Energy Convers. Mgmt Vol. 35, No. 7, pp.

597-603, 1994

Pergamon

EFFECT

0196-8904(93)E0026-H

OF COAL

CONSUMPTION

PROPERTIES

ON THE

IN A TYPICAL
STATION

Copyright 1994 ElsevierScience Ltd

Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
0196-8904/94 $7.00+ 0.00

SPECIFIC

THERMAL

COAL

POWER

IN INDIA

SHAIL, I M. S. SODHA,It RAM CHANDRA, t B. PITCHUMANI z and

J. SHARMA 3
ICentre of Energy Studies and Research, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore (M.P.),
2Chemical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi,
and 3Chief Engineer, M.P. Urja Vikas Nigam, Bhopal (M.P.), India

(Received 12 February 1993; received for publication 16 December 1993)

Abstract--The effect of various coal properties like ash content, moisture content, fixed carbon and
calorific value on specific coal consumption in a typical thermal power station in India is analysed. It is
observed that the specific coal consumption is a strong function of moisture content, ash content and fixed
carbon. For the Panipat Thermal Power Station (the one considered in the present analysis), it is observed
that, for an increase in moisture content by 2%, the specific coal consumption increases by about 8%. If,
however, the ash content is increased by 2 0 , the specific coal consumption increases by about 5%. It is
also observed that, for a 4 0 increase in fixed carbon, the specific coal consumption decreases by about 25%.

INTRODUCTION

Energy is essential for the economic growth of a country. The availability of a reliable source of
energy in the most economical way is a basic prerequisite for the sustained development of a nation.
In India, the need for increasing amounts of energy is now more than ever before.
The power generating capacity, which is mainly owned and operated by utilities, has grown at
the rate of over 9.7% per annum since 1950. The total installed capacity in the country, which was
about 1340 MW in 1947, rose to about 70,000 MW in 1991-92; even then, there was an average
power shortage of 7.8%. The peak power shortage was as much as 18.8%.
The actual generation was about 200.63 billion units in the first three quarters of 1990-91. The
thermal contribution was targeted to be about 73%; however, the actual thermal power generation
was 134.58 billion units, i.e. 69%.
In the last 20 years, the availability of energy in India has been growing at a compound annual
rate of 4.9%. During the same period, the average compound annual growth rate of different
sources of energy is given in Table i. In the year 1991-92, the total availability of all primary
sources of commercial energy put together was equivalent to 200 million t. The consumption of
various sources of energy in 1991-92 is also given in Table 1. It is clearly seen that coal is the major
energy source. Out of 235.30 million t, 137 million t was used for power generation alone. Since our
coal reserves are not going to last long, every effort should be made to use this source of energy
as efficiently as possible. This requires a complete knowledge of coal properties and their effect on
coal consumption. In the present paper, the effect of coal properties on the specific coal
consumption in thermal power stations is analysed in detail.
The three important properties of primary interest from a combustion standpoint are the fixed
carbon, volatile matter and calorific value. Volatile matter consists of hydrocarbons and other gases
(not including water vapour).

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIGH SPECIFIC COAL CONSUMPTION

Gradual deterioration in the grade of coals, resulting in lowered calorific values from 500 kCal/kg
to 3000 kCal/kg, lowered volatile contents from 24% to 17% and a staggering rise in the ash
tNow at Lucknow University, Lucknow-226 007, India.
597

598

SHAIL et

al.:

COALPROPERTIES AND COAL CONSUMPTION

Table I. Energy consumption in India in 1991-92 and compound annual growth rate
Energy consumption
Compound annual
rate growth
Oil equivalent
between1970-71
Energy
source
Units
Quantity
% share
(Mt)
and 1990-91
Mt
235.30
57.9
115.50
5.6%
Coal
Mt
54.50
27.3
54.50
5.5%
Oil
Million m3
18400.00
7.9
15.80
13.4%
Natural gas
Million
72557.00
3.0
6.20
5.4%
Hydro
kWh
Million
5585.00
0.2
0.50
4.9%
Nuclear
kWh
Lignite
Mt
15.00
3.7
7.50
6.3%
Mt = Million tonnes.
m2= Cubic metres.
kWh = Kilowatt hour.

