kW of electromagnetic energy
can
evaporate 3.05 lbs of water per hour at ambient temperature. For well-designed
electromagnetic-
radiation systems, 98% of that energy may be absorbed and converted to heat.
For example, 1
kW of applied electromagnetic energy requires approximately 1.15 kW of
electricity and
evaporates 2.989 lbs of water; this may require 61.6 kW of electricity per 160
pounds of moisture
removed.
[00324] A parameter control facility 140 may receive sensor information
and provide
the sensor information as a feedback to the controller 144. In an embodiment,
the parameter
control facility 140 may contain a computer device such as a server, web
server, desktop
computer, laptop computer, handheld computer, PDA, flash memory, or the like.
In an
embodiment, the parameter control facility 140 may communicate with the
various facilities and
sensors using a LAN, WAN, P2P, CD, DVD, flash memory, or the like. In an
embodiment, the
parameter control facility 140 may contain an interface to receive the signals
from the various
solid fuel treatment facility 132 sensors. The interface may be able to
receive either analog or
digital signal data from the sensors. For analog data, the parameter control
facility 140 interface
may use an analog to digital converter (ADC) to convert the analog signal to
digital data for data
storage.
[00325] In an embodiment, the parameter control facility 140 may
interface with
sensors that may include belt facility 130 air flow, belt speed, temperature,
microwave power,
microwave frequency, inert gas levels, moisture levels, ash levels, sulfur
levels, or the like. The
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temperatures measured may be both coal temperatures during processing or the
chamber
temperature; the chamber temperature may be an indication if there is a fire
in the chamber.
[00326] In an embodiment, the parameter control facility 140 may
contain internal
memory such as RAM, CD, DVD, flash memory, and the like that may store the
sensor readings.
The parameter control facility 140 may store the sensor information, provide
real time feedback
to the controller 144, store sensor information and provide real time feedback
to the controller, or
other storing/feedback method. In an embodiment, the parameter control
facility 140 may collect
sensor readings and provide stored data feedback to the controller 144. The
collected sensor
readings may be used to provide the controller 144 historic average sensor
readings, time period
sensor readings, histograms of sensor readings over time, real time sensor
readings, and the like.
[00327] In an embodiment, sensor data collected by the parameter control
facility 140 may be viewable on the parameter control facility 140 or any
computer
device associated with the parameter control facility 144.
[00328] The belt facility 130 sensors 142 may provide coal treatment process
data to the parameter control facility 140 and the controller 144. The data
for the coal
treatment process from sensors may include water vapor, ash, sulfur, microwave
power,
microwave frequency, coal surface temperature, coal weight, microwave
emissions,
airflow measurement, belt facility temperature, and the like. In an
embodiment, the
sensors may be analog or digital measurement devices.
[00329] In an embodiment, the water vapor of the belt facility 130 may be
measured by a moisture analyzer. The moisture analyzer may be placed in
relation to the
microwave system 148 to measure the water vapor being released from the
process coal.
In an embodiment, the coal processing may continue until the measured level of
water
vapor has reached a predefined level. The water vapor levels may be measured
as
percent moisture, parts per million, parts per billion, or other vapor
measuring scale.
[00330] In an embodiment, both ash and sulfur may be measured by a chemical
signature level analyzer. There may be separate chemical signature level
analyzers for
the ash and the sulfur. In an embodiment, the coal processing may continue
until the
measured level of ash and sulfur have reached a predetermined level.
[00331] In an embodiment, the microwave system 148 power and frequency
output may be measured as an actual level to be compared to the set levels.
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1003321 In an embodiment, the coal surface temperature may be measured by
sensors such as infrared temperature sensors or thermometers. The temperature
sensors
may be place in relation to a coal treatment process to measure the coal
surface
temperature during and after coal treatment: the coal treatment process may be
either
heating or cooling. In an embodiment, the coal processing may continue until
the
measured coal surface temperature has reached a predefined level. In an
embodiment,
the coal may be heated to certain interior and surface temperatures because of
the heating
of the non-coal products by the microwave energy of the microwave system 148.
[00333] In an embodiment, the coal weight may be measured using
commercially available scales. The coal weight may be used to determine the
removal of
non-coal products from the coal. In an embodiment, the coal may be measured
before
and after a treatment station to determine the reduced weight of the coal. The
coal weight
delta may be an indicator of the percentage of non-coal products that have
been released
from the coal. In an embodiment, the weights may be made in real time as the
coal
passes over the weight scale.
[00334] In an embodiment, microwave emissions from the belt facility 130
may be measured as a safety indicator. The microwave emissions sensor may be a
standard available sensor. In an embodiment, there may be a safety or
environmental
reason to assure that microwave emissions beyond a predetermined level are not
measured outside of the belt facility 130.
[00335] In an embodiment, the belt facility 130 actual air flow may be
measured for comparison to the required air flow. Air flow may be measured as
velocity,
direction, pressure in, pressure out, and the like.
[00336] In an embodiment, the belt facility 130 chamber temperature may be
measured with a standard temperature sensor. The chamber temperature may be
measured as a safety feature to detect for a chamber file.
[00337] The removal system 150 may remove non-coal products from the belt
facility 130 as the non-coal products are released from the treated coal. The
non-coal
products may be released from the coal as a gas or as a liquid. The removal
system 150
may remove gases by air movement toward a collection duct where the gases may
be
collected and processed. The removal system 150 may use positive or negative
air
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pressures to remove gases from the belt facility 130. lhe positive pressure
system may
blow the gases to a collection area where the negative pressure system may
pull the gases
into a collection area. The removal system 150 may collect liquids at the
bottom of the
belt facility 130 in collecting areas.
[00338] In an embodiment, some non-coal products may be collected as both a
gas and a liquid (e.g. water). In an embodiment, as the water vapor is
released from the
coal, some of the vapor may be captured by a gas removal system. Depending on
the
amount and rate of the water vapor removal from the coal, the water vapor may
condense
as liquid water on the walls of the belt facility 130. In an embodiment, the
condensed
water may be forced down the walls with a flow of air into the liquid
collection areas.
[00339] In an embodiment, depending on the coal temperatures, sulfur may act
similar to water moisture by being released as a gas or as a liquid.
[00340] In an embodiment, ash may be removed with either the water moisture
or the sulfur.
[00341] In an embodiment, the gas collection may collect a single type gas or
may collect a plurality of gases being released from the treated coal.
Depending on the
location within the belt facility and the process temperature of the coal, at
least one gas
may be released from the coal. Depending on the coal temperatures, the gases
release in
a certain location of the belt facility may be a particular type of gas. For
example, at a
location where the coal has a temperature between 70 and 100 degrees C the
gases may
be substantially water vapor where coal temperatures between 160 and 240
degrees C the
gases may be substantially sulfur vapor.
[00342] In an embodiment, the liquid collection may collect a single type
liquid or may collect a plurality of liquids being released from the treated
coal.
Depending on the location within the belt facility and the process temperature
of the coal,
at least one liquid may be released from the coal.
[00343] The containment facility 162 may receive the gas and liquid non-coal
products from the belt facility 130 removal system 150. The removed non-coal
products
may include water, sulfur, coal dust, ash, hygrogen, hydroxyls, and the like.
[00344] In an embodiment, the containment facility 162 may have liquid
containment tanks for holding liquids removed from the belt facility 130;
there may be a
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plurality ot liquid containment tanks. In an embodiment, a liquid containment
tank may
contain more than one type of liquid depending on where the liquid was removed
from
the belt facility. In an embodiment, there may be different liquid containment
tanks
located at different locations of the belt facility 130 for collection of
liquids.
[00345] In an embodiment, the containment facility 162 may have gas
containment tanks for holding gases removed from the belt facility 130; there
may be a
plurality of gas containment tanks. In an embodiment, a gas containment tank
may
contain more than one type of gas depending on where the gas was removed from
the belt
facility. In an embodiment, there may be different gas containment tanks
located at
different locations of the belt facility 130 for collection of gases.
[00346] In an embodiment, the containment facility may also include the
shielding to contain the microwave energy in the belt facility 130.
[00347] The treatment facility 160 may receive the gas and liquids of the
containment facility 162 to separate the gases and liquids into individual
gases and
liquids for disposal.
[00348] In an embodiment, the non-coal products may be separated using
process that may include sedimentation, flocculation, centrifugation,
filtration,
distillation, chromatography, electrophoresis, extraction, liquid-liquid
extraction,
precipitation, fractional freezing, sieving, winnowing, or the like.
[00349] In an embodiment, after the gases and liquids have been separated, the
gases and liquids may be stored in individual containers or tanks.
[00350] The disposal facility 158 may receive individualized gases and liquids
from the treatment facility 160 for disposal. In an embodiment, disposal of
the gases and
liquids may include disposing in a landfill, selling gases and liquids to
other enterprises,
release of non-harmful gases (e.g. water vapor), or the like. In an
embodiment, the other
enterprises may be companies that may use the individualized gases or liquids
directly or
may be an enterprise that may further refine the gases or liquids for resale.
[00351] The disposal facility 158 may be associated with a shipping facility
for
removal of the individualized gases and liquids by rail, truck, pipeline, or
the like.
[00352] The disposal facility 158 may include temporary storage tanks that
may permit the temporary storage of gases and liquids until there is a volume
that is
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commercially economical to ship. In an embodiment, the temporary storage tanks
may
be local or remotely located.
[00353] A cooling facility 164 may be located after the belt facility 130 and
may provide a controlled atmosphere for the controlled cooling of the treated
coal. In an
embodiment, the cooling facility may be incorporated into the belt facility
130 or may be
a separate facility at the exit of the belt facility; Fig. 1 shows the cooling
facility as a
separate facility.
[00354] In an embodiment, the cooling facility 164 may control the cooling
rate of the coal and to control the atmosphere to prevent re-absorption of
moisture as the
coal cools from the treatment process. In an embodiment, the cooling facility
164 may
have a transportation system that may consist of a conveyor belt 300, a
plurality of
individual containers, or the like surrounded by an enclosure that may create
a cooling
chamber.
[00355] In an embodiment the controlled cooling process may include
progressive cooler air to ambient temperature, natural cooling in a controlled
atmosphere,
cooling with forced dry air, cooling with forced inert gases, or the like. In
an
embodiment, the transportation system may be able to vary speed to maintain
the proper
cooling rate. In an embodiment, there may be a sensor system to monitor the
gases, coal
temperature, belt speed, and the like. The sensor data may be received at a
cooling
facility 164 controller or may use the belt 130 controller 144; the controller
may provide
the operational parameters of the cooling facility 164.
[00356] In an embodiment, the controlled atmosphere may be dry air or an
inert gas.
[00357] An out-take facility 168 may move the final cooled treated coal to a
location away from the belt facility 130. In an embodiment, the out-take
facility 168 may
include a transportation system, a dust collection facility, an input section,
a transition
section, and adapter section, and the like. In an embodiment, the out-take
facility may
provide finished coal to a bin, rail car, storage location, directly to a
processing facility,
or the like.
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1003581 In an embodiment, the input section may receive the treated coal from
the cooling facility and the input end may be sized to fit the incoming
cooling facility 164
transportation system and the exit end may be sized to fit the transition
section.
[00359] In an embodiment, the transition section may be a channel to guide the
treated coal to the adapter; the transition section may contain a
transportation system.
[00360] In an embodiment, the adapter section may be sized to fit the
transition
section and the required shape for the output location (e.g. rail car,
storage, direct to a
facility).
[00361] In an embodiment, the out-take facility 168 may output to at least one
location. In an embodiment, there may be more than one out-take facility 168
per belt
facility 130 to feed more than one output location.
[00362] A testing facility 170 may take samples of the final treated coal and
perform standard test on the coal sample to determine if the final treated
coal
characteristics match the coal desired characteristics 122. In an embodiment,
the testing
facility may be local or remote to the facility 132.
[00363] In an embodiment, the standard test may be standards such as the
ASTM Standards D 388 (Classification of Coals by Rank), the ASTM Standards D
2013
(Method of Preparing Coal Samples for Analysis), the ASTM Standards D 3180
(Standard Practice for Calculating Coal and Coke Analyses from As-Determined
to
Different Bases), the US Geological Survey Bulletin 1823 (Methods for Sampling
and
Inorganic Analysis of Coal), and the like. The standard test may provide coal
characteristics that may include percent moisture, percent ash, percentage of
volatiles,
fixed-carbon percentage, BTU/lb, BTU/lb M-A Free, forms of sulfur, Hardgrove
grindability index (HGI), total mercury, ash fusion temperatures, ash mineral
analysis,
electromagnetic absorption/reflection, dielectric properties, and the like.
[00364] In an embodiment, there may be periodic samples taken from the final
treated coal, there may be a first sample and a last sample, there may be one
sample, or
the like. In an embodiment, all of the selected samples may not be tested, a
statistic
sample rate may be used of all the samples from the final treated coal with
additional
tests based on the results of the statistic samples. A person knowledgeable in
the art of
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statistical sampling would understand the different parameters ot how many
samples to
test and back tracking to other samples depending on the test outcome.
[00365] In an embodiment, the final treated coal may not be used until a coal
sample test indicates acceptable properties of the final treated coal.
[00366] The coal output parameters 172 may be a storage location for the
classification 110 information for the final treated coal. The coal output
parameters 172
may be a database, relational database, table, text file, XML file, RSS, flat
file, or the like
that may store the characteristics of the final treated coal. The data may be
stored on a
computer device that may include a server, web server, desktop computer,
laptop
computer, handheld computer, PDA, flash memory, or the like. In an embodiment,
the
final treated coal characteristics data may be transmitted to the coal output
parameters
172 on a paper hardcopy, electronic format, database, or the like. If the
final treated coal
characteristics are shipped with paper hardcopy, the characteristic data may
be input into
the appropriate coal output parameters 172 format on the computer device. In
an
embodiment, the final treated coal characteristics data may be sent by email,
FTP,
Internet connection, WAN, LAN, P2P, or the like from a testing facility 170.
The coal
output parameters 172 may be accessible over a network that may include the
Internet.
[00367] The testing facility 170 may provide coal characteristics that may
include percent moisture, percent ash, percentage of volatiles, fixed-carbon
percentage,
BTU/lb, BTU/lb M-A Free, forms of sulfur, Hardgrove grindability index (HGI),
total
mercury, ash fusion temperatures, ash mineral analysis, electromagnetic
absorption/reflection, dielectric properties, and the like.
[00368] In an embodiment, there may be at least one data record stored in the
coal output parameters 172 for each final treated coal. There may be more than
one data
record if the final treated coal was subject to random or periodic checks
during the
treatment process. In an embodiment, each test performed on a final treated
coal may
have the coal characteristics stored in the coal output parameters 172.
[00369] The feedback facility 174 may compare the final treated coal
characteristics with the coal desired characteristics 122 to determine if the
final treated
coal is within tolerance of the desired characteristics. The feedback facility
may be a
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computer device that may include a server, web server, desktop computer,
laptop
computer, handheld computer, PDA, flash memory, or the like.
[00370] In an embodiment, the feedback facility 174 may maintain tolerances
of coal characteristics that may be considered acceptable final treated coal.
The
tolerances may be stored a database, relational database, table, text file,
XML file, RSS,
flat file, or the like that may store the characteristics of the final treated
coal. In an
embodiment, the feedback facility 174 may be connected to a network that may
include
an Internet connection, a WAN, a LAN, a P2P, or the like. In an embodiment,
the
feedback facility 174 may compare the final treated coal characteristics with
the desired
coal characteristics 122 to determine acceptability of the final treated coal.
[00371] In an embodiment, if the final treated coal is outside of the
acceptable
tolerances a modification may be made to the operational parameters by the
monitoring
facility 134.
[00372] In an embodiment, if the final treated coal is outside of the
acceptable
tolerances a report may be generated; the report may be available to any
computer device
associated with the feedback facility network.
[00373] The pricing/transactional facility (transactional facility) 178
may
determine the final price of the final treated coal. The transactional
facility 178 may be a
computer device that may include a server, web server, desktop computer,
laptop
computer, handheld computer, PDA, flash memory, or the like. In an embodiment,
the
transactional facility 178 may be connected to a network that may include an
Internet
connection, a WAN, a LAN, a P2P, or the like.
[00374] In an embodiment, the transactional facility may receive the
income raw coal
cost and operational cost of the facility 132 to determine the final coast of
the treated coal.
Operational cost of the facility 132 may be collected during the processing of
the treated coal; the
coal may be identified by type, batch number, test number, identification
number, or the like. In
an embodiment, the operational cost of the facility 132 may be recorded for
all processing of the
coal identification. The operational cost may include electricity cost, inert
gases used, coal used,
disposal fees, testing costs, and the like.