contents from 20 to 45% having a high percentage of alpha-quartz, is practically destroying the
boiler plants and associated auxiliaries, resulting in increased downtime, low plant load factor
(PLF) and an exponential rise in the cost of generation, maintenance, spares, inventories etc.
The combined ash and moisture of the present day coals which are received by the generating
station far exceed the fixed carbon content, and this not only increases the per unit generation cost,
but also brings down the plant's availability, security, stability and various other deleterious effects
causing sliding of PLF(s).
There are many factors which are responsible for a high specific coal consumption and low
outputs of the units. The major factor responsible for this is the supply of inferior and erratic
quality of coal to the power stations. The inferior quality of coal directly affects boiler performance.
Receipt of inferior grades of coal, compared to the declared and linked grade to which the boiler
is designed, is being experienced in almost all the power stations. In addition to this consistent
supply of inferior quality of coal, the extraneous substances, such as shale and stones in the form
of boulders, are a common feature in many thermal power stations. This is creating numerous
problems in unloading, handling and crushing in the power plants, resulting in increased wear and
tear and frequent outages of coal handling system equipment. Hence, there is an urgent need to
beneficiate the coal being supplied to thermal power stations.
C O L L E C T I O N OF E X P E R I M E N T A L DATA
The present study is based on data collected from the Panipat Thermal Power Station (PTPS)
located on the Panipat-Safidoun road about 15 km from Panipat city in the state of Haryana
(India). The total thermal power generating capacity of the plant is 650 MW, consisting of four
units of 110 M W each and one unit of 210 M W which has been commissioned very recently. Coal
to the power station is supplied from coal mines located in the Hazaribagh and Dhanbad districts
of Bihar.
Table 2 gives the electricity generated per kW of installed capacity by the different 1 10 MW units
at PTPS from 1984-85 to 1990-91. Similar results for the performance of all capacity units in the
country are also given for comparison purposes.
Table 2. Units generated per kW of installed capacity (kWh/kW)
Year
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Station
1984-85
2352
4608
--3480
1985-86
3808
3011
-3455
1986-87
1998
3102
1727
-2389
1987 88
1435
3516
2631
5949
3383
1988-89
1829
2816
6153
4271
3767
1989-90
2430
3238
5000
4538
3802
1990-91
2424
1687
3408
1312
2208
Source: (i) Panipat Thermal Power Station. (ii) CEA Annual Report.
NA = not available.

All capacity
units in India
3767
3878
4109
4239
3976
NA
NA

SHAIL et

al.:

COAL PROPERTIES AND COAL CONSUMPTION

599

Table 3. Performance in terms of PLF (%)

Year
1984-85

Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Station
27.0
52.7
--39.9
1985-86
43.9
34.4
2.4
-38.9
1986-87
22.8
35.4
19.7
18.0
26.0
1987-88
16.3
40.0
29.9
67.2
38.5
1988-89
20.9
32.1
70.2
48.7
43.0
1989 90
27.7
37.0
57.1
51.8
43.4
1990-91
27.8
19.3
38.9
15.0
30.3
Source: (i) Panipat Thermal Power Station. (ii) CEA Annual Report~
NA = not available.