[00375] In an embodiment, a transactional report may be available to any
computer device associated with the feedback facility network.
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1003761 Coal combustion 200 involves burning coal at high temperatures in the
presence of oxygen to produce light and heat. Coal must be heated to its
ignition
temperature before combustion occurs. The ignition temperature of coal is that
of its
fixed carbon content. The ignition temperatures of the volatile constituents
of coal are
higher than the ignition temperature of the fixed carbon. Gaseous products
thus are
distilled off during combustion. When combustion starts, the heat produced by
the
oxidation of the combustible carbon may, under proper conditions, maintain a
high
enough temperature to sustain the combustion. Direct coal combustion may be
performed, for example, with fixed bed 220 or stoker combusters, pulverized
coal
combusters 222, fluidized bed combusters 224 and the like.
[00377] Fixed bed 220 systems have been used on small coal combustion
boilers for over a century. They use a lump-coal feed, with particle size
ranging from
about 1-5 cm. The coal is heated as it enters the furnace, so that moisture
and volatile
material are driven off. As the coal moves into the region where it will be
ignited, the
temperature rises in the coal bed. There are a number of different types,
including static
grates, underfeed stokers, chain grates, traveling grates and spreader stoker
systems.
Chain and traveling grate furnaces have similar characteristics. Coal lumps
are fed onto a
moving grate or chain, while air is drawn through the grate and through the
bed of coal
on top of it. In a spreader stoker, a high-speed rotor throws the coal into
the furnace over
a moving grate to distribute the fuel more evenly. Stoker furnaces are
generally
characterized by a flame temperature between 1200-1300 degrees C and a fairly
long
residence time.
[00378] Combustion in a fixed bed 220 system is relatively uneven, so that
there can be intermittent emissions of CO, NOx and volatiles during the
combustion
process. Combustion chemistry and temperatures may vary substantially across
the
combustion grate. The emission of SO2 will depend on the sulfur content of the
feed
coal. Residual ash may have a high carbon content (4-5%) because of the
relatively
inefficient combustion, and the restricted access of oxygen to the carbon
content of the
coal.
[00379] Pulverized coal combustion ("PCC") 222 is the most commonly used
combustion method for coal-fired power plants 204. Before use, the coal is
ground
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(pulverized) to a tine powder. 1 he pulverized coal is blown with part ot the
air tor
combustion into the boiler through a series of burner nozzles. Secondary or
tertiary air
may also be added. Units operate at close to atmospheric pressure. Combustion
takes
place at temperatures between 1300-1700 degrees C, depending on coal rank. For
bituminous coal, combustion temperatures are held between 1500-1700 degrees C.
For
lower rank coals, the range is 1300-1600 degrees C. The particle size of coal
used in
pulverized coal processes ranges from about 10-100 microns. Particle residence
time is
typically 1-5 seconds, and the particles must be sized so that they are
completely burned
during this time. Steam is generated by the process that may drive a steam
generator and
turbine for power generation 204.
[00380] Pulverized coal combustors 222 may be supplied with wall-fired or
tangentially fired burners. Wall-fired burners are mounted on the walls of the
combustor,
while the tangentially fired burners are mounted on the corner, with the flame
directed
towards the center of the boiler, thereby imparting a swirling motion to the
gases during
combustion so that the air and fuel is mixed more effectively. Boilers may be
termed
either wet-bottom or dry-bottom, depending on whether the ash falls to the
bottom as
molten slag or is removed as a dry solid. A primary advantage of pulverized
coal
combustion 222 is the fine nature of the fly ash produced. In general, PCC 222
results in
65%-85% fly ash, with the remainder in coarser bottom ash (in dry bottom
boilers) or
boiler slag (wet bottom boilers).
[00381] Boilers using anthracite coal as a fuel may employ a downshot burner
arrangement, whereby the coal-air mixture is sent down into a cone at the base
of the
boiler. This arrangement allows longer residence time that ensures more
complete
carbon burn. Another arrangement is called the cell burner, involving two or
three
circular burners combined into a single, vertical assembly that yields a
compact, intense
flame. The high temperature flame from this burner may result in more NOx
formation,
though, rendering this arrangement less advantageous.
[00382] Cyclone-fired boilers have been employed for coals with a low ash
fusion temperature that would be otherwise difficult to use with PCC 222. A
cyclone
furnace has combustion chambers mounted outside the tapered main boiler.
Primary
combustion air carries the coal particles into the furnace, while secondary
air is injected
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tangentially into the cyclone, creating a strong swirl that throws the larger
coal particles
towards the furnace walls. Tertiary air enters directly into the central
vortex of the
cyclone to control the central vacuum and the position of the combustion zone
within the
furnace. Larger coal particles are trapped in the molten layer that covers the
cyclone
interior surface and then are recirculated for more complete burning. The
smaller coal
particles pass into the center of the vortex for burning. This system results
in intense heat
formation within the furnace, so that the coal is burned at extremely high
temperatures.
Combustion gases, residual char and fly ash pass into a boiler chamber for
more complete
burning. Molten ash flows by gravity to the bottom of the furnace for removal.
[00383] In a cyclone boiler, 80-90% of the ash leaves the bottom of the boiler
as a molten slag, so that less fly ash passes through the heat transfer
sections of the boiler
to be emitted. These boilers run at high temperatures (from 1650 to over 2000
degrees
C), and employ near-atmospheric pressure. The high temperatures result in high
production of NOx, a major disadvantage to this boiler type. Cyclone-fired
boilers use
coals with certain key characteristics: volatile matter greater than 15% (dry
basis), ash
contents between 6-25% for bituminous coals or 4-25% for subbituminous coals,
and a
moisture content of less than 20% for bituminous and 30% for subbituminous
coals. The
ash must have particular slag viscosity characteristics; ash slag behavior is
critical to the
functioning of this boiler type. High moisture fuels may be burned in this
type of boiler,
but design variations are required.
[00384] Pulverized coal boilers 222 in the U.S. use subcritical or
supercritical
steam cycling. A supercritical steam cycle is one that operates above the
water critical
temperature (374 degrees F) and critical pressure (22.1 mPa), where the gas
and liquid
phases of water cease to exist. Subcritical systems typically achieve thermal
efficiencies
of 33-34%. Supercritical systems may achieve thermal efficiencies 3 to 5
percent higher
than subcritical systems.
[00385] Increasing the thermal efficiency of coal combustion results in lower
costs for power generation 204, because less fuel is needed. Increased thermal
efficiency
also reduces other emissions generated during combustion, such as those of SO2
and
NOx. Older, smaller units burning lower rank coals have thermal efficiencies
that may
be as low as 30%. For larger plants, with subcritical steam boilers that burn
higher
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quality coals, thermal efficiencies may be in the region ot 35-36%. Facilities
using
supercritical steam may achieve overall thermal efficiencies in the 43-45%
range.
Maximum efficiencies achievable with lower grade coals and lower rank coals
may be
less than what would be achieved with higher grade and higher rank coals. For
example,
maximum efficiencies expected in new lignite-fired plants (found, for example,
in
Europe) may be around 42%, while equivalent new bituminous coal plants may
achieve
about 45% maximum thermal efficiency. Supercritical steam plants using
bituminous
coals and other optimal construction materials may yield net thermal
efficiencies of 45-
47%.
[00386] Fluidized bed combustion ("FBC") 224 mixes coal with a sorbent such
as limestone and fluidizes the mixture during the combustion process to allow
complete
combustion and removal of sulfur gases. "Fluidization" refers to the condition
in which
solid materials are given free- flowing fluid- like behavior. As a gas is
passed upward
through a bed of solid particles, the flow of gas produces forces which tend
to separate
the particles from one another. In fluidized bed combustion, coal is burned in
a bed of
hot incombustible particles suspended by an upward flow of fluidizing gas.
[00387] FBC 224 systems are used mainly with subcritical steam turbines.
Atmospheric pressure FBC 224 systems may be bubbling or circulating.
Pressurized
FBC 224 systems, presently in earlier stages of development, mainly use
bubbling beds
and may produce power in a combined cycle with a gas and steam turbine. FBC
224 at
atmospheric pressures may be useful with high-ash coals and/or those with
variable
characteristics. Relatively coarse coal particles, around 3 mm in size, may be
used.
Combustion takes place at temperatures between 800-900 degrees C.,
substantially below
the threshold for forming NOx, so that these systems result in lower NOx
emissions than
PCC 222 systems.
[00388] Bubbling beds have a low fluidizing velocity, so that the coal
particles
are held in a bed that is about 1 mm deep with an identifiable surface. As the
coal
particles are burned away and become smaller, they ultimately are carried off
with the
coal gases to be removed as fly ash. Circulating beds use a higher fluidizing
velocity, so
that coal particles are suspended in the flue gases and pass through the main
combustion
chamber into a cyclone. The larger coal particles are extracted from the gases
and are
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recycled into the combustion chamber. Individual particles may recycle between
10-50
times, depending on their combustion characteristics. Combustion conditions
are
relatively uniform throughout the combustor and there is a great deal of
particle mixing.
Even though the coal solids are distributed throughout the unit, a dense bed
is required in
the lower furnace to mix the fuel during combustion. For a bed burning
bituminous coal,
the carbon content of the bed is around 1%, with the rest made of ash and
other minerals.
[00389] Circulating FBC 224 systems may be designed for a particular type of
coal. These systems are particularly useful for low grade, high ash coals
which are
difficult to pulverize finely and which may have variable combustion
characteristics.
These systems are also useful for co-firing coal with other fuels such as
biomass or waste.
Once a unit is built, it will operate most efficiently with the fuel it was
designed for. A
variety of designs may be employed. Thermal efficiency is generally somewhat
lower
than for equivalent PCC systems. Use of a low grade coal with variable
characteristics
may lower the thermal efficiency even more.
[00390] FBC 224 in pressurized systems may be useful for low grade coals and
for those with variable characteristics. In a pressurized system, the
combustor and the
gas cyclones are all enclosed in a pressure vessel, with the coal and sorbent
fed into the
system across the pressure boundary and the ash removed across the pressure
boundary.
When hard coal is used, the coal and the limestone can be mixed together with
25% water
and fed into the system as a paste. The system operates at pressures of 1-1.5
MPa with
combustion temperatures between 800-900 degrees C. The combustion heats steam,
like
a conventional boiler, and also may produce hot gas to drive a gas turbine.
Pressurized
units are designed to have a thermal efficiency of over 40%, with low
emissions. Future
generations of pressurized FBC systems may include improvements that would
produce
thermal efficiencies greater than 50%.
[00391] Some bituminous coals are themselves suitable for smelting iron and
steel without prior coking. Their suitability for this purpose depends on
certain properties
of the coal, including fusibility, and a combination of other factors
including a high fixed
carbon content, low ash (<5%), low sulfur, and low calcite (CaCO3) content.
Metallurgical coal may be worth 15-50% more than thermal coal.
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1003921 Ciasitication 230 involves the conversion ot coal to a
combustible gas,
volatile materials, char and mineral residues (ash/slag). A gasification 230
system
converts a hydrocarbon fuel material like coal into its gaseous components by
applying
heat under pressure, generally in the presence of steam. The device that
carries out this
process is called a gasifier. Gasification 230 differs from combustion because
it takes
place with limited air or oxygen available. Hence, only a small portion of the
fuel burns
completely. The fuel that burns provides the heat for the rest of the
gasification 230
process. Instead of burning, most of the hydrocarbon feedstock (e.g., coal) is
chemically
broken down into a variety of other substances collectively termed "syngas."
Syngas is
primarily hydrogen, carbon monoxide and other gaseous compounds. The
components of
syngas vary, however, based on the type of feedstock used and the gasification
conditions
employed.
[00393] Leftover minerals in the feedstock do not gasify like the carbonaceous
materials. The leftover minerals may be separated out and removed. Sulfur
impurities in
the coal may form hydrogen sulfide, from which sulfur or sulfuric acid may be
produced.
Because gasification takes place under reducing conditions, NOx typically does
not form
and ammonia forms instead. If oxygen is used instead of air during
gasification 230,
carbon dioxide is produced in a concentrated gas stream that may be
sequestered and
prevented from entering the atmosphere as a pollutant. Gasification 230 may be
able to
use coals that would be difficult to use in combustion facilities, such as
those with high
sulfur content or high ash content. Ash characteristics of coal used in a
gasifier affect the
efficiency of the process, both because they affect the formation of slag and
they affect
the deposition of solids within the syngas cooler or heat exchanger. At lower
temperatures, such as those found in fixed-bed and fluidized gasifiers, tar
formation can
cause problems.
[00394] Three types of gasifier systems are available: fixed beds,
fluidized
beds and entrained flow. Fixed bed units, not normally used for power
generation, use
lump coal. Fluidized beds use 3-6mm size coal. Entrained flow units use
pulverized
coal. Entrained flow units run at higher operating temperatures (around 1600
degrees C)
than fluidized bed systems (around 900 degrees C).
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1003951 Uasitiers may run at atmospheric pressure or may be pressurized.
With pressurized gasification, the feedstock coal must be inserted across a
pressure
barrier. Bulky and expensive lock hopper systems may be used to insert the
coal, or the
coal may be fed in as a water-based slurry. Byproduct streams must be
depressurized to
be removed across the pressure barrier. Internally, the heat exchangers and
gas-cleaning
units for the syngas must also be pressurized.
[00396] Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) 232 systems allow
gasification processes to be used for power generation. In an IGCC system 232,
the
syngas produced during gasification is cleaned of impurities (hydrogen
sulfide, ammonia,
particulate matter, and the like) and is burned to drive a gas turbine. The
exhaust gases
from gasification are heat-exchanged with water to generate superheated steam
that
drives a steam turbine. Because two turbines are used in combination (a gas
combustion
turbine and a steam turbine), the system is called "combined cycle."
Generally, the
majority of the power (60-70%) comes from the gas turbine in this system. IGCC
systems 232 generate power at greater thermal efficiency than coal combustion
systems.
[00397] Syngas 234 may be transformed into a variety of other products. For
example, its components like carbon monoxide and hydrogen may be used to
produce a
broad range of liquid or gaseous fuels or chemicals, using processes familiar
in the art.
As another example, the hydrogen produced during gasification may be used as
fuel for
fuel cells, or potentially for hydrogen turbines or hybrid fuel cell-turbine
systems. The
hydrogen that is separated from the gas stream may be also be used as a
feedstock for
refineries that use the hydrogen for producing upgraded petroleum products.
[00398] Syngas 234 may also be converted into a variety of hydrocarbons that
may be used for fuels or for further processing. Syngas 234 may be condensed
into light
hydrocarbons using, for example, Fischer-Tropsch catalysts. The light
hydrocarbons may
then be further converted into gasoline or diesel fuel. Syngas 234 may also be
converted
into methanol, which may be used as a fuel, a fuel additive, or a building
block for
gasoline production.
[00399] Coke 238 is a solid carbonaceous residue derived from coal whose
volatile components have been driven off by baking in an oven at high
temperatures (as
high as 1000 degrees C). At these temperatures, the fixed carbon and residual
ash are
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tused together. Feedstock tor forming coke is typically low-ash, low-sulfur
bituminous
coal. Coke may be used as a fuel during, for example, smelting iron in a blast
furnace.
Coke is also useful as a reducing agent during such processes. As byproducts
of
converting coal to coke, coal tar, ammonia, light oils and coal gas may be
formed. Since
the volatile components of coal are driven off during the coking process 238,
coke is a
desirable fuel for furnaces where conditions may not be suitable for burning
coal itself.
For example, coke may be burned with little or no smoke under combustion
conditions
that would cause a large amount of emissions if bituminous coal itself were
used. The
coal must meet certain stringent criteria regarding moisture content, ash
content, sulfur
content, volatile content, tar and plasticity, before it can be used as coking
coal.
[00400] Amorphous pure carbon 238 may be obtained by heating coal to a
temperature of about 650-980 degrees C in a limited-air environment so that
complete
combustion does not occur. Amorphous carbon 238 is a form of the carbon
allotrope
graphite consisting of microscopic carbon crystals. Amorphous carbon 238 thus
obtained
has a number of industrial uses. For example, graphite may be used for
electrochemistry
components, activated carbons are used for water and air purification, and
carbon black
may be used to reinforce tires.