110 MW

All C

units all
India
39.7
44.1
44.8
48.4
48.4
47.2
NA

units
India
50. I
52.4
53.2
56.5
55.0
56.5
NA

F r o m Table 2, it is seen that the overall average energy generated from the four units at PTPS
varied from 2208 to 3802 units per k W o f installed capacity during the period from 1984-85 to
1990-9 i.
Table 3 gives unit-wise values o f plant load factor (PLF) and average P L F for the station. This
is c o m p a r e d with the P L F o f all the 110 M W units and also with all capacity units in India.
It is observed from Table 3 that the performance o f units 1 and 2 has been consistently lower
than the average P L F o f all 110 M W units in the country. The performance o f units 3 and 4 was
not very g o o d from 1984-85 to 1986-87, t h o u g h it improved in 1988-89 and 1989-90 and again
declined significantly in 1990-91.
Table 4 shows auxiliary power c o n s u m p t i o n at the Panipat Thermal Power Station which is
c o m p a r e d with all 110 M W units in the c o u n t r y and also with all capacity units. It is seen that
auxiliary power c o n s u m p t i o n at PTPS is always higher than the national average for similar units.
In 1990-91, the auxiliary power c o n s u m p t i o n was 12%, which is on the high side; ordinarily, the
auxiliary power c o n s u m p t i o n should be between 10-12%.
Table 5 gives the unit-wise specific coal c o n s u m p t i o n for the four units and average c o n s u m p t i o n
for the station. It has also been c o m p a r e d with the specific coal c o n s u m p t i o n o f all capacity units
in India. It can be easily seen that the all India average o f specific coal c o n s u m p t i o n varies from
0.70 to 0.72 kg per unit o f electricity generated, whereas the specific coal c o n s u m p t i o n at PTPS lies
between 0.715 and 0 . 9 2 k g / k W h , which is exceptionally high. According to a recent study, a
reduction o f just 0.02 k g / k W h in specific coal c o n s u m p t i o n would be equivalent to almost
24 million t on an all-India basis. On m o n e t a r y terms, it implies a saving o f over 1200 crore rupees,
an a m o u n t which cannot be neglected.
Table 6 gives an account o f the coal quality o f PTPS for coal received and utilized from 1987-88
to 1990-91. It is seen that the ash content varied from 3 6 - 4 0 % and the average calorific value of
the coal being used varied from 17,094-18,774 kJ/kg.
DATA ANALYSIS
The information regarding coal c o n s u m p t i o n (in Mt) and generation (in million units) on a
m o n t h l y basis was obtained from the coal handling plant personnel who maintain a continuous
record of the a m o u n t o f coal used. These data are then used to calculate the specific coal
consumption. The coal analysis reports were obtained from the laboratory of the Panipat Thermal
Table 4. Auxiliary power consumption (%)
110 MW units
All capacity units
Year
PTPS
all India average
all India average
1984-85
13.5
12.6
10.6
1985 86
13.8
I 1.7
11.2
1986--87
16.7
11.6
10.0
1987 88
12.0
11.6
9.9
1988-89
12.0
10.0
9.87
1989-90
12.0 (E)
NA
9.85 (E)
1990-91
12.0 (E)
NA
NA
Source: (i) Panipat Thermal Power Station.
NA = not available; E = estimated.

SHAIL et

600

al.:

COAL PROPERTIES AND COAL CONSUMPTION

Table 5. Specificcoal consumption (kg/kWh)

Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
0.780
0.724
--0.887
0.887
--1986-87
0.890
0.851
0.888
-1987-88
0.795
0.785
0.755
0.776
1988-89
0.715
0.724
0.715
0.725
198940
0.840
0.820
0.840
0.820
1990-91
0.910
0.91
0.910
0.920
Source: (i) Panipat Thermal Power Station. (ii) CEA Annual Report.
Year
1984-85
1985-86

Station
0.742
0.887
0.871
0.776
0.721
0.827
0.915

All India
--0.70
0.71
0.71
0.72
0.72

Power Station. Coal is periodically analysed in the laboratory and a record of the various coal
properties is kept. This data is given in Table 7.
Y E X P is the actual specific coal consumption for the various coal properties X1, X2, X3, X4.
The relationship between specific coal consumption and coal properties is the polynomial with
interacting variables (various coal properties). Therefore, for an arbitrary data set (as in the present
case) wherein the total specific coal consumption is given and, along with it, coal properties are
stated, one can easily study the combined effect of different coal properties on the specific coal
consumption. The polynomial obtained for the data given in Table 7 is given by
Y C A L = - 10.57 + 0.16XI - 5.21 x 10-3X12 + 0.14X2
+6.84

x 10 - 3

X22 + 4.7 x 10 3X1X2 + 0.29X3

+ 1.28 10 3 X 3 2 _ 6.97 1 0 - 3 X I X 3 - 2 . 6 6 10-ZX2X3

+ 1 . 1 2 x 10 4 X 4 - 3 . 2 4 + I 0 - S X 4 Z + 2 . 6 1

x 10-sXIX4

+3.93 10 5X2X4 x 1.09 10 6X3X4.