[00401] The basic process of coke production 238 may be used to manufacture
a hydrocarbon-containing 240 gas mixture that may be used as fuel ("town
gas"). Town
gas may include, for example, about 51% hydrogen, 15% carbon monoxide, 21%
methane, 10% carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and about 3% other alkanes. Other
processes, for example the Lurgi process and the Sabatier synthesis use lower
quality coal
to produce methane.
[00402] Liquefaction converts coal into liquid hydrocarbon 240 products that
can be used as fuel. Coal may be liquefied using direct or indirect processes.
Any
process that converts coal to a hydrocarbon 240 fuel must add hydrogen to the
hydrocarbons comprising coal. Four types of liquefaction methods are
available: (1)
pyrolysis and hydrocarbonization, wherein coal is heated in the absence of air
or in the
presence of hydrogen; (2) solvent extraction, wherein coal hydrocarbons are
selectively
dissolved from the coal mass and hydrogen is added; (3) catalytic
liquefaction, wherein a
catalyst effects the hydrogenation of the coal hydrocarbons; and (4) indirect
liquefaction,
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wherein carbon monoxide and hydrogen are combined in the presence ot a
catalyst. As
an example, the Fischer-Tropsch process is a catalyzed chemical reaction in
which
carbon monoxide and hydrogen are converted to various forms of liquid
hydrocarbons
240. Substances produced by this process may include synthetic petroleum
substitutes
usable as lubrication oils or fuels.
[00403] As another example, low temperature carbonization may be used for
manufacturing liquid hydrocarbons 240 from coal. In this process, coal is
coked 238 at
temperatures between 450 and 700 C (compared to 800 to 1000 C for
metallurgical
coke). These temperatures optimize the production of coal tars richer in
lighter
hydrocarbons 240 than normal coal tar. The coal tar is then further processed
into fuels.
[00404] Coal combustion yields a variety of byproducts 242, including volatile
hydrocarbons, ash, sulfur, carbon dioxide and water. Further processing of
these
byproducts may be carried out, with economic benefit.
[00405] Volatile matter includes those products, exclusive of moisture, that
are
given off as a gas or a vapor during heating. For coal, the percent volatile
matter is
determined by first heating the coal to 105 degrees to drive off the moisture,
then heating
the coal to 950 degrees C and measuring the weight loss. These substances
include a
mixture of short and long chain hydrocarbons plus other gases, including
sulfur. Volatile
matter thus is comprised of a mixture of gases, low boiling point organic
compounds that
condense into oils upon cooling, and tars. Volatile matter in coal increases
with
decreasing rank. Moreover, coals with high volatile matter content are highly
reactive
during combustion and ignite easily.
[00406] Coal ash, a waste product of coal combustion, is comprised of fly ash
(the waste removed from smoke stacks) and bottom ash (from boilers and
combustion
chambers). Coarse particles (bottom ash and/or boiler slag) settle to the
bottom of the
combustion chamber, and the fine portion (fly ash) escapes through the flue
and is
reclaimed and recycled. Coal ash contains concentrations of many trace
elements and
heavy metals, including Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, V, and Zn. Ash
that is
retrieved after coal combustion may be useful as an additive to cement
products, as a fill
for excavation or civil engineering projects, as a soil ameliorization agent,
and as a
component of other products, including paints, plastics, coatings and
adhesives.
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1004071 Sulfur in coal may be released during combustion as a sulfur oxide, or
it may be retained in the coal ash by reacting with base oxides contained in
the mineral
impurities (a process known as sulfur self-retention). The most important base
oxide for
sulfur self-retention is CaO, formed as a result of CaCO3 decomposition and
combustion
of calcium-containing organic groups. Coal combustion takes place in two
successive
steps: devolatilization and char combustion. During devolatilization,
combustible sulfur
is converted to S02. During char combustion, the process of SO2 formation,
sulfation
and CaSO4 decomposition take place simultaneously.
[00408] Destructive distillation 244 of coal yields coal tar and coal
gas, in
addition to metallurgical coke. Uses for metallurgical coke and coal gas have
been
discussed previously, as products of coal transformation. Coal tar, the third
byproduct,
has a variety of other commercial uses.
[00409] Coal tar is a complex mixture of hydrocarbon substances. The
majority of its components are aromatic hydrocarbons of differing compositions
and
volatilities, from the simplest and most volatile (benzene) to multiple-ringed
non-volatile
substances of large molecular weights. The hydrocarbons in coal tar are in
large part
benzene-based, naphthalene-based, or anthracene- or phenanthrene-based. There
may
also be variable quantities of aliphatic hydrocarbons, paraffins and olefins.
In addition,
coal tar contains a small amount of simple phenols, such as carbolic acid and
cumarone.
Sulfur compounds and nitrogenated compounds may also be found. Most of the
nitrogen
compounds in coal tar are basic in character and belong to the pyridine and
the quinoline
families, for example, aniline.
[00410] Coal tar may be fractionally distilled 244 to yield a number of useful
organic chemicals, including benzene, toluene, xylene, naphthalene, anthracene
and
phenanthrene. These substances may be termed coal-tar crudes. They form the
basis for
synthesis of a number of products, such as dyes, drugs, flavorings, perfumes,
synthetic
resins, paints, preservatives and explosives. Following the fractional
distillation of coal-
tar crudes, a residue of pitch is left over. This substance may be used for
purposes like
roofing, paving, insulation and waterproofing.
[00411] Coal tar may also be used in its native state without submitting it to
distillation 244. It may be heated to a certain extent to remove its volatile
components
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before using it. Coal tar is also employed as a paint, a weatherproofing
agent, or as a
protection against corrosion. Coal tar has also been used as a roofing
material. Coal tar
may be combusted as a fuel, though it yields noxious gases during combustion.
Burning
tar creates a large quantity of soot called lampblack. If the soot is
collected, it may be
used for the manufacture of carbon for electrochemistry, printing, dyes, etc.
[00412] It is customary for coal combustion facilities 200 and other coal
utilization plants to store coal on-site. For a power generation plant 204,
10% or more of
the annual coal requirement may be stored. Overstocking of stored coal may
present
problems, however, related to risks of spontaneous combustion, losses of
volatile material
and losses of calorific value. Anthracite coal generally presents fewer risks
than other
coal ranks. Anthracite, for example, is not subject to spontaneous ignition,
so may be
stored in unlimited amounts per coal pile. A bituminous coal, by contrast,
will ignite
spontaneously if placed in a large enough pile, and it may suffer
disintegration.
[00413] Two types of changes occur in stored coal. Inorganic material such as
pyrites may oxidize, and organic material in the coal itself may oxidize. When
the
inorganic material oxidizes, the volume and/or weight of the coal may
increase, and it
may disintegrate. If the coal substances themselves oxidize, the changes may
not be
immediately appreciable. Oxidation of organic material in coal involves
oxidation of the
carbon and hydrogen in the coal, and the absorption of oxygen by unsaturated
hydrocarbons, changes that may cause a loss of calorific value. These changes
may also
cause spontaneous combustion.
[00414] Coal must be transported from where it is mined to where it will be
used. Before it is transported, coal may be cleaned, sorted and/or crushed to
a particular
size. In certain cases, power plants may be located on-site or close to the
mine that
provides the coal to the plant. For these facilities, coal may be transported
by conveyors
and the like. In most cases, though, power plants and other facilities using
coal are
located remotely. The main transportation method from mine to remote facility
is the
railway. Barges and other seagoing vessels may also be used. Highway
transportation in
trucks is feasible, but may not be cost-effective, especially for trips over
fifty miles. Coal
slurry pipelines transport powdered coal suspended in water.
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1004151 In an embodiment, solid fuel treatment parameters for the solid
fuel
continuous process, batch process, or other process may be generated by the
parameter generation
facility 128 based on the solid fuel desired characteristics and the solid
fuel treatment facility 132
treatment capability. As inputs to the parameter generation facility 128, the
coal sample data 120
may provide the starting characteristics of the solid fuel and the coal
desired characteristics 122
may provide the desired final characteristics of the solid fuel.
[00416] In an embodiment, a first step in determining the solid fuel
processing
parameters may be to determine the characteristic delta between the actual raw
solid fuel
characteristics and the desired final processed characteristics.
[00417] As previously described, the solid fuel information stored in
the coal sample
data 120 may include information such as percent moisture, percent ash,
percentage of volatiles,
fixed-carbon percentage, BTU/lb, BTU/lb M-A Free, forms of sulfur, Hardgrove
grindability
index (HGI), total mercury, ash fusion temperatures, ash mineral analysis,
electromagnetic
absorption/reflection, dielectric properties, and the like. The solid fuel
characteristics may be
supplied by a solid fuel supplier such as a coal mine 102, a solid fuel
storage facility 112, a solid
fuel processing facility, or the like. In an embodiment, the solid fuel
treatment facility 132 may
test and determine the solid fuel characteristics for storage in the coal
sample data 120.
[00418] In an embodiment, as previously discussed, the coal desired
characteristics
122 may store the final desired solid fuel characteristics for delivery to a
customer, for use at the
location of the solid fuel treatment facility 132, or the like. For example,
the solid fuel treatment
facility 132 may be part of a larger facility and may produce final treated
solid fuel for the larger
facility. In an embodiment, the coal desired characteristics 132 may store the
desired
characteristics of a customer requested solid fuel, a solid fuel that may be
produced from the
available received solid fuel, solid fuel characteristics that may have been
produced using
previously received solid fuel, or the like.
[00419] In an embodiment, the solid fuel treatment parameters may be generated
by
the parameter generation facility 128 based on the desired final treated solid
fuel characteristics.
The desired final treated solid fuel characteristics may be related to the
requirements of a
customer for burning, further processing, storage and reselling, or the like.
[00420] In an embodiment, solid fuel treatment parameters may be generated
based
on the desired final solid fuel characteristics and the treatment capabilities
of the solid fuel
treatment facility 132. In an embodiment, based on a request for the desired
final solid fuel, the
parameter generation facility 128 may search and retrieve the solid fuel
characteristics from the
coal desired characteristics 122 for the desired final treated solid fuel. In
an embodiment, the
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=
3 0 6 1 - 2
parameter generation facility 128 may calculate the preferred characteristics
for the received solid
fuel required to produce the desired final treated solid fuel. After the
calculation, the parameter
generation facility 128 may search the coal sample data 120 to identify a raw
solid fuel that may
be treated by the solid fuel treatment facility 132 to produce the desired
final treated solid fuel.
[00421] In an embodiment, the calculations performed by the parameter
generation
facility 128 may relate to the capabilities of the solid fuel treatment
facility 132 capabilities.
Depending on the configuration of the solid fuel treatment facility 132, the
solid fuel treatment
facility 132 may have certain capabilities to treat the solid fuel. For
example, the solid fuel
treatment facility 132 may be able to remove a certain percent of moisture
from a solid fuel
during a single course of solid fuel treatment. In determining the proper raw
solid fuel to select
from the coal sample data 120, the parameter generation facility 128 may
consider the desired
amount of final treated solid fuel moisture and calculated the amount of
moisture that can be
removed from the raw solid fuel to determine starting solid fuel moisture
characteristic. For
example, if the desired final moisture percentage is 5 percent moisture
content, and the solid fuel
treatment facility 132 may be capable of removing 80 percent of the moisture
from a raw solid
fuel during a single treatment run, then the selected starting solid fuel may
be selected from a
group of raw solid fuels with 25 percent moisture content. Alternatively, the
parameter
generation facility 128 may select a raw solid fuel with a higher moisture
percentage, and
determine that multiple courses of treatment represent the most efficient or
cost-effective
treatment plan. It would be understood by those of skill in the art that the
treatment capability of
the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may vary for different types of solid
fuel, and may also vary
depending upon the other characteristics of the solid fuel, the facility's
previous experience with
the solid fuels, or the like.
[00422] In an embodiment, calculations performed by the parameter generation
facility 128 may be performed for each of the characteristics of the desired
solid fuel. In an
embodiment, the calculations performed on the set of desired final solid fuel
characteristics may
yield a set of raw solid fuel characteristics. In an embodiment, the parameter
generation facility
128 may attempt to match the set of raw solid fuel characteristics to a raw
solid fuel for which
data has been stored in the coal sample data 120. In an embodiment, the
parameter generation
facility 128 may attempt to match the set of parameters using an exact match
criterion, a best
match criterion, a match based on certain characteristics having a higher
matching priority, a
combination of match criteria, a statistical match criterion, or the like.
[00423] In an embodiment, as a result of the matching process, the parameter
generation facility 128 may find more than one raw solid fuel that meets the
matching criteria.
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For example, a search of the coal sample data 120 may yield more than one raw
solid fuel it a
best match criterion is used. In an embodiment, the best match criteria may
call for the
identification of a raw solid fuel that meet at least some of the desired
solid fuel parameters; the
best match may be a raw solid fuel that matches the most parameters. In an
embodiment, the set
of results from the parameter matching process may include a ranked listing of
matching raw
solid fuels; the solid fuels with the highest rank may be at the top and the
lowest rank may be at
the bottom of the list. In an embodiment, the ranked list may be sorted as
desired by a user.
[00424] In an embodiment, the list of matched raw solid fuels may be presented
to the
operator of the solid fuel treatment facility 132 for the final selection of
the solid fuel to use to
produce the desired final treated solid fuel. In an embodiment, the operator
may be presented the
list of matching raw solid fuels; the list may contain a rating to indicate
the raw solid fuels that
are considered the best match. In an embodiment, where matches are performed
for multiple
characteristics, the parameter generation facility 128 may set a
prioritization schedule reflecting
the importance of particular parameter matches. In an embodiment, where
matches are
performed for multiple characteristics, the parameter generation facility 128
may calculate an
aggregate match index that represents the degree of match among all the
characteristics. In an
embodiment, a prioritization schedule may be used to give more weight to
certain characteristic
matches for purposes of calculating an aggregate match index. In embodiments,
the parameters
for evaluating match closeness may be selected by a user so that
prioritization, aggregation or
other matching measures may be employed in keeping with the user's
specifications.
[00425] In an embodiment, after a raw solid fuel is selected, the
parameter generation
facility 128 may generate a set of parameters for the treatment of the
selected raw solid fuel.
[00426] In another embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128
may calculate
solid fuel treatment parameters based on available solid fuel and the
capabilities of the solid fuel
treatment facility 132. In an embodiment, there may be at least one received
solid fuel available
to a solid fuel treatment facility 132. In an embodiment, the parameter
generation facility 128
may select one of the available raw solid fuels, determine the characteristics
of the raw solid fuel
from the coal sample data 120, and determine a final treated solid fuel that
may be produced
based on the treatment capabilities of the solid fuel treatment facility 132.
The parameter
generation facility 128 may also model the changes that would take place in a
raw solid fuel
during one cycle of treatment and during multiple cycles of treatment. In
considering the
capabilities of the solid fuel treatment facility, the parameter generation
facility 128 may model
the results of treating the raw solid fuel using several different sets of
treatment parameters, so
that the most efficient and cost-effective treatment schedule may be selected.
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1004271 In an embodiment, a single raw solid fuel may be able to produce more
than
one type of final treated solid fuel. For example, a selected raw solid fuel
may have 30 percent
moisture content and the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may be capable of
removing from one-
third to two-thirds of the moisture on each treatment run. Therefore the solid
fuel treatment
facility may be capable of producing a final solid product with moisture
content between 10
percent and 20 percent during a single run. If a second run also removes
between one-third and
two-thirds of the moisture, a final solid product with a moisture content
between 3.3% and 13.3%
may be attained. The second run and subsequent runs may not produce the same
treatment
efficiency as the initial run, so that these runs may not remove the same
percentage of moisture as
the initial run. In addition, treatment in a single run may be more efficient
and/or cost-effective
than treating with multiple runs, or vice versa. Using a single run, then, the
solid fuel treatment
facility 132 may be capable of producing a final solid fuel containing between
10 percent and 20
percent moisture. Using multiple runs, the solid fuel treatment facility may
be capable of
producing a final solid fuel containing between 3 percent and 13 percent
moisture. A user
desiring a final solid fuel containing 10 percent moisture may be able to
produce this result using
several different types of treatment protocols, depending at least in part on
the economics of
running the treatment using different parameters and different schedules.
[00428] In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may determine
the
final solid fuel characteristics for all the selected raw solid fuel
characteristics based on the
capability of the solid fuel treatment facility 132. It would be understood by
those in the art that
optimizing a particular characteristic of the final solid fuel may entail
treatment parameters that
would not be ideal for optimizing other characteristics. Hence, it is
contemplated that multiple
treatment runs may be selected, each with different parameters so that the
multiplicity of final
solid fuel characteristics may be optimized.