(1)

Using the polynomial given by equation (1), the calculated values of specific coal consumption,
YCAL, corresponding to different values of ash content, moisture content, fixed carbon content
and gross calorific value are obtained. The values of Y C A L are also given in Table 7. It is found
that the average error between the two values is of the order of 1.22. Since the average error between
Y E X P and Y C A L is very small, therefore, one can use equation (1) for studying the variation of
specific coal consumption with various coal properties.
R E S U L T S AND D I S C U S S I O N
The variation in Y C A L values is analysed for different X values. Figure 1 shows the variation
of specific coal consumption with ash content, keeping the moisture content, fixed carbon and gross
calorific value constant. The three curves correspond to three different values of moisture content,
keeping the other properties constant.
It is clearly seen that, for a particular moisture content, the specific coal consumption tends to
increase with an increase in the ash content of the coal. Simultaneously, if the moisture content
also increases, then it adds to the already increased specific coal consumption.
Since ash is the non-combustible part of coal, therefore, if the ash content increases, the overall
combustible portion of the coal is decreased. This results in an increased requirement of coal to
generate the same units of electricity. Moreover, if the moisture content in the coal increases, the
coal cannot be pulverized to the required size. This coal, which is in the form of lumps, does not
burn completely, resulting in unburnt carbon loss in the bottom ash, which further increases the

Year
1987-88
1988-89
1989-90
1990-91
Source: PTPS.

Ash
(%)
35.61
35.57
36.01
37.21

Table 6. Coal analysis

V.M.
Mois.
(%)
(%)
19.14
1.51
18.67
7,12
18.71
7,07
18.68
7.86

F.C.
(%)
43.74
38.64
38.21
36.25

G.C.V.
(kJ/kg)
19,782.0
18,396.0
18,177.6
17,938.2

SHAIL et al.:

COAL PROPERTIES A N D COAL C O N S U M P T I O N

601

Table 7. Specific coal consumption and coal analysis data

for the period 1988-91
YEXP

X1

X2

0.720
0.744
0.731
0.723
0.726
0.719
0.728
0.726
0.731
0.739
0.783
0.816
0.844
0.859
0.877
0.833
0.946
0.960
0.878
0.913
0.906
0.945
0.951

36.45
34.91
35.03
35.44
35.53
36.53
36.77
33.81
36.41
37.28
34.95
35.99
36.05
34.93
36.56
36.44
36.82
35.76
34.75
37.11
38.13
38.08
36.94

7.02
8.33
7.50
6.71
7.69
7.05
6.80
6.67
6.85
7.36
7.95
6.71
6.96
6.83
7.68
5.87
9.18
9.18
9.27
8.87
7.98
9.18
8.19

X3
37.48
37.06
39.39
38.95
37.79
38.14
38.07
40.88
37.96
35.31
38.17
37.86
37.90
39.03
37.24
37.75
35.75
36.53
37.44
35.88
34.91
33.54
35.66

X4

YCAL

17957.28
18053.42
18316.76
18621.90
18120.30
17915.48
17957.28
18918.68
18103.58
17430.60
18262.42
18341.84
17806.80
18793.28
18379.46
18684.60
17714.84
17898.76
18463.06
17677.22
17388.80
16895.56
17802.62

0.765
0.799
0.726
0.790
0.774
0.738
0.748
0.734
0.771
0.780
0.763
0.795
0.717
0.783
0.879
0.827
0.964
0.898
0.891
0.921
0.859
0.966
0.907

Source: TERI (1991).