[00429] In an embodiment, when generating the solid fuel treatment
facility 132
operating parameters, the parameter generation facility 128 may considerer
final solid fuel
characteristics for a desired solid fuel, a requested solid fuel, an
historically produced solid fuel,
or the like.
[00430] In an embodiment, the solid fuel treatment facility 132
operating parameters
may be determined from the selected final desired solid fuel.
[00431] In another embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128
may calculate
the operation parameters for the solid fuel treatment facility 132 based on
previous solid fuels
treated in the solid fuel treatment facility 132. In an embodiment, the
parameter generation
facility 128 may store historical information for previously received raw
solid fuels and the final
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treated solid fuels that were produced from the received raw solid fuels.
Using this process, when
a certain raw solid fuel is received, the parameter generation facility 128
may determine the
treated solid fuel characteristics that can be produce with the raw solid
fuel. In addition, the
parameter generation facility 128 may match the determined final treated solid
fuels with a
required final treated solid fuel for the calculation of solid fuel treatment
facility 132 operation
parameters.
[00432] In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may maintain
historical operational parameter data for the treatment of previously received
raw solid fuels; the
historical operational parameters may be used instead of calculating new
parameters.
[00433] In an embodiment, solid fuel treatment facility 132 operational
parameters
may be calculated for a continuous process, a batch process, or other solid
fuel treatment process.
[00434] In an embodiment, after the parameter generation facility 128 has
determined the operation parameters for the treatment of the solid fuel, the
operational
parameters may be transmitted to the monitoring facility 134, the controller
144, the
parameter control 140, or the like.
[00435] In an embodiment, the treatment of a solid fuel using a continuous
treatment process, batch process, combination of the continuous and the batch
process, or
the like may be monitored using a feedback loop between the monitoring
facility 134,
controller 144, process sensors 142, and the like.
[00436] As previously discussed, the parameter generation facility 128
may calculate
the solid fuel treatment parameters to be used by various components of the
solid fuel treatment
facility 132 to treat the solid fuel to meet particular specifications. The
particular specifications
may be based on a customer requirement, solid fuel treatment facility 132
capability, available
raw solid fuel, or the like.
[00437] In an embodiment, during the treatment of the solid fuel in the
solid fuel
treatment facility 132, the monitor facility 134 may monitor the treatment
process by receiving
processing information from the process sensors 142. In an embodiment, the
controller 144 may
provide operational instructions to the various components (e.g. microwave
system 148) for the
treatment of the solid fuel. In an embodiment, the process sensors 142 may
measure the
operation of the solid fuel treatment facility 132. The sensors 142 may
measure the input and
output of the various components of the belt facility 130, non-solid fuel
products released from
the solid fuel during treatment, non-component measurements (e.g. moisture
levels), or the like.
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1004381 In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may receive the
solid fuel
treatment parameters from the parameter generation facility 128. In monitoring
the solid fuel
treatment, the monitoring facility 134 may apply tolerance zones to the
provided parameters. In
an embodiment, the tolerance zones may be based on the capability of a
component, capability of
a sensor, the minimum and maximum parameters required for a certain solid fuel
treatment, prior
solid fuel treatment, or the like.
[00439] In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may determine
the
tolerance zones that may be applied to the solid fuel treatment parameters.
[00440] In an embodiment, the controller 144 may receive the solid fuel
parameters
without the tolerance zones. The controller may provide operational
instructions based on the
solid fuel parameters without the tolerance zones.
[00441] In an embodiment, a treatment process monitoring and feedback loop may
be
established between the monitor facility 134, controller 144, and sensors 142
for the continuous
monitoring and updating of treatment parameters of the continuous solid fuel
treatment, batch
solid fuel treatment, or the like.
[00442] In an embodiment, the feedback loop may begin with the parameter
generation facility 128 providing the operational parameters to the monitoring
facility 134 and the
controller 144. In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may apply
parameter tolerances to
the operational parameters; the parameter tolerances may be used to compare
the sensor 142
readings to acceptable treatment results. In an embodiment, the operational
parameters may
include parameters for controlling solid fuel treatment facility 132
components, non-component
treatment measurements (e.g. moisture removal rates), and the like. In an
embodiment, the
monitoring facility 134 may use sensor 142 information for non-component
measurements to
modify parameters for component parameters.
[00443] In an embodiment, the controller 144 may start the solid fuel
treatment by
transmitting the operational parameters to components of the belt facility 130
such as the
microwave system 148, transportation system, preheat 138, parameter control
140, removal
system 150, and the like. In an embodiment, the controller 144 may transmit
the operational
parameters to the solid fuel treatment components without tolerances. Having
received the
operational parameters, the solid fuel treatment components may begin treating
the solid fuel
using a continuous process, batch process, or the like.
[00444] In an embodiment, once the treatment of the solid fuel begins,
the sensors
142 may begin to measure outputs from the operation of the various the solid
fuel treatment
components. In an embodiment, the treatment outputs may include measurements
such as
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microwave power, microwave frequency, belt speed, temperatures, air flow,
inert gas levels, and
the like. In an embodiment, the treatment outputs may include measurement of
non-component
outputs such as moisture removal, ash removal, sulfur removal, solid fuel
surface temperature, air
temperatures, and the like. As previously discussed, the sensors 142 may be
placed in various
locations along the belt facility 130 to measure the various solid fuel
treatment outputs.
[00445] In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may provide sensor measurements of
solid fuel treatment outputs to the monitoring facility 134. The monitoring
facility 134 may
receive the sensor 142 measurements in real time during the treatment of the
solid fuel. In an
embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may compare the sensor 142
measurements to the
tolerance zone of the operational parameters.
[00446] In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may contain
various
algorithms to modify the operational parameters based on the received sensor
142 measurements.
The algorithms may determine the magnitude of a modification to an operational
parameter if the
sensor 142 measurement is outside of a tolerance zone. For example a sensor
142 measurement
may be either within, above, or below the tolerance zone.
[00447] In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may base the
operational
parameter modifications on real time sensor 142 measurements, sampled sensor
142
measurements, average sensor 142 measurements, statistical sensor 142
measurements, or the
like.
[00448] In an embodiment, operational parameter modifications may be made
based
on non-component sensor 142 measurements such as moisture removal, ash
removal, sulfur
removal, solid fuel surface temperatures, solid fuel weight, and the like. In
an embodiment, the
modification facility 134 algorithms may associate certain non-component
sensor 142
measurements with solid fuel treatment facility 132 component parameters to
adjust the non-
component sensor 142 readings. For example, a non-component measurement of the
moisture
levels in the belt facility environment may require the microwave system 148
to increase or
decrease parameters such as microwave system power, microwave frequency,
microwave duty
cycle, number of microwave systems active, or the like. In an embodiment, the
monitoring
facility 134 algorithms may combine component sensor 142 readings with
associated sensor 142
readings to determine if a modification to the component parameter is
required. For example, the
sensor 142 readings for the microwave system 148 power levels may be combined
with the
moisture levels in the area of the microwave system 148. The result may be a
microwave system
148 parameter modification that accounts for the current power level setting
of the microwave
system 148 and the amount of moisture in the environment. In this example, the
microwave
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system 148 power setting may have had a high measurement compared to the
desired parameter
settings but the moisture reading may be low compared to the desired moisture
levels. In this
case, the power setting parameter may be increased to remove more moisture
from the solid fuel
even though the power settings of the microwave system are already above the
desired settings.
[00449] In an embodiment, a non-component sensor 142 measurement may be
associated to more than one solid fuel treatment facility 132 component. In an
embodiment, there
may be a plurality of non-component sensor 142 measurements related to a
component. In an
embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 algorithms may determine how best to
modify
component operational parameter(s) to compensate for a non-component sensor
142 measurement
that is outside of a parameter tolerance zone. In an embodiment, the
monitoring facility 134 may
have predetermined sensor 142 adjustments, may have a knowledge base of
parameter
adjustments, may use a neural net to adjust parameters based on previous
adjustments,
adjustments may be made by human intervention, or the like. In an embodiment,
safety settings
for the component operational parameters may be input into the system that
cannot be overridden,
or that require administrator intervention in order to override.
[00450] In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may maintain a history
of
operational parameter adjustments made during the treatment of a solid fuel.
The monitoring
facility 134 may refer to the parameter adjustment history in determining the
magnitude of the
next parameter adjustment. For example, the microwave system 148 power may
have been
previously adjusted to increase the amount moisture released from the solid
fuel. When
determining the magnitude of microwave system 148 power adjustment based on a
new sensor
142 reading, the monitoring facility 132 may refer to the previous parameter
adjustment to
determining the magnitude of the next parameter adjustment. For example, the
parameter
adjustment history may show that the last microwave system 148 adjustment of 5
percent
increased the moisture release by 2 percent This information may be used to
determine the
microwave system 148 power adjustment to obtain a desired change in the
moisture released for
the solid fuel. In embodiments, a calibration curve may be derived from a
sequence of
measurements in the parameter adjustment history, so that an adjustment of a
parameter may be
made more accurately in response to a certain sensor 142 reading to obtain a
desired result.
[00451] In an embodiment, once the monitoring facility 134 has made
adjustments to
the solid fuel operational parameters, the adjusted parameters may be
transmitted to the controller
144 for transmission to the various solid treatment facility 132 components.
In an embodiment,
the adjusted parameters may be transmitted in real time, at certain time
period intervals,
continuously, or the like.
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1004521 In an embodiment, once the controller 144 receives the adjusted
parameters,
the controller may transmit the adjusted parameters to the various components
in real time, at
certain time period intervals, continuously, or the like.
[00453] In this manner, the monitoring facility 134, controller 144,
and sensor 142
feedback loop may continuously apply operational parameters to the solid fuel
treatment facility
132 components, measure the component and non-component information with
sensors 142,
transmit the measurements to the monitoring facility 134, adjust the
operational parameters,
transmit the adjusted operational parameters to the controller, and the like.
[00454] In an embodiment, the continuous feedback loop may be applied to
operational parameters for a continuous process, batch process, or the like
for the
treatment of solid fuels.
[00455] In an embodiment, the solid fuel belt facility 130 components may be
controlled by operational parameters generated by the parameter generation
facility 128
and modified by the monitoring facility 134. As previously discussed, the
operational
parameters may be monitored and adjusted by the monitoring facility 134 and
the
controller 144 may transmit the operational parameters to the solid fuel belt
facility 130
components.
[00456] In embodiments, the solid fuel belt facility 130 may include
components
such as a transport belt, microwave systems, sensors, collection systems, a
preheat facility, a cool
down facility, and the like. In an embodiment, the solid fuel belt facility
130 may be a
continuous treatment facility, batch facility, or the like.
[00457] In an embodiment, the treatment of solid fuel to yield a final
treated solid
fuel meeting a set of desired characteristics may be controlled by the belt
facility 130 components
using operational parameters selected to produce the desired solid fuel
characteristics. It would
be understood in the art that the desired characteristics of the final treated
solid fuel may be
produced by adjusting the control of more than one belt facility 130
component. For example, the
moisture released from the solid fuel during the treating process may be
controlled by adjusting
microwave system 148 power, microwave system 148 frequency, microwave system
148 duty
cycle, preheat temperatures, belt speeds, atmosphere composition (e.g. dry air
or inert gas), or the
like individually or in combinations. The belt facility 130 component
parameters may be
influenced by other requirements such as processed solid fuel per a time
period, the starting raw
fuel characteristics, the final treated fuel characteristics, or the like.
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1004581 In an embodiment, the controller 144 may store the operational
parameters
for the belt facility 130 components and may transmit the parameters to the
belt facility 130
components. In an embodiment, the controller 144 may convert the operational
parameters into
machine commands that are understood and executed by the belt facility 130
components.
[00459] In an embodiment, sensors 142 may be used to measure operations of the
belt
facility 130 components and to obtain information pertaining to the solid fuel
treatment. In
embodiments, the sensors 142 may measure information directly from belt
facility 130
components such as the microwave system 148 or from environmental conditions
that may result
from the treatment of the solid fuel such as moisture released from the solid
fuel. In
embodiments, the environmental conditions may include moisture levels, ash
levels, sulfur levels,
air temperatures, solid fuel surface temperatures, inert gas levels, cooling
rates, or the like. In an
embodiment, there may be a plurality of sensors 142 to measure the same
environmental
condition within the belt facility 130, either to provide redundancy or to
make measurements at
different locations to follow the progression of treatment. For example, there
may a plurality of
sensors 142 for measuring the moisture released from the solid fuels, with
moisture sensors 142
located at a microwave system 148, following a microwave system 148 station,
and the like.
Additionally, there may be water sensors to measure the volume of liquid water
that collects at a
water collection station in the belt facility 130. In an embodiment, there may
be a plurality of
sensors for each type of measurement made within the belt facility 130.
[00460] In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may record the various component and
non-component information and transmit the information to the monitoring
facility 134. As
previously discussed, the monitoring facility may use the received sensor 142
information to
make adjustments to the solid fuel treatment parameters. In an embodiment, the
monitoring
facility 134 may transmit the adjusted solid fuel treatment parameters to the
controller to modify
the treatment of the solid fuel.
[00461] In an embodiment, the treatment of the solid fuel may be continuously
measured to assure that the final treated solid fuel characteristics are
attained. In this manner, the
solid fuel treatment process may be continuously adjusted in response to any
changes in the raw
solid fuel characteristics. For example, a raw solid fuel characteristic such
as the moisture
content may vary over the time in which the raw solid fuel is treated. In this
example, the
moisture content starts at a one level at the beginning of a treatment run and
may vary up or down
during the treatment process. In an embodiment, any of the measurable solid
fuel characteristics
may change within a supply of solid fuel. By using sensors 142 within the belt
facility 130 while
the solid fuel is being treated, the operational parameters may be adjusted to
produce a consistent
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set of characteristics during the entire solid Mel treatment time. In an
embodiment, the belt
facility 130 operation parameters may be adjusted to obtain a consistent set
of characteristics in
the final treated solid fuel.
[00462] In embodiments, as the solid fuel is treated, parameters that may be
adjusted
may include microwave energy, air temperatures, inert gas levels, air flow
velocities, belt
velocity, and the like. In an embodiment, the belt facility 130 operational
parameters may be
monitored and adjusted individually, as a group, in associated groups (e.g.
belt velocity and
microwave power), and the like.
[00463] In an embodiment, the method of monitoring and adjusting operational
parameters may be applied to a continuous treatment process, a batch treatment
process,
or other solid treatment method. In batch processing, the incoming raw solid
fuel
characteristics may change from batch to batch and may require different
operational
parameters to produce a consistent treated solid fuel at the end of the
treatment process.
[00464] In an embodiment, the solid fuel belt facility 130 sensors 142 may
measure products released from the solid fuel as a result of solid fuel
treatment, may
measure the operational parameters of the solid fuel belt facility 130
components, or the
like. Thereafter, the sensors 142 may transmit measurement information to the
controller
144, may transmit measurement information to the monitoring facility 134, may
transmit
measurement information to the pricing/transactional facility, may transmit
measurement
information to the parameter control 140, or the like. In an embodiment, the
solid fuel
belt facility 130 may treat solid fuel in a continuous treatment process,
batch process, or
the like and sensors 142 may record solid fuel treatment information from
these
processes.
[00465] In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may measure the belt facility 130
component parameters that may include belt speed, microwave system 148 power,
microwave
system 148 frequency, microwave system 148 duty cycle, air temperature, inert
gas flow, air
flow, air pressure, inert gas pressure, released product storage tank levels,
heating rates, cooling
rates, and the like. Additionally, the sensors 142 may also measure non-
operational or
environmental parameter information that may include released water vapor,
released sulfur
vapor, collected water volume, collected sulfur volume, collected ash volume,
solid fuel weight,
solid fuel surface temperature, preheat temperatures, cooling temperatures,
and the like. In an
embodiment, there may be at least one sensor 142 for each component of the
belt facility. For
example, the microwave system 148 may have one or more sensors 142 to measure
power
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consumption, irequency, power output, and the like. In an embodiment, there
may be more than
one sensor 142 to measure the non-component parameters. For example, there may
be one or
more moisture level sensors 142 to measure the release of moisture throughout
the solid fuel belt
facility 130. There may be a moisture sensor 142 at the microwave system 148
station, just after
the microwave system 148 station, or the like. There may also be more than one
microwave
system 148 station that may also have more than one moisture sensor 142.
[00466] In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may be able to measure the
consumption
of resources by a solid fuel treatment facility 132 such as power consumed,
inert gas used, gas
used, oil used, or the like. In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may be able to
measure the
products produced by the solid fuel treatment facility 132 such as water,
sulfur, ash, or other
product released from the solid fuel during treatment.
[00467] In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may transmit the measurement
information to the controller 144, monitoring facility 134, the
pricing/transactional facility 178, or
the like. In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may transmit selectively, for
example not transmit
all of the solid fuel treatment facility 132 information to all the
information-receiving facilities.
[00468] In an embodiment, the controller 144 may receive sensor 142
information
from various belt facility 130 components. The controller may be responsible
for maintaining the
operational parameter state of the various belt facility 130 components. For
example, the
controller may be responsible for maintaining the belt speed in a solid fuel
continuous treatment
process. The sensors 142 may provide belt speed information to the controller
144 that may
allow the controller to maintain the parameter-required speed. For example, as
the amount of
solid fuel is added or removed from the belt facility 130 different power
levels may be required to
maintain a uniform belt speed and the controller 144 may make the adjustments
to the power
required to maintain the uniform belt speed.
[00469] In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may receive
sensor 142
information that permits control of the operational parameters required to
treat raw solid fuel. In
an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may receive component sensor 142
information that
may include microwave system 148 frequency, microwave system 148 power,
microwave system
148 duty cycle, belt speed, inert gas levels, and the like. In an embodiment,
the monitoring
facility 134, may receive non-component sensor 142 information that may
include released
moisture, released sulfur, released ash, solid fuel surface temperature, air
temperature, and the
like.
[00470] As previously discussed, the monitoring facility 134 may combine the
received sensor 142 information for both the components and non-components
using
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algorithms to attain and/or maintain the required operation parameters to
treat the solid
fuel to produce the desired final treated solid fuel. In an embodiment, the
monitoring
facility 134 may receive a set of basic operational parameters from the
parameter
generation facility 128. The monitoring facility 134 may thereupon adjust the
basic
operational parameters based on the received sensor 142 information. In an
embodiment,
the monitoring facility 134 may transmit the adjusted operational parameters
to the
controller 144 for the control of the solid fuel belt facility 130.
[00471] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may receive
sensor 142 information pertaining, for example, to the cost/profit of the
final treated solid
fuel. In an embodiment, the cost/profit related information may include or
permit the
calculation of the cost to produce the final treated solid fuel, consumables
such as inert
gases, volume of collected non-solid fuel products, volume of final treated
solid fuel, or
the like.
[00472] In an embodiment, cost related sensor information may include power
used,
inert gas used, solid fuel input, and the like. In an embodiment, there may be
sensors 142 that
measure the power consumed by each solid fuel treatment facility 132
component. In an
embodiment, the power consumed may include electricity, gas, oil, and the
like. In an
embodiment, the consumables used may include inert gas volume, water, or the
like.
[00473] In an embodiment, profit related sensor information may include the
volume
of water collected, volume of sulfur collected, volume of ash collected,
volume of final treated
solid fuel, or the like.
[00474] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may
receive sensor
142 information in real time, at time increments, on demand, or the like. In
an embodiment, the
on demand information may be by the demand of the pricing/transactional
facility 178, the
sensors 142, or the like.
[00475] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may
use algorithms
to determine the value of the final treated solid fuel using information that
may include, the
starting raw solid fuel cost per volume, solid fuel treatment facility 132
cost per volume, solid
fuel treatment facility 132 profit materials (e.g. water, sulfur, or ash),
solid fuel treatment facility
132 consumables per volume, and the like.
[00476] In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may provide cost/profit
information that
may include solid fuel intake volume, energy required for preheating, energy
required for the belt,
inert gas volume, energy required for the microwave system 148, energy
required for solid fuel
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cool down, the volume of solid tuel outtake, collected water, collected
sulfur, collected ash, or the
like.
[00477] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may
have access to
cost per unit of electricity, gas, oil, solid fuel, and the like. In an
embodiment, the
pricing/transactional facility 178 may have access to the market value of the
released products
such as water, sulfur, ash, solid fuel, and the like.
[00478] In an embodiment, using unit costs, cost information, and
product market
value the pricing/transactional facility 178 may be able to determine the
value of the final
finished solid fuel, released products, and the like. In an embodiment, the
pricing/transactional
facility 178 may calculate final treated solid fuel value in real time, as an
average, a mean value,
at the end of a solid fuel run, incrementally, or the like.
[00479] For example, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may receive
initial raw
solid fuel cost information from the coal sample data 120. The intake facility
124 sensors may
provide the volume rate of the solid fuel entering the solid fuel belt
facility 130 for treatment.
The solid fuel belt facility 130 sensors may provide information of the energy
required to preheat
the solid fuel, transport the solid fuel, the rate of inert gas input to the
belt facility 130, energy
required for the microwave systems 148, energy required for the cooling
facility 164, the volume
of finished treated solid fuel removed from the solid fuel treatment facility
132, and the like. In
an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may combine these sensor
measurements
with the unit cost for each cost type to develop a cost model for the solid
fuel being treated. In an
embodiment, the cost model may include incrementally adding the individual
component cost to
treat the solid fuel to the initial raw solid fuel cost to calculate the final
treated solid fuel cost.
[00480] In an embodiment, the calculated value of the final treated
solid fuel may be
compared to the market value of the solid fuel to create an efficiency model
for the solid fuel
treatment facility 132.
[00481] Additionally, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may
receive information
about the volume of non-solid fuel products collected by the solid fuel
treatment facility 132 that
may have market value such as water, sulfur, ash, other solid fuel released
products, or the like.
This information may be used to calculate the unit market values of the
various solid fuel release
product to provide a profit model for the solid fuel released products.
[00482] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may calculate
cost models, profit models, efficiency models, and other financial models for
the
operation of the solid fuel treatment facility 132.
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1004831 In embodiments, the belt facility 130 microwave system 148 may be
one of a plurality of the solid fuel treatment facility 132 treatment
components to act on
the solid fuel for the removal of undesired products from the solid fuel. The
microwave
system 148 may be used singularly, in combination with a plurality of
microwave
systems 148, in combination with other processes for removing undesired
products, or the
like.
[00484] In an embodiment, the microwaves produced by the microwave
systems 148 may be used to heat the undesired solid fuel products to a
temperature that
may cause the undesired solid fuel products to be released from the solid
fuel. In an
embodiment the undesired solid fuel may be water moisture, sulfur, ash, or the
like. In an
embodiment, as the microwave energy is applied to the solid fuel, the
undesired products
may be heated to temperatures that may cause the undesired products to release
from the
solid fuel as a gas, liquid, combination of gas and liquid, and or the like.
For example,
water may release as a gas once the water contained in the solid fuel reaches
the
temperatures to convert the water to steam. But, depending on the sulfur
temperature,
sulfur may release as a gas or as a liquid. In an embodiment, as sulfur is
heated, the
sulfur may be released first as a liquid and then as a gas. In an embodiment,
there may be
advantages in releasing an undesired product in two release stages to promote
the full
release of the undesired product from the solid fuel.
[00485] In an embodiment, there may be more than one belt facility 130
microwave system 148 for the removal of undesired solid fuel products. In an
embodiment, there may be more than one microwave system 148 within the belt
facility
130. The more than one microwave system 148 may apply different controlling
parameters such as frequency, power, duty cycle, or the like to the solid
fuel. In an
embodiment, the different microwave system 148 controlling parameters may
target
certain undesired products for removal from the solid fuel. Additionally, the
microwave
systems 148 may target a certain method of removing undesired products such as
applying energy to convert the undesired products to a gas, applying energy to
convert
the undesired products to a liquid, or the like.
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100486 J In an embodiment, a microwave system 148 may include more than
one microwave device, each of which may be operated independently, as part a
group, or
the like.
[00487] In an embodiment, a microwave system 148 may operate
independently; therefore there may be a set of operational parameters for each
of the
independent microwave devices. For example, a microwave system 148 may have
more
than one independent microwave device and each independent microwave device
may
have controlling parameters such as power, frequency, duty cycle, or the like.
In an
embodiment, the controller 144 and the monitoring facility 134 may control
each of the
independent microwave devices.
[00488] In an embodiment, the independent controlled microwave devices may
perform different functions for effecting undesired solid fuel product
removal. For
example, a first microwave device may operate at a certain frequency with a
steady
power setting while a second microwave device may operate at a different
frequency
using a duty cycle where the power setting may be varied with time. The
combined
operation of these two microwave devices may target the removal of a
particular
undesired product using a particular material phase (e.g. gas or liquid).
[00489] In an embodiment, a microwave system 148 may include a plurality of
microwave devices that operate as a group; therefore there may be one set of
operational
parameters for the entire microwave group independent of the number of
microwave
devices that may be in the microwave system 148 group. For example, grouping a
number of microwave devices and providing all the microwave devices the same
frequency and power setting may be a way of providing high microwave power to
the
solid fuel using a number of smaller microwave devices instead of one large
microwave
device. Using a number of smaller microwave devices may allow a configuration
of
microwave devices to provide effective undesired product removal.
[00490] In an embodiment, a microwave system 148 may be changed from
operating as an independent set of microwave devices to operating as a
microwave device
group by the transmission method for the operational parameters. For example,
the
microwave system 148 may operate as independent microwave devices when
independent parameters are transmitted for each microwave device but the
microwave
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system 148 may operate as a group when one group ot operational parameters are
transmitted to the microwave devices. In an embodiment, the microwave system
148
may operate as independent microwave devices, a group of microwave devices, or
the
like
[00491] In an embodiment, the microwave systems 148 may be placed along
the belt facility 130 to provide microwave system 148 treatment combinations
that may
produce the desired final treated solid fuel. For example, more than one
microwave
system 148 may be spaced along a belt facility 130 to target the removal of
water
moisture from the solid fuel. A first microwave system 148 may be directed to
remove a
certain amount of moisture from the solid fuel; a second microwave system 148
may be
place a distance from the first microwave system 148 to remove additional
moisture from
the solid fuel. Additional microwave systems 148 may be placed along the belt
facility
130 to continue the reduction of the moisture as the solid fuel moves along
the belt
facility 130. In an embodiment, the undesired solid fuel product may be
removed in an
incremental manner by being treated by a plurality of microwave systems 148
along the
belt facility 130. In an embodiment, there may be a distance between the
microwave
systems 148 to allow for the release of the undesired product; the distance
may provide
for a time period between the treatment steps. In an embodiment, the microwave
systems
may be placed close together. It may be understood that this treatment process
may be
applied to the removal of other undesired solid fuel products either
independently or in
combination with other undesired solid fuel products.
[00492] In an embodiment, energy from the microwave systems 148 may be
applied in separate belt facilities 130, with a first belt facility 130
treating the solid fuel
and at least one more belt facility 130 further treating the solid fuel. In an
embodiment,
each belt facility 130 may treat the solid fuel and then feed its product to
additional belt
facilities 130 until the final treated coal characteristics are reached.
[00493] In an embodiment, a batch treatment facility may provide for the
incremental removal of undesired solid fuel products. In an embodiment, the
batch
treatment facility may have at least one microwave facility 148 that may be
controlled
with alternating operational parameters. For example, the microwave system 148
may
operate with a first power, frequency, and duty cycle as a first treatment
step and a
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different power, frequency, and duty cycle may be applied as a second
treatment step. In
an embodiment, there may be a time period between the steps to allow for the
undesired
product to be completely released as a result of the treatment step before
another
treatment step is performed. In an embodiment, there may not be a time period
between
treatment steps, and continuous treatment may be applied to the batched solid
fuel. In an
embodiment, the batch treatment facility may process the solid fuel with as
many
treatment steps as needed to produce the final treated solid fuel.
[00494] In an embodiment, as previously discussed, the microwave systems
148 may be controlled by a feedback loop that may include the sensors 142, the
monitoring facility 134, the controller 144, and the like. In an embodiment,
the sensors
142 may be placed along the belt facility 130 or placed within the batch
facility to
measure the effectiveness of the microwave systems 148 in removing undesired
solid fuel
products. The sensors may be placed at the microwave system 148 or after the
microwave system 148, to measure gas released undesired products, to measure
liquid
released undesired products, or the like.
[00495] In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may transmit solid fuel treatment
readings to the monitoring facility 134 from the plurality of sensor
locations. In an
embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may have a target reading for each
sensor 142 of
the treatment process. As the sensor 142 readings are received from the
sensors 142, the
monitoring facility 134 may compare the received sensor 142 reading with the
target
sensor reading to determine if the solid fuel treatment process is treating
the solid fuel as
required. In an embodiment, based on the received sensor 142 readings the
monitoring
facility 134 may transmit adjusted operational parameters to components of the
belt
facility 130. In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may associate each
sensor
142 within the belt facility to the operation of a component of the belt
facility 130. In an
embodiment, each sensor 142 reading may be giving a weight as it may be
applied to the
control of a component. For example, a first sensor 142 placed at the same
location as
one of the microwave systems 148 may be given more weight than a second sensor
placed at some distance downstream from the microwave systems 148. In an
embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may maintain a sensor weight table
that
specifies the weight that the sensor 142 reading should be given.
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1004961 In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may store previous
sensor 142 readings that may allow the monitoring facility 134 to track an
instantaneous
sensor reading, average sensor reading, statistical sensor reading, a sensor
reading trend,
a sensor reading rate of change, or the like. In an embodiment, the monitoring
facility
134 may use any of the sensor tracking methods to determine if a component
parameter
requires adjustment.
[00497] In an embodiment, different sensor readings 142 may be used to adjust
different parameters of the belt facility 130 components. For example, a first
sensor 142
may be used to monitor and adjust the microwave system 148 frequency and a
second
sensor 142 may be used to monitor and adjust the microwave system 148 power.
In an
embodiment, a plurality of sensors 142 that may be associated with a microwave
system
148 may be used to adjust individual microwave devices within the microwave
system
148. For example, if there are four microwave devices within one microwave
system
148, a plurality of sensors associated to the microwave system 148 may be used
to adjust
the four microwave devices individually. Additionally, any of the microwave
systems
148 along the belt facility 130 may be similarly controlled, either
individually or in
groups.
[00498] It may be understood that any of the belt facility components may be
controlled in the same manner.
[00499] In an embodiment, belt facility 130 components may receive monitoring
facility 134 adjusted parameters based on the final treated solid fuel
characteristics. In an
embodiment, after the solid fuel has been completely treated in the solid fuel
treatment facility
132, a testing facility 170 may test samples of the final treated solid fuel
for determination of the
final solid fuel characteristics. In an embodiment, the testing facility 170
may be part of the solid
fuel treatment facility 132, may be a testing facility external to the solid
fuel treatment facility
132, or the like.
[00500] In an embodiment, the testing facility 170 may test the solid
fuel for percent
moisture, percent ash, percentage of volatiles, fixed-carbon percentage,
BTU/lb, BTU/lb M-A
Free, forms of sulfur, Hardgrove grindability index (HGI), total mercury, ash
fusion temperatures,
ash mineral analysis, electromagnetic absorption/reflection, dielectric
properties, and the like. In
an embodiment, these final solid fuel characteristics may be stored in the
coal output parameters
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172 where they may be available to the coal desired characteristics 122,
feedback facility 174,
monitoring facility 134, and the like.
[00501] In an embodiment, the final solid fuel characteristics may be
determined
while the same solid fuel run is being treated in the solid fuel treatment
facility 132. In an
embodiment, a subset of final solid fuel characteristics may be available
while the solid fuel is
still being treated. The subset of characteristics may be determined in an
onsite testing facility
170 that may allow the feedback to be provided to the monitoring facility 134
in real time.
[00502] In an embodiment, the coal output parameters 172 may transmit the
testing
information to the monitoring facility 134, the monitoring facility 134 may
pull the testing
information from the coal output parameters 172, or the like.
[00503] In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may use the
received solid
fuel testing information as an added input to be considered in the adjustment
of the solid fuel
treatment facility 132 operational parameters. In an embodiment, the parameter
generation
facility 128 may have access to the testing information stored in the coal
output parameters 172
through the coal desired characteristics 122 and therefore may use historical
test information in
the generation of the initial operational parameters. In an embodiment, the
parameter generation
facility 128 may transmit the historical test information to the monitoring
facility 134. In an
embodiment, the transmitted historical test information may be an information
summary,
statistical information, sample information, trend information, test
information versus previous
operational parameters, or the like.