Y = Specific coal consumption (kg/kWh); X I = ash content
(%); X2 = moisture content (%); X3 = fixed carbon
(%); X4 = gross calorific value (kJ/kg).

specific coal consumption. An increase in the moisture content also implies that more heat is
required to evaporate this excess amount of water. As a consequence, more coal has to be burnt
to obtain the same output of electricity.
In order to reduce the specific coal consumption, it is suggested to use coal having a moisture
content as low as possible. The ash content should also be low. For a typical Indian coal, the
moisture content is anywhere between 7-20% and the ash content lies in the range 30-50% both
of which are significantly high.
It is not possible to reduce the ash content because the ash is so intimately interspersed into
the coal that, even by repeated washing, the ash content cannot be reduced to customary
levels. However, the moisture can be reduced to a certain extent by utilizing the heat of flue
gases.
It has been observed that an increase in the ash content by 2% increases specific coal
consumption by almost 5% (for this particular thermal station). This is equivalent to about
0.17 106t of coal annually. Also, as the moisture content is increased by 2%, the specific coal
consumption experiences an increase of 8% which is highly uneconomical since it amounts to
0.31 x 106t of coal.

.-

0.75 - -

. . . .

Moisture = 6.5%

Moisture = 7.5%

......

Moisture = 8.5%

~s~ ~

0.70

0.65

0.60
33.8

Fixed carbon = 37%

Gross cal. value = 17.500 kJ/kg

34.3

34.8

35.3

35.8

36.3

36.8

37.3

37.8

Ash (%)
Fig. 1. Effect of ash on specific coal consumption. Where: ( - - . ) , moisture = 6.5*/,; (
ure = 7.5%, ( - - ) , mositure = 8.5%.

),

moist-

602

et al.:

SHAIL

0.9

0.8

--

PROPERTIES

AND

COAL

CONSUMPTION

Fixed carbon = 3 5 %

. . . .

~ F i x e d

e~

COAL

carbon = 3 7 %

Fixed carbon = 3 9 %

- .....

0.7

0.6

Moisture = 7 . 5 %
Gross cal. value = 1 7 , 5 0 0 kJ/kg

0.5
33.8

34.3

34.8

35.3

35.8

36.3

I
36.8

37.3

37.8

Ash (%)
Fig.

2. Effect o f ash on specific coal c o n s u m p t i o n , where: ( . . . .

carbon = 3 7 % ;

), fixed carbon = 3 5 % ;
fixed carbon = 3 9 % .

(---),

), fixed

Figure 2 shows the variation of specific coal consumption with ash content, keeping the
fixed-carbon content constant; the three curves correspond to three different values of fixed carbon
content. The other constant parameters are moisture and gross calorific-value. It is observed that
an increase in the fixed carbon content decreases the specific coal consumption. The fixed carbon
content is a measure of the amount of carbon in the coal. Therefore, the higher is the fixed-carbon
value, the higher will be the carbon content and, hence, the lower would be the coal consumption.
It is also seen that, for the same percentage of ash content, the specific coal consumption decreases
with an increase in the fixed carbon content.
As the fixed carbon content increases from 35 to 37% for an ash content of 36.8%, the specific
coal consumption decreases from 0.816 to 0.614kg/kWh. This implies a decrease of almost
0.2 kg/kWh which is equivalent to 1.14 106 t of coal annually for the thermal power station under
consideration.
From Fig. 3, one can see that, for an ash content of 33.8%, the specific coal consumption is
0.70 kg/kWh, whereas for an ash content of 37.8%, the value of specific coal consumption is
0.84 kg/kWh. The gross calorific value has been kept constant at 18,000 kJ/kg. One might say that
increase in specific coal consumption is just 0.14 kg/kWh which is not very significant; but this is
an additional 0.14kg of coal for generating one unit of electricity. Therefore, for generating
650 MW, i.e. 5.7 10 9 units of electricity, an additional 0.80 l 0 6 t of coal would be required
annually.
It is seen that, with an increase in the ash content, the specific coal consumption also increases.
This can be attributed to the fact that an increase in ash implies a decrease in the combustible
portion of the coal. Here, by combustible, we mean basically the volatile matter and fixed carbon.
The presence of ash in coal is highly objectionable and uneconomical. It is, hence, suggested that
a thorough washing of coal should be done to remove as much ash as is possible before using it
for combustion. Also, instead of the generally employed water-tube boilers, fluidized bed
combustion boilers should be used. These boilers are most suitable for high ash content coal.
Figure 4 shows the effect of moisture on specific coal consumption when the fixed carbon content
is kept constant. The two curves correspond to two different values of fixed carbon content. It is
seen that, for a low moisture content, the effect of fixed carbon content is not significant. For a
o