[00504] In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may compare the
historical
testing information from the parameter generation facility 128 with the new
test information from
the coal output parameters 172 to determine how the new test information may
relate to the
historical information. In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may
store the new test
information as the tests are completed. In an embodiment, the new test
information may be
stored in the monitoring facility 134 for the time period that a particular
run of raw solid fuel is
treated by the solid fuel treatment facility 132. In an embodiment, the stored
test information
may be historical information for the current raw solid fuel treatment run. In
an embodiment, the
stored information may provide trending information, statistical information,
sample information,
or the like of the current solid fuel treatment run. In an embodiment, the
stored information may
be stored with the operational parameters as the test information is received.
In an embodiment,
the monitoring facility may analyze the relationship of the operational
parameters at the time the
test information was received for parameter trends verses the final test
information.
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1005051 In an embodiment, as new test information is received by the
monitoring
facility 134, the information may be compared to the historical test
information, compared with
the stored test information, or the like. In an embodiment, the monitoring
facility 134 may use
the test information comparison as a factor in adjusting the operational
parameters of the solid
fuel treatment facility 132. In an embodiment, the test information may be
used as a direct factor
for parameter adjustment, indirect factor adjustment for parameter adjustment
(e.g. multiplier),
combination of direct and indirect factors, or the like.
[00506] In an embodiment, the test information may influence the adjustment of
the
operational parameter by indicating to the monitoring facility 134 if the
operational parameters
being used to treat the solid fuel are producing the desired final treated
solid fuel. For example,
the belt facility 130 sensors 142 may indicate that the proper amount of
moisture is being
removed from the solid fuel during processing, but the test information may
provide characteristic
data to indicate a different percentage of moisture is being retained in the
solid fuel than would
have been calculated using the data from the belt facility 130 sensors 142. In
an embodiment, the
test information may be used to adjust the operational parameters and may
revise the treatment of
the solid fuel to effect a change in the final test information
characteristics.
[00507] In an embodiment, the test information may be used by the monitoring
facility 134 to make adjustments to the parameter weight table, to adjust
factors in the
algorithms used to adjust the operational parameters, to determine if
additional belt
facility components need to be utilized in treating the solid fuel (e.g. more
microwave
systems 148 active), to determine if additional runs of the solid fuel through
a treatment
process may be required (e.g. multiple treatment passes), or the like.
[00508] In an embodiment, the non-fuel products removed from the solid fuel
during treatment may be collected by the solid fuel treatment facility 132. In
an
embodiment, sensors 142 may measure the release of a product from the solid
fuel as a
gas, a liquid, or the like. In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 and
the controller
144 may interface with the sensors 142 to control the released product
removal. In an
embodiment, the sensors 142, monitoring facility 134, controller 144, or the
like may
transmit released product information to the pricing/transactional facility
178. In an
embodiment, the sensor 142 information received at the monitoring facility 134
and the
controller 144 may permit the calculation of instantaneous removal rates,
average
removal rates, total released product, type of released product, or the like.
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[00509] In an embodiment, as non-fuel products are released from the
solid fuel
during treatment, they may be collected by a removal system 150 that may be
capable of
removing released gases, released liquids, released gases that may condense
into a liquid, or the
like. In an embodiment, there may be more than one removal system 150 in the
solid fuel
treatment facility 132. In an embodiment, the released gases may be collected
into vents, pipes or
containers for transporting the gases to a containment facility 162, a
treatment facility 160, a
disposal facility 158, or the like. In an embodiment, the released liquids and
gases that condense
into liquids may be collected into liquid caches, pipes or containers for
transporting the liquids to
a containment facility 162, a treatment facility 160, a disposal facility 158,
or the like.
[00510] In an embodiment, there may be sensors 142 that measure the amount of
released non-fuel products and transmit the measurements to the monitoring
facility 134,
controller 144, and the like. In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134
may determine the
amount of released product, the rate of product release, the amount of
released product collecting
in the caches, the released gas removal rates, and the like. In an embodiment,
the monitoring
facility 134 may determine whether the removal rates for non-fuel products
need to be increased,
decreased, or otherwise altered, in keeping with the release rates of the
solid fuel products. For
example, the monitoring facility 134 may receive sensor 142 information that
more released
liquid product is being formed than is being removed from the solid fuel
treatment facility 132 by
the liquid collection cache. In response to this information, the monitoring
facility 134 may
direct the controller 144 to increase the rate of liquid removal. In an
embodiment, this may
involve increasing the pump speed to alter the removal rate, starting another
pump to alter the
removal rate, or the like. In a similar manner, a gas sensor 142 may transmit
to the monitoring
facility 134 that the properties of the gas release atmosphere (pressure,
temperature, gas
concentration and the like) indicate that the released gas is not being
removed at the proper rate.
In an embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may direct the controller 144 to
alter the gas
removal rates by adjusting a fan speed, starting another fan, stopping a fan,
changing pressures in
gas containment chambers, or the like. In an embodiment, the removal systems
150 of the solid
fuel treatment facility 132 may be controlled individually or as part of a
group.
[00511] In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may be placed at various
locations along
the belt facility 130 to measure the results of the various solid fuel
treatments. In an embodiment,
the monitoring facility 134 may make adjustments to the operation of the
release system 150
based on the sensor 142 readings that indicate, for example, the rate or the
amount of released
products. The monitoring facility 134 may calculate non-fuel product release
rates based on the
sensor 142 readings and may adjust the removal system 150 removal rates based
on the product
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release rates, product levels, product atmosphere readings, or the like. In an
embodiment, there
may be sensors 142 that measure release products such as water, sulfur, ash,
and the like for a
treatment location of the solid fuel treatment 132. In an embodiment, the
monitoring facility 134
may be able to adjust the treatment location removal system 150 to maintain
the proper removal
rates for the non-fuel products.
[00512] In an embodiment, as previously discussed, the collected
released non-fuel
products may be processed by the containment facility 162, the treatment
facility 160, the
disposal facility 158, and the like. In an embodiment, there may be sensors
142 that may provide
information to the monitoring facility 134 on the state of these facilities.
In an embodiment, the
monitoring facility 134, controller 144, removal system 150, or the like may
control the rates at
which the collected released non-fuel products are collected, separated,
disposed, or otherwise
handled. In an embodiment, collection of the removed released non-fuel
products proceeds until
a threshold amount is collected, at which time the operator of the solid fuel
treatment facility 132
may be signaled that the released product needs to be removed from the
collection facilities. In
an embodiment, a release product, such as water, may be released from the
solid fuel treatment
facility 132 without being otherwise collected or aggregated.
[00513] In an embodiment, the sensors 142, monitoring facility 134,
controller 144,
or the like may transmit released product information to the
pricing/transactional facility 178. In
an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may have market-related
information, such
as market value or disposal cost, available for each of the removed non-fuel
products. In an
embodiment, decisions regarding the disposition of the removed released non-
fuel products may
be based on their market value, their disposal cost, or the like. Market-
related information may
include information related to the regulatory aspects of a particular product,
for example,
environmental taxes or surcharges applicable to the generation or disposition
of a particular
substance. In an embodiment, based on the information transmitted by the
sensors 142,
monitoring facility 134, controller 144, or the like, the
pricing/transactional facility 178 may be
able to calculate the value of a released non-fuel product, the cost of a
released product, or the
like. For example, collected liquid sulfur may have a market value for uses in
industry, while
collected ash may have no market value and may cost money to dispose of in a
landfill.
[00514] It is understood that market-related information may apply to a number
of different markets. For example, collected ash may have market values
ranging from
negative (due to disposal costs) to a set of positive values depending on
demand for it in
different industrial applications. In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional
facility 178
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may calculate released non-tuel product values per unit time, average value
per unit ot
solid fuel, instantaneous values based on the rate of removal, or the like. In
an
embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may calculate the value of
the treated
solid fuel to include the value or cost of the released non-fuel product that
was collected
from the solid fuel run. For example, the pricing/transactional facility 178
may receive
released product information for a particular run of treated solid fuel. The
pricing/transactional facility 178 may calculate the overall cost, and
therefore the value,
of the solid fuel treatment by the calculating the cost to treat the solid
fuel and the
costs/value of the total released non-fuel product.
[00515] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may contain
algorithms to calculate the cost of producing final treated solid fuel, the
value of the final
treated solid fuel, cost for the disposal of released product materials, value
of released
product materials, or the like. In an embodiment, the algorithm may include
receiving
raw solid fuel value from the coal sample data 120, final treated solid fuel
cost from the
coal output parameters 172, in process treatment costs from the solid fuel
treatment
facility 132, and the like.
[00516] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may aggregate
cost information, value information, or the like for a full solid fuel
treatment run or for
any portion of a solid fuel treatment run. In an embodiment, the
pricing/transactional
facility 178 may aggregate cost and value information periodically, at the end
of a run, on
demand for a portion of a run, or the like.
[00517] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may aggregate
the value information of the raw solid fuel from the coal sample data 120. In
an
embodiment, the value of the raw solid fuel may be in value per unit, total
value of the
entire received raw solid fuel, or the like. In an embodiment, the
pricing/transactional
facility 178 may calculate the value of the raw solid fuel used during
treatment by
determining the total amount of solid fuel treated during a run or portion of
a run and
using the value per unit of the raw solid fuel to calculate the total value of
the raw solid
fuel. In an embodiment, the value of the used raw solid fuel may be an input
to the solid
fuel value algorithm.
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[00518] In an embodiment, as previously described, the operational parameters
may be provided as feedback to the pricing/transactional facility 178 over the
run of the
solid fuel treatment. In an embodiment, the operational parameters may include
costs
involved in treating the solid fuel such as electricity used, gas used, oil
used, inert gas
used, and the like. In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178
may
aggregate all the operational costs from the solid fuel treatment run. In an
embodiment,
the pricing/transactional facility 178 may store cost per unit information for
all the
operation parameters. In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178
may
calculate the operational parameter cost for the solid fuel treatment run
using the cost per
each individual unit and the amount of operational units used. In an
embodiment, the
operational solid fuel treatment costs may be an input to the solid fuel value
algorithm.
[00519] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may aggregate
the market value of the solid fuel released products, the cost of disposal of
the solid fuel
released products, and the like. In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional
facility 178
may store cost per unit information, market value per unit information, or the
like for all
the solid fuel released products. In an embodiment, the aggregated released
products cost
and market value may be input to the solid fuel value algorithm.
[00520] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may store
operating profit information. In an embodiment, the operating profit
information may be
related to the type of solid fuel being treated, the marketability of the
treated solid fuel,
the amount of treatment the solid fuel required, or the like. In an
embodiment, the
operational profit may be a percentage of the solid fuel treatment cost, a
fixed profit per
unit of solid fuel treated, a fixed profit for the unit of solid fuel
delivered to a customer,
or the like. In an embodiment, the operational profit may be input to the
solid fuel value
algorithm.
[00521] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may combine
the value of the used raw solid fuel, operational costs, cost/market value of
the released
solid fuel product, operational cost, and the like to determine the final
market value of the
treated solid fuel. In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178
may store the
final market value, report the final market value to the solid fuel treatment
facility, report
the final market value to a customer, and the like. In an embodiment, the
stored solid fuel
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market value may be available tor further analysis and calculation, including
historical
aggregation, querying, data trending, or the like.
[00522] In an embodiment, raw solid fuel may be treated for a particular end-
use facility. In embodiments, the end-use facility may one of many end-use
customers, a
dedicated customer, an end-use facility directly associated with the solid
fuel treatment
facility 132, or the like. In embodiments, the end-use facility may be coal
combustion
facility 200, coal conversion facility 210, coal byproduct facility 212, or
the like.
[00523] In an embodiment, the coal combustion facility 200 may include a
power generation facility 204, metallurgical facility 208, or the like. The
power
generation facility 204 may include a fixed bed coal combustion facility 220,
a pulverized
coal combustion facility 222, a fluidized bed combustion facility 224,
combination
combustion facility using a renewable energy source 228, or the like.
[00524] In an embodiment, the coal conversion facility may include a
gasification facility 230, an integrated gasification combined cycle facility
232, a syngas
production facility 234, a coke formation facility 238, a purified carbon
formation facility
238, a hydrocarbon formation facility 240, or the like.
[00525] In an embodiment, the coal byproduct facility 212 may include a coal
combustion byproduct facility 242, coal distillation byproduct facility 244,
or the like.
[00526] In an embodiment, the end-use facility may communicate a request for
treated solid fuel by placing the solid fuel treat requirements in the coal
output parameters
172. The requirements may provide the desired characteristics of the end-use
facility
solid fuel. In an embodiment, the solid fuel desired characteristics may
include percent
moisture, percent ash, percentage of volatiles, fixed-carbon percentage,
BTU/lb, BTU/lb
M-A Free, forms of sulfur, Hardgrove grindability index (HGI), total mercury,
ash fusion
temperatures, ash mineral analysis, electromagnetic absorption/reflection,
dielectric
properties, and the like.
[00527] In an embodiment, the end-user facility may specify a particular raw
solid fuel to treat, allow the solid fuel treatment facility 132 to select the
best raw solid
fuel to treat, or some combination thereof.
[00528] In an embodiment, once the solid fuel treatment requirements have
been input as coal output parameters 172, the solid fuel treatment facility
may determine
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whether the solid fuel is to be treated by a continuous treatment process,
batch process, or
other processing method. In an embodiment, the solid fuel treatment facility
132 may
determine the processing method based on factors including the volume of end-
user solid
fuel requested, the end user facility solid fuel characteristics required, the
raw solid fuel
available, capabilities of the different processing methods, or the like. For
example, a
batch process may be useful for smaller amounts of requested treated solid
fuel, while a
continuous treatment process may advantageously yield larger amounts. For
treated solid
fuel with a narrow band of treatment specifications, the solid fuel treatment
facility 132
may choose a batch process to maintain better control over the output on a
characteristic-
by-characteristic basis. A person skilled in the art may understand other
reasons for
choosing either a batch or continuous treatment process to treat the end-user
requested
solid fuel.
[00529] In an embodiment, the end-user facility may request a particular solid
fuel to use, or may request a raw solid fuel with certain characteristics, or
may request a
range of raw solid fuels as input, or the like. In an embodiment, the end-user
facility may
have information about the particular lots of raw solid fuel available for
treatment in the
solid fuel treatment facility 132, and the end-user facility may select one of
the raw solid
fuels from the available lots. In embodiments, the solid fuel treatment
facility 132 may
provide a listing of available raw solid fuels to the end-user facility, or
the solid fuel
treatment facility 132 may provide the end-user facility with a list of
treated solid fuels
that may be produced. Other methods of allowing the end-user to determine the
raw solid
fuel input will be apparent to skilled artisans. In an embodiment, the solid
fuel treatment
facility 132 may make the final decision regarding raw solid fuel input. In an
embodiment, the determination of the raw solid fuel selection may be based on
the solid
fuel treatment facility 132 capability, the historical treatment of a
particular raw solid
fuel, properties of the raw solid fuel, or the like.
[00530] In an embodiment, once the solid fuel treatment facility 132 has
received the end-user facility requirements, the solid fuel treatment facility
132 may
select the best match raw solid fuel to produce the requested final treated
solid fuel. In an
embodiment, the coal sample data 120 may be searched by the parameter
generation
facility 128 to determine the best match raw solid fuel. In an embodiment, the
best match
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solid fuel may be selected according to criteria such as the characteristics
ot the end-user
requested final treated solid fuel, the capability of the continuous treatment
facility, the
capability of the batch facility, the tolerances of the end-user facility
solid fuel
requirements, or the like.
[00531] In an embodiment, once a raw solid fuel is selected, the parameter
generation facility 128 may determine the parameters that may be used to treat
it to attain
the characteristics requested by the end-user. As previously described, the
parameter
generation facility 128 may obtain the final treated solid fuel
characteristics from the coal
desired characteristics 122, where the coal desired characteristics 122 may be
defined by
an end-user. In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may use
algorithms to calculate the operational parameters for the treatment of the
raw solid fuel.
In an embodiment, the algorithms may consider variables such as the capability
of the
solid fuel treatment facility 132, the differences between the selected raw
solid fuel and
the end-user facility required solid fuel, historical results in treating
similar raw solid
fuel, or the like. In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may
then set
the operational parameters of the belt facility 130 components (e.g. microwave
systems
148), the number times the raw solid fuel may be treated, heating rates,
cooling rates,
atmospheric conditions that may be used during treatment of the solid fuel,
removal of
released products from the raw solid fuel, and the like. In an embodiment, the
parameter
generation facility 128 may transmit the operational parameters to the
monitoring facility
134 and controller 144 to control the treatment of the raw solid fuel.
[00532] The parameter generation facility 128 may select the raw solid fuel to
use to produce the end-use facility requested solid fuel using various methods
that would
be apparent to the skilled artisan. In an embodiment, the parameter generation
facility
128 may retrieve the end-use facility solid fuel characteristics from the coal
desired
characteristics 122. In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128
may use
key characteristics from the end-use facility solid fuel characteristics to
select the raw
solid fuel. In an embodiment, key characteristics of the desired end product
may be
provided by the end-use facility, or determined by the parameter generation
facility 128,
or determined by the solid fuel treatment facility 132 capabilities, or the
like.
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1005331 lhe key
characteristics may be used to determine the treatment process
for the raw solid fuel. In an embodiment, the key characteristics may be
ranked in order
of importance for the end-use facility solid fuel characteristics.
Alternatively, the ranking
may be provided by the end-use facility, the parameter generation facility
128, or any
other appropriate facility. In an embodiment, the ranking may be ordered
according to
the final use of the solid fuel. For example, an end-use facility may indicate
that a certain
moisture level in the final treated solid fuel is required, while other
characteristics are less
important. Because moisture level would have the highest ranking of desired
treated fuel
characteristics, settings needed to maintain the desired moisture level would
take
precedence over other settings.
[00534] In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may use the
key characteristics to select the raw solid fuel from the available raw solid
fuels. In an
embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may use the key
characteristics to
determine operational parameters for treating the raw solid fuel to produce
the end-use
facility solid fuel. In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128
may set the
operational parameters based only on the key characteristics, or the parameter
generation
facility 128 may use the key characteristics along with other characteristics
for
determining operational parameters.
[00535] In an embodiment, the determined operational parameters may be
transmitted to the monitoring facility 134, controller 144, or the like. In an
embodiment,
the monitoring facility 134, using the belt facility 130 sensors 142, may
monitor and
adjust the operational parameters during the solid fuel treatment process. In
an
embodiment, as the solid fuel is treated, the sensors 142 may measure the
operational
parameters for the key characteristics and transmit the sensor 142 readings to
the
monitoring facility 134. If the monitoring facility determines that the
operational
parameters require adjusting to obtain the solid fuel key characteristics, the
monitoring
facility 134 may transmit the adjusted operational parameters to the
controller 144. In an
embodiment, the controller 144 may provide control over the belt facility 130
components to treat the solid fuel to the operational parameters.
[00536] In an embodiment, using the treatment feedback loop of the
monitoring facility 134, controller 144, and sensors 142, the solid fuel
treatment facility
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132 processes the raw solid fuel into the end-use facility requested solid
fuel. In an
embodiment, the solid fuel may be processed using a continuous treatment
process, a
batch process, combination of continuous treatment and batch process, or the
like.
[00537] In an embodiment, at the end of the treatment process, the final
treated
solid fuel may be tested at a testing facility 170 to determine the
characteristics of the
final treated solid fuel. In an embodiment, the characteristics of the tested
solid fuel may
be compared to the original end-use facility solid fuel characteristics. In an
embodiment,
the compared characteristics may be the key characteristics, all the solid
fuel
characteristics, or combinations or subsets thereof. In an embodiment, the
testing facility
170 may determine if the final treated solid fuel is within the required
characteristics of
the end-use facility required solid fuel. In an embodiment, as the solid fuel
is treated, the
tested characteristics may be transmitted to the monitoring facility 134. In
an
embodiment, the monitoring facility 134 may adjust the operational parameters
based on
the characteristics provided by the testing facility 170.
[00538] In an embodiment, if it is determined that the final treated solid
fuel
does not meet the requirements of the end-use facility, the final treated
solid fuel may be
subjected to further treatment in the solid fuel treatment facility 132. In an
embodiment,
as the solid fuel is treated, the final treated solid fuel may be stored in a
temporary
storage area until it is determined that it meets the requirements of the end-
use facility.
When it is determined that the final solid fuel meets the end-use facility
requirements, the
final solid fuel may be transported to the end-use facility.
[00539] In an embodiment, the tested characteristics of the final treated
solid
fuel may be stored with the coal output parameters 172. In an embodiment, the
stored
final treated solid fuel test characteristics may be used for historical
purposes, for future
selection by the end-use facility as a desired solid fuel, for final
verification of the
completed treatment of the raw solid fuel into the end-use facility required
solid fuel, or
for other uses, as would be envisioned by skilled artisans.
[00540] In an embodiment, a transaction may be carried out for treating raw
solid fuel for a particular end-use facility. In an embodiment, the
transaction may be the
calculation of cost for treating raw solid fuel for an end-use facility. In an
embodiment,
the cost for treating the raw solid fuel may include costs relating to
electricity, gas, oil,
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inert gas, disposition ot released solid fuel products, transportation ot the
raw solid fuel,
transportation of the final treated solid fuel to the end-use facility, and
the like. In an
embodiment, the transaction may include the revenue realized from the
treatment of solid
fuel, including proceeds from sales of released solid fuel products or final
treated solid
fuel.
[00541] In an embodiment, each end-use facility request for treated
solid fuel may be
treated as a transaction. In an embodiment, once the end-use facility
communicates the
characteristics for the desired final treated solid fuel the
pricing/transactional facility 178 may
begin aggregating the financial metrics of treating the raw solid fuel to
attain the desired
characteristics. For example, the pricing/transactional facility may start a
cost file, ledger,
database, spreadsheet or the like to aggregate the financial metrics (e.g.,
costs, revenues, profits
and losses) associated with the treating of the raw solid fuel.
[00542] In an embodiment, once the parameter generation facility 128
has selected a
raw solid fuel, the raw solid fuel identification may be communicated to the
pricing/transactional
facility 178. Using the raw solid fuel identification, the
pricing/transactional facility 178 may
retrieve the raw solid fuel cost information from the coal sample data 120. In
an embodiment, the
pricing/transactional facility 178 may store the raw solid fuel cost
information to the cost file for
a particular treatment run. The cost information may include cost per unit
(e.g. cost/ton), total
cost of the raw solid fuel, the total number of units available, and the like.
Based on the amount
of processed solid fuel requested by the end-use facility, the
pricing/transactional facility 178 may
be able to calculate the cost and cost ratio of the raw solid fuel required to
produce the solid fuel
as requested by the end-use facility.
[00543] As previously described, the parameter generation facility 128
may generate
operational parameters to treat the raw solid fuel and may transmit the
operational parameters to
the monitoring facility 134, controller 144, or the like. The monitoring
facility 134, controller
144, or the like may control the treatment of the raw solid fuel by providing
operational
information to components such as heaters, belts, microwave systems 148,
vents, pumps, removal
systems 150, and the like. During the treatment of the raw solid fuel, energy
cost may be
incurred to operate the various components that may consume electricity, gas,
oil, or the like. In
an embodiment, the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may have sensors 142 that
may measure the
operation of the various components. In an embodiment, the sensors 142 may
also measure the
energy that each of the components consumes during the treatment of the raw
solid fuel.
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1005441 In an embodiment, the sensors may transmit the energy use of each
component to the pricing/transactional facility 178 during the treatment of
the raw solid fuel. In
an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may store the cost per
unit for the various
energy types and may be able to convert the energy usage of the solid fuel
treatment facility 132
in to cost values. For example, the sensors may transmit data about the number
of kilowatts used
by the microwave systems 148 to the pricing/transactional facility 178, which
has access to
information about the cost per kilowatt. Using these usage data and this
pricing information, the
pricing transactional facility 178 may calculate the cost of operating the
microwave systems 148
to treat a given lot of raw solid fuel. In an embodiment, the
pricing/transactional facility 178 may
aggregate the cost of treating the raw solid fuel during the treatment run and
may store these
aggregated costs in the cost file for the end-use facility solid fuel
treatment. In an embodiment,
the pricing/transactional facility 178 may aggregate the costs related to a
number of treatment
runs for further calculations and analysis.
[00545] In an embodiment, additional cost and profits/losses may be
associated with
non-fuel products that are collected during the processing of the raw solid
fuel. In an
embodiment, during the treatment of the raw solid fuel, non-fuel products may
be obtained, such
as water, sulfur, ash, and the like. Some of these collected non-fuel products
may have market
value, so that they may be sold (e.g. sulfur). There may not be a market for
certain other non-fuel
products, so that they require disposal at a cost.
[00546] In an embodiment, sensors 142 may measure the amount of released non-
fuel
products collected in the containment facility 162, treatment facility 160,
disposal facility 158,
and the like. These sensors 142 may then transit data regarding the amount of
such products to
the pricing/transactional facility 178. In an embodiment, the
pricing/transactional facility 178
may store information about the market value, disposal cost, and the like of
the various non-fuel
products and may calculate the costs and profits/losses associated with each
profit or cost of each
of the released products. For example, the monitoring facility 134, controller
144, sensors 142, or
the like may indicate to the pricing/transactional facility 178 that a certain
amount of sulfur (a
non-fuel product) has been collected and is available to be sold. The
pricing/transactional facility
178 may arrange for the sale of the collected sulfur and its subsequent
transfer to a sulfur using
enterprise. Subsequently, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may calculate
the coal treatment
facility's 132 cost of producing the sulfur, or may calculate the revenues
from the sulfur sale as a
function of production cost, or may perform other financial calculations that
would be apparent to
skilled artisans.
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[00547] Calculations regarding costs, profits/losses, anticipated
revenues and the like
may also be performed at any point during the coal treatment as non-fuel
products are collected,
using, for example, actual data or projections about the market prices for the
particular non-fuel
products being tracked, so that a projected set of production costs, revenues,
profits/losses and the
like may be obtained. Actual figures obtained after the sale and/or transfer
of the non-fuel
product may be compared with projections, or projections may be compared with
historical actual
figures. Other uses for and combinations of real-time, projected and
historical financial
information will be readily apparent to skilled artisans. In an embodiment,
the
pricing/transactional facility 178 may store financial information regarding
the non-fuel products
(including production costs, revenues, and the like) in a cost file for the
end-use facility solid fuel
treatment.
[00548] In an embodiment, based on the end-use facility location, the
amount of final
treated solid fuel, the transportation method to transport the solid fuel, and
the like, the
pricing/transactional facility178 may calculate the transportation cost to
transport the processed
fuel to the end-use facility. In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional
facility 178 may use data
about transportation costs to calculate the total cost for the end-use
facility solid fuel. In an
embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may store the
transportation costs in the cost
file for the end-use facility solid fuel treatment.
[00549] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may
determine the
operational profit/loss for the treatment of the raw solid fuel into the
requested end-use facility
solid fuel. A number of algorithms are available to determine this operational
profit/loss, as
would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the
operational profit/loss
may be determined as a percentage of the total cost to treat the raw solid
fuel, or as a set
profit/loss per unit of treated solid fuel. In an embodiment, the
pricing/transactional facility 178
may store the operational profit in the cost file for the end-use facility
solid fuel treatment.
[00550] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may receive
an indication from the monitoring facility 134, controller 144, sensors 142,
or the like
that the treatment of the raw solid fuel for the end-use facility is complete.
In an
embodiment, at the indication that the raw solid fuel treatment is complete,
the
pricing/transactional facility 178 may aggregate all the solid fuel treatment
cost and
profits/losses for the final end-use facility solid fuel value. In an
embodiment, the
aggregation of the cost and profits may use standard accounting practices. In
an
embodiment, the final end-use solid fuel value may be transmitted to the end-
use facility.
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Alternatively, as described above, the pncing/transactional facility may
provide
projections about costs, profits/losses, anticipated revenues and the like
throughout the
course of treatment, allowing the end-use facility to make economic decisions
during the
processing itself.
[00551] In an embodiment, solid fuel information may be stored in at least one
storage facility as a database. In an embodiment the at least one storage
facility may be a
hard drive, a CD drive, a DVD drive, a flash drive, a zip drive, a tape drive,
or the like.
In an embodiment, the at least one storage facility may be a single storage
facility, a
plurality of local storage facilities, a plurality of distributed storage
facilities, a
combination of local and distributed storage facilities, or the like. In an
embodiment, the
databases may be a database, a relational database, SQL database, a table, a
file, a flat
file, an ASCII file, a document, an XML file, or the like.
[00552] In an embodiment, the solid fuel information may be information
relating to
raw received solid fuel, end-use facility desired solid fuel characteristics,
solid fuel treatment
facility 132 operational parameters, final treated solid fuel testing
information, or the like. The
solid fuel information may be stored in facilities such as a coal sample data
120, a coal desired
characteristics 122, a coal output parameters 172, a parameter generation
facility 128, a
monitoring facility 134, a controller 144 or the like.
[00553] In an embodiment, the coal sample data 120 may store the raw solid
fuel
characteristics as a database for access by facilities such as the parameter
generation facility 128,
the coal desired characteristics 122, pricing/transactional facility 178, or
the like. In an
embodiment, the coal characteristics may include percent moisture, percent
ash, percentage of
volatiles, fixed-carbon percentage, BTU/lb, BTU/lb M-A Free, forms of sulfur,
Hardgrove
grindability index (H(3I), total mercury, ash fusion temperatures, ash mineral
analysis,
electromagnetic absorption/reflection, dielectric properties, and the like.
These solid fuel
characteristics may be provided by a mine 102, a storage facility 112, a
testing facility 170, or the
like. In an embodiment, the characteristics in the database may describe the
starting condition of
the solid fuel prior to treatment into an end-use facility solid fuel.
[00554] In an embodiment, the coal sample data 120 database may be searchable
to
allow the retrieval of raw solid fuel information. In an embodiment, the raw
solid fuel
information may be retrieved by the parameter generation facility 128 to
select the raw solid fuel
to use for the treatment transformation into the end-use facility solid fuel.
In an embodiment, the
stored raw solid fuel information database may contain a single record for
each raw solid fuel or a
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plurality of records tor each raw solid tuel. In an embodiment, there may be a
plurality of records
as a result of raw solid fuel periodic samples, statistical samples, random
samples, or the like. In
an embodiment, when the coal sample data 120 is searched, more than one
matching record may
be returned for each raw solid fuel.
100555] In an embodiment, the coal desired characteristics 122 may store the
end-
user solid fuel characteristics, treated solid fuel characteristics based on
available raw solid fuel,
historical treated solid fuel characteristics, or the like as a database for
access by the parameter
generation facility 128, the coal sample data 120, coal output parameters 172,
or the like. In an
embodiment, the coal characteristics may include percent moisture, percent
ash, percentage of
volatiles, fixed-carbon percentage, BTU/lb, BTU/lb M-A Free, forms of sulfur,
Hardgrove
grindability index (HGI), total mercury, ash fusion temperatures, ash mineral
analysis,
electromagnetic absorption/reflection, dielectric properties, and the like.
These solid fuel
characteristics may be provided by facilities such as the parameter generation
facility 128, coal
output parameters 172, end-use facility, or the like. In an embodiment, the
characteristics in the
database may describe the final condition of the treated solid fuel after
treatment of a raw solid
fuel.
1005561 In an embodiment, the coal desired characteristics 122 database may be
searchable to allow the retrieval of the final treated solid fuel information.
In an embodiment, the
final treated solid fuel information may be retrieved by the parameter
generation facility 128 to
select the end-use facility solid fuel characteristics for generation of the
solid fuel treatment
facility 132 operation parameters. In an embodiment, the stored final treated
solid fuel
information database may contain a single record for each solid fuel or a
plurality of records for
each solid fuel. In an embodiment, there may be a plurality of records as a
result of periodic
samples, statistical samples, random samples, or the like. In an embodiment,
when the coal
desired characteristics 122 is searched, more than one matching record may be
returned for each
raw solid fuel.
1005571 In an embodiment, using the coal sample data 120 and the coal desired
characteristics 122, the parameter generation facility 128 may generate solid
fuel treatment
facility 132 operational parameters. The operational parameters may be a data
set for the control
of the various components of the solid fuel treatment facility 132 for the
treatment of raw solid
fuel into end-use facility solid fuel. The operational parameters may be
stored in a database in
any relevant facility, including the parameter generation facility 128,
monitoring facility 134, or
controller 144. In addition to the operational parameters, the parameter
generation facility 128
may generate a set of tolerances for each functionality that may be stored in
the same database as
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the operational parameters or that may be stored in a separate database. In an
embodiment, the
combined data sets of the operational parameters and the tolerances may
provide substantially all
of the requirements for control of the solid fuel treatment.
[00558] In an embodiment, the treatment process may be directed by the
operational
parameters, with sensor 142 measurements being used to determine whether a
particular solid fuel
treatment facility 132 component is functioning within the preset tolerances.