].0 -0.9

--

0.8

--

Moisture = 7 . 5 %
Fixed carbon = 3 7 %
Gross cal. value = 18,000 kJ/kg

0.7

r.~

0.6
33.8

I
34.3

I
34.8

I
35.3

I
35.8

36.3

36.8

Ash (%)
F i g . 3. Effect o f ash on specific coal c o n s u m p t i o n .

I
37,3

37.8

S H A I L et al.:
|.0

COAL PROPERTIES

AND

COAL CONSUMPTION

603

--

Fixed carbon = 35%

e~

0.9 -

Fixed carbon = 37%

.---- . t

0.8 0.7

~ _ ~ -

0.6

--

ca
A s h = 36~,~

W.

0.5
5.9

Gross

cal

value = 17,500kJ/kg

6.4

6.9

7.4

7.9

8.4

I
8.9

M o i s t u r e (%)
Fig. 4. Effect o f moisture on specific coal c o n s u m p t i o n , where: ( t, fixed carbon = 35%: ( - - - ) ,
c a r b o n = 37%.

fixed

moisture content of 5.9%, the specific coal consumption is almost the same for different fixed
carbon contents. But, as the moisture content increases, the effect of fixed carbon also becomes
pronounced. It is found that the specific coal consumption increases with a rise in moisture content,
but as the fixed carbon increases, the coal consumption goes down. For a given moisture content,
say 8.9%, the specific coal consumption for a fixed carbon content of 35% is 0.92 kg/kWh, and
for a fixed carbon content of 37%, it is 0.75 kg/kWh.
It is, therefore, suggested that, before any coal is burnt, it should be thoroughly dried so that
the coal consumption rate is reduced significantly. This can be easily done by resorting to heat
recovery mechanisms which include utilization of the heat of the outgoing flue gases to evaporate
the excess moisture content of the coal. A decrease in moisture content by 3% leads to a decrease
in the specific coal consumption by almost I1% which is equivalent to a saving of 0.43 x 106t of
coal annually.
For a fixed carbon content of 33.6%, the specific coal consumption for 34% ash is 0.76 kg/kWh,
but if the fixed carbon increases to 39.1%, then for the same amount of ash, the specific coal
consumption decreases to 0.58 kg/kWh. This implies a net 0.22 kg/kWh reduction in specific coal
consumption, which amounts to an annual saving of about 1.25 x 1 0 6 t of coal.
Alternatively, if the fixed carbon content decreases from 39.1 to 33.6%, then 1.25 x l06 t of coal
have to be burnt annually, which otherwise could have been saved. If the whole problem is viewed
from the ash point of view, then keeping the fixed carbon constant at 33.6%, an increase in ash
content from 34 to 36% increases the specific coal consumption by 0.11 kg/kWh, which is nothing
less than 0.63 x 106t of coal, again annually.
Therefore, one can easily infer that even a slight increase in the ash content of a slight decrease
in the fixed carbon content is highly uneconomical, especially in this era of energy crises.
REFERENCES
1. Power Engineers Training Society's W o r k s h o p on Energy C o n s e r v a t i o n . T h e r m a l Power Station Personnel Training
Institute, Badarpur, N e w Delhi.
2. Roy K. K., Quality o f coal and its effect on thermal p o w e r generation, Proc. All India Seminar on Coal Technology.
Vol. 1. B H E L , Trichy (1988).
3. Study o f Coal and Oil C o n s u m p t i o n in Panipat T h e r m a l Power Station. TER1 Report (1991).