Based on the sensor
142 measurement, the operation of a particular component may be adjusted so
that it falls within
the tolerance limits. In addition, operational parameters may be adjusted so
that the function of
particular components falls within preset limits. For example, the operational
parameter for the
microwave system 148 may be adjusted from the original operational parameter
if a sensor 142
measurement is beyond either the low or high limit of the tolerance for the
microwave system
148. In an embodiment, the operational parameter database may be modified to
match the
adjustment to the operational parameter transmitted to the component.
[00559] In an embodiment, after the final treatment of the solid fuel
is completed, the
monitoring facility 134 may transmit the final modified operational parameter
database to the
parameter generation facility 128, where the modified operational parameters
may be stored. In
an embodiment, the stored modified operational parameters may be associated
with the stored
characteristics of the raw solid fuel that was treated using the modified
operational parameters.
According to this embodiment, when a similar future raw solid fuel is to be
treated, the parameter
generation facility 128 may search the stored modified operational database to
retrieve a data set
to use as the initial operational parameters. In embodiments, a single
operational parameter
record may be retrieved, a range of modified operational parameters may be
retrieved, or a set of
modified operational parameters may be retrieved, so that the initial
operational parameters for
processing a new raw solid fuel may use an average of the modified operational
parameters, a
single operational parameter record, a statistical aggregation of the modified
operational files, or
the like.
[00560] As described above, after the solid fuel has been treated in
the solid fuel
treatment facility 132, the treated solid fuel may be tested at a testing
facility 170 to determine the
final treated solid fuel treatment characteristics. In an embodiment, the
final treated
characteristics may include percent moisture, percent ash, percentage of
volatiles, fixed-carbon
percentage, BTU/lb, BTU/lb M-A Free, forms of sulfur, Hardgrove grindability
index (HGI),
total mercury, ash fusion temperatures, ash mineral analysis, electromagnetic
absorption/reflection, dielectric properties, and the like. In an embodiment,
the final solid fuel
characteristics may be stored in the coal output parameters 172. In an
embodiment, the
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characteristic data may be used to provide feedback to the monitoring facility
134 for control ot
the solid fuel treatment process, may be associated to the coal desired
characteristics 122, may
provide data to the pricing/transactional facility 178, or the like.
[00561] In an embodiment, during a solid fuel treatment run, at least
one set of final
treated solid fuel treatment characteristics data may be stored in the coal
output parameters 172.
As previously described, the final treated solid fuel treatment
characteristics may be transmitted
to the monitoring facility 134 as an added data set for the monitoring
facility 134 to consider
when adjusting the operational parameters of the solid fuel treatment facility
132. In an
embodiment, the final treated solid fuel treatment characteristics may be
associated with the coal
desired characteristics 122 for determining operational parameters for a
particular raw solid fuel.
[00562] For example, the parameter generation facility 128 may be requested to
determine the operational parameters for processing a particular raw solid
fuel. The parameter
generation facility 128 may search the coal desired characteristics 122 for a
final treated solid fuel
that resulted from previous treatment of the selected raw solid fuel. The
parameter generation
facility 128 may also retrieve the final tested characteristics from a solid
fuel run that may have
produced the final treated solid fuel. The parameter generation facility 128
may consider all of
this information when determining the raw solid fuel operational parameters.
[00563] In embodiments, the parameter generation facility 128 may aggregate a
set of
solid fuel characteristics for a plurality of solid fuel samples, aggregate a
set of specifications for
solid fuel substrates used by a set of end-user facilities, aggregate a set of
operational parameters
used to transform a raw solid fuel into a solid fuel used by an end-use
facility, or the like. In an
embodiment, the aggregation of the databases may result in the generation of a
plurality of
predetermined solid fuel treatment facility 132 operational parameters. The
predetermined
plurality of operational parameters may be used for later selection by the
solid fuel treatment
facility 132 for the treatment of raw solid fuel for the end-use facility. In
an embodiment, the
databases may be a database, a relational database, SQL database, a table, a
file, a flat file, an
ASCII file, a document, an XML file, or the like. As described above and
depicted in Figs. 1 and
2, the end-use facility may be coal combustion facility 200, coal conversion
facility 210, coal
byproduct facility 212, or the like.
[00564] In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may aggregate
a set
of raw solid fuel characteristics for a plurality of solid fuel samples from
the coal sample data
120. In an embodiment, the coal sample data 120 may contain information for
raw solid fuel that
may be available to the solid fuel treatment facility 132, may contain
information for the
historical raw solid fuel that has been used by the solid fuel treatment
facility 132, or the like.
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1 here may be more than one data record tor each raw solid tuel in the coal
sample data 120
resulting from the same raw solid fuel having a plurality of sample test
results. In an
embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may aggregate the set of raw
solid fuel
characteristics based on the available raw solid fuel, recently treated raw
solid fuel, a set of raw
solid fuels selected by the solid fuel treatment facility 132, or the like.
[00565] In an embodiment, the aggregated database of raw solid fuel
characteristics
may contain a plurality of duplicate records that contain information from the
same raw solid
fuel; the plurality of duplicate records may be a result of a plurality of
samples taken from the
same raw solid fuel. In an embodiment, the aggregation of the database of raw
solid fuel
characteristics may have several steps. A first step may involve the total
aggregation of the
sample solid fuel data into an aggregated raw solid fuel database. In a second
step, the parameter
generation facility 128 may use an algorithm to sort the records, handle the
duplicate records,
store the finalized raw solid fuel database to a storage device, and the like.
In embodiments, the
duplicate records may be deleted from the raw solid fuel database, the
duplicate records may be
averaged, the duplicate records may be statistically selected, or the like. In
an embodiment, the
finalized raw solid fuel database may contain all the records raw solid fuels
that may be
transformed into end-use facility solid fuel.
[00566] In a similar manner, the end-use facility solid fuel
information may be
aggregated into a final treated solid fuel database. In an embodiment, the end-
use facility solid
fuel information may be stored in the coal desired characteristics 122
database. In an
embodiment, the coal desired characteristics 122 database may contain
characteristic information
on final treated solid fuel requested by end-use facilities, historical
characteristic information of
previous final treated solid fuels, and the like. In an embodiment, the
aggregated final treated
solid fuel database may contain a plurality of records that contain
information pertaining to the
same final treated solid fuel; the plurality of duplicate records may be a
result of a plurality of
samples taken from the same final treated solid fuel taken during the
treatment of the solid fuel.
[00567] In an embodiment, the aggregation of the final treated solid
fuel database
may have several steps. A first step may involve the total aggregation of the
sample solid fuel
data into a final treated solid fuel database. In a second step, the parameter
generation facility
128 may use an algorithm to sort the records, handle the duplicate records,
store the finalized
final treated solid fuel database to a storage device, and the like. In an
embodiment, the duplicate
records may be deleted from the final treated solid fuel database, the
duplicate records may be
averaged, the duplicate records may be statistically selected, or the like. In
an embodiment, the
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finalized final treated solid fuel database may contain all the records of
final treated solid fuels
that may have been treated by the solid fuel treatment facility 132.
[00568] In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may use
the
aggregated raw solid fuel database and the aggregated final treated database
to obtain a set of
operational parameters used to transform raw solid fuel into a final treated
solid fuel used by an
end-use facility.
[00569] In an embodiment, the operational parameters may be determined by the
parameter generation facility 128 selecting a raw solid fuel characteristic
record from the
aggregated raw solid fuel database and matching it to each of the final
treated solid fuel
aggregated database records to calculate operational parameters for each of
the matched records.
In an embodiment, as the operational parameters are determined for the matched
records, the
operational parameters may be stored in the aggregated operational parameter
database. For
example, if there are fifty raw solid fuels in the raw solid fuel aggregated
database and one
hundred final treated solid fuels in the final solid fuel aggregated database,
each of the fifty raw
solid fuels may be matched to each of the one hundred final solid fuels for
determination of the
operational parameters that would be required to transform the raw solid fuel
into the desired
solid fuel. This may result in five thousand aggregated operational parameter
records.
[00570] In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may
determine that
a certain raw solid fuel cannot be transformed into a final treated solid fuel
and therefore may not
determine operational parameters for that particular match of solid fuels.
[00571] In another embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128
may select a
raw solid fuel characteristic record from the aggregated raw solid fuel
database and determine the
final treated solid fuel that may be transformed by the solid fuel treatment
facility 132. In an
embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may determine the
operational parameters for
each raw solid fuel characteristic records in the aggregated raw solid fuel
database. In an
embodiment, the operational parameters may be determined by the operational
capabilities of the
solid fuel treatment facility 132. In an embodiment, the operational
parameters for each of the
raw solid fuel characteristic records may be stored in the aggregated
operational parameter
database.
[00572] In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may determine
operational parameters by matching the raw solid fuel characteristics with
final treated
characteristics, by using solid fuel treatment facility 132 capability to
determine operational
characteristics from the raw solid fuel characteristics, or the like. In an
embodiment the
operational parameter determination methods may be used individually or in
combination.
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1005731 In an embodiment, the aggregated operational parameters may be stored
to
be selected at a later time for the treatment of a raw solid fuel into an end-
use facility solid fuel.
In an embodiment, the aggregated operational parameters database may also
store the raw solid
fuel and final treated solid fuel information that was used to create the
operational parameters.
Therefore the aggregated operational parameter database may include the
operational parameters,
raw solid fuel characteristics, final treated solid fuel characteristics, or
the like. The raw solid
fuel characteristics and final treated solid fuel characteristics may include
an identification of the
solid fuel.
[00574] In an embodiment, if an end-use facility requests a certain final
solid
fuel from a solid fuel treatment facility 132, the parameter generation
facility 128 may
match the requested final solid fuel characteristics to one of the final
treated solid fuels
whose characteristics have been stored in the appropriate database. In an
embodiment,
the matching of the end-use facility requested solid fuel to the aggregated
final treated
solid fuels may be by best match, by key characteristic, by ranking of the
most important
solid fuel characteristics, or the like.
[00575] In an embodiment, after finding a match for the end-use facility
requested solid fuel, the parameter generation facility 128 may select all the
possible raw
solid fuels that may be used to create the end-use facility solid fuel, may
select all the
possible operational parameters that may be used to create the end-use solid
fuel, or the
like. In an embodiment, using all of the possible raw solid fuels that may be
used to
create the end-use facility solid fuel, the parameter generation facility 128
may search the
coal sample data 120 to determine which, if any, of the possible raw solid
fuels are
available. In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may select
a raw
solid fuel from the coal sample data 120 that is within a certain tolerance of
the needed
raw solid fuel. If at least one of the raw solid fuels is available to the
solid fuel treatment
facility 132, the parameter generation facility 128 may select the stored
operational
parameters that match the selected raw solid fuel and the end-use facility
solid fuel. The
selected operational parameters may be transmitted to the monitoring facility
134 and the
controller 144 for treatment of the selected raw solid fuel into the end-use
facility solid
fuel.
[00576] In an embodiment, a method of modeling costs associated with
processing solid fuel for a specific end-use facility may be performed by
providing a
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database containing a set ot solid fuel characteristics tor a plurality ot
solid fuel samples,
a set of specifications for solid fuel substrates used by a set of end-user
facilities, a set of
operational parameters used to transform a solid fuel sample into a solid fuel
substrate
used by an end-user, a set of costs associated with implementation of the set
of
operational parameters, and the like. In an embodiment, the cost modeling may
be used
to provide a variety of cost reports, such as invoice estimates to an end-use
facility for
solid fuel treatment, internal cost estimates to compare to actual treatment
costs,
cost/value predictions, solid fuel treatment facility 132 efficiency, or the
like. In an
embodiment, the databases may be a database, a relational database, SQL
database, a
table, a file, a flat file, an ASCII file, a document, an XML file, or the
like.
[00577] In embodiments, the end-use facility may be coal combustion facility
200, coal conversion facility 210, coal byproduct facility 212, or the like.
[00578] A solid fuel treatment facility 132 may utilize a method of modeling
the value of the treatment solid fuel for a specific end-use facility. In an
embodiment, an
end-use facility may request that a solid fuel treatment facility treat raw
solid fuel into a
final solid fuel with particular characteristics. The end-use facility may not
indicate the
starting raw solid fuel to use; the solid fuel treatment facility 132 may
select the
appropriate raw solid fuel based on the end-use facility solid fuel
characteristics.
[00579] In an embodiment, the end-use facility characteristics may be
transmitted and stored in the coal desired characteristics 122. The
pricing/transactional
facility may receive notification that the characteristics have been
transmitted to the coal
desired characteristics 122.
[00580] In an embodiment, once there is notification that the solid fuel
characteristics have been received, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may
request that
the parameter generation facility 128 identify the raw solid fuel to transform
into the end-
use facility solid fuel. As previously described, the parameter generation
facility 128
may determine the proper raw solid fuel by knowing the required
characteristics and the
solid fuel treatment facility 132 capability, by retrieving solid fuel
treatment history to
determine a starting raw solid fuel, by querying a database of possible raw
solid fuels and
operational parameters from a predetermined database, or the like.
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1005811 In an embodiment, once the parameter generation facility 128 has
selected an available raw solid fuel suitable for transformation into the end-
use facility
solid fuel, the parameter generation facility 128 may query the coal sample
data 120 for
the available raw solid fuel characteristics.
[00582] In an embodiment, the parameter generation facility 128 may transmit
the identification and characteristic information for the raw solid fuel, the
identification
and characteristic information for the end-user facility solid fuel, the
operational
parameters for transforming the raw solid fuel into the end-use facility solid
fuel, and the
like to the pricing/transactional facility 178. In an embodiment, the
pricing/transactional
facility 178 may have a database associating operational cost with the
operational
parameters for a particular set of solid fuels. In an embodiment, the
pricing/transactional
facility 178 may be able to model the operation of the solid fuel treatment
facility 132,
providing for the virtual treatment of the raw solid fuel into the end-use
solid fuel using
the operational parameters from the parameter generation facility 128. Using
the
operational parameters, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may be able to
determine the
volume of solid fuel treated per time period, the amount of energy used, the
amount of
inert gases used, the amount of released solid fuel product, and the like. For
example, the
model may be able to determine the solid fuel tons per hour produced by using
a given
operational parameter for the belt speed or the size of the batch facility. In
another
example, the model may be able to calculate the amount of electricity the
microwave
systems 148 require based on the operation parameter settings.
[00583] In an embodiment, using the operational parameters, the
pricing/transactional facility 178 model may determine a value for the
completed
transformation of the raw solid fuel into the end-use facility solid fuel, an
instantaneous
value at any time during the solid fuel transformation, an incremental value
added by any
of the various solid fuel treatment facility 132 components, or the like.
[00584] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may model the
solid fuel treatment facility 132 on a user interface on a computer device. In
an
embodiment, the user interface may present tools to allow a user to run the
model, stop
the model, pause the model, resume the model, reverse the model, run the model
in
slower time, run the model in faster time, focus in on a particular component,
or the like.
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In an embodiment, the locus on a particular component may provide additional
information to the user, for example a drill down of information for the
particular
component. In an embodiment, the information derived from the modeling may be
presented in graphic form or in any other output format that would be
requested by a
user.
[00585] In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may be able
to
report the information from the model for the value of the completed
transformation of
the raw solid fuel into the end-use facility solid fuel, for an instantaneous
value at any
time during the solid fuel transformation, for the incremental value added by
any of the
various solid fuel treatment facility 132 components, or the like. In an
embodiment, the
report may be a printed report, a viewed report, a document report, a
database, a
spreadsheet, a file, or the like. The reports may show a summary, detail by
time, detail
by component, or the like.
1005861 In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may have at
least one database that contains the cost assumptions associated with the
model of the
solid fuel treatment. For example, the database may have the electrical rates
for the
microwave systems 148, the cost per cubic foot of the inert gases, the human
resource
cost for monitoring the solid fuel treatment facility 132, the cost/value of
the released
solid fuel product recovered by the removal system 150, cost/value of the raw
solid fuel
used, and the like. These costs may represent the assumptions used in the
modeling. In
an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178 may apply the cost
assumptions to
the model for the determination of the cost/value of the treated end-use
facility solid fuel.
1005871 In an embodiment, the pricing/transactional facility 178, using the
solid fuel treatment facility 132 model, may provide the end-use facility an
estimate of
the pricing value of the requested treated solid fuel. The estimate may be
based on the
model using the operational parameters, costs and pricing value for the
operational
parameters, and the like. In an embodiment, the estimated pricing value may be
for the
specific end-use facility requested solid fuel using a particular raw solid
fuel.
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[00588] The
scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set
forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation
consistent with the
description as a whole.
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