Resources of Energy Department of Fuel and Energy

st term /Lecture 8 1 3rd class

Solid Fuels
Solid fuels are mainly classified into two categories , i.e. natural fuels, such as
wood, coal, etc. and manufactured fuels, such as charcoal, coke, briquettes, etc.
:The various advantages and disadvantages of solid fuels are given below
: ‫يتم تصنيف الوقود الصلب بشكل رئيسي إلى فئتين‬
...‫ الخ‬، ‫ مثل الخشب والفحم‬: K‫(الوقود الطبيعي‬1
‫ وفيما يلي مزايا‬...‫ الخ‬، ‫ وفحم الكوك‬، ‫ مثل الفحم‬: ‫) الوقود المصنّع‬1

:‫وعيوب الوقود الصلب المختلفة‬

:Advantages

.They are easy to transport )1( ‫يسهل نقله‬

.They are convenient to store without any risk of spontaneous explosion )2(
.‫مناسب للتخزين دون أي خطر اللنفجار التلقائي‬

‫ لديه درجة حرارة‬.Their cost of production is low )3( ‫تكلفة إنتاجه منخفضة‬
.They possess moderate ignition temperature )4( ‫إشعال معتدلة‬

:Disadvantages

Their large )b( ‫ من الحرارة‬K‫ يتم إهدار نسبة كبيرة‬.Their ash content is high )a( ‫نسبة الرماد عالية‬
They burn with )c( (‫ عندما يحترق تتكوّ ن رواسب صخرية )آجر‬.proportion of heat is wasted
.clinker formation
.Their combustion operation cannot be controlled easily )d(
‫ال يمكن التحكم في عملية االحتراق بسهولة‬

.Their cost of handling is high )e( ‫تكلفة المعالجة عالية‬

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 Coal and Their Characteristics .1
It is commonly adopted view that coal is a mineral substance of vegetable origin.
Over 30% of coal output is consumed by railways; another similar proportion is
used by industry including iron and steel works. This leaves barely 40% of coal
.mined for use of the power supply undertakings
‫ من‬٪30 ‫ تستهلك السكك الحديدية أكثر من‬.‫من الشائع استخدام الرأي القائل بأن الفحم مادة ذات أصل نباتي‬

‫ وهذا يترك‬.‫إنتاج الفحم ؛ يتم استخدام نسبة أخرى مماثلة من قبل الصناعة بما في ذلك أعمال الحديد والصلب‬

.‫ من الفحم الستخدامه في مشاريع إمدادات الطاقة‬٪ 40 ‫بالكاد‬

Analysis of Coal 1.1

To ascertain the commercial value of coal certain tests regarding its burning
properties are performed before it is commercially marketed. Two commonly used
tests are: Proximate analysis and Ultimate analysis of coal. Calorific value of coal
is defined as the quantity of heat given out by burning one unit weight of coal in a
.calorimeter

.ً‫ يتم إجراء بعض االختبارات المتعلقة بخصائص حرقه قبل تسويقه تجاريا‬، ‫للتأكد من القيمة التجارية للفحم‬

Ultimate analysis ‫والتحليل النهائي‬ Proximate analysis‫ التحليل التقريبي‬:‫اختباران شائعان هما‬
.‫للفحم‬

.calorimeter ‫يتم تعريف القيمة الحرارية للفحم على أنها كمية الحرارة الناتجة عن حرق وحدة واحدة من الفحم في جهاز‬

Proximate Analysis of Coal 1.1.1

This analysis of coal gives a good indication about heating and burning properties of
,coal. The test gives the composition of coal in respect of moisture , volatile matter
.ash, and fixed carbon
‫ التحليل‬.‫تحليل الفحم هذا يعطي مؤشراً جيداً حول الحرارة الناتجة من احتراق الفحم وخصائص هذا االحتراق‬

.‫يبين تركيب الفحم من حيث الرطوبة والمواد المتطايرة والرماد والكربون الثابت‬

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*The moisture test is performed by:
Heating 1 gm. of coal sample at 104 ⁰C to 110 ⁰C for 1 hour in an oven and finding
the loss in weight.

*The volatile matter is determined by:

Heating 1 gm. of coal sample in a covered crucible at 950 ⁰C for 7 minutes and
determining loss in weight, from which the moisture content as found from
moisture test, is deducted.

*Ash content is found by:

Completely burning the sample of coal in a muffled furnace at 700Co to 750Co
and weighing the residue.

*The percentage of fixed carbon is determined by difference when moisture,

volatile matter and ash have been accounted for.
The results of proximate analysis of most coals indicate the following broad ranges
of various constituents by weight:

Table 1.10 the Results of Proximate Analysis of Most Coal

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The importance of volatile matter in coal is due to the fact that it largely governs
the combustion, which in turn governs the design of grate, and combustions space
used. High volatile matter is desirable in gas making, while low volatile matter for
manufacturing of metallurgical coke.

1.1.2 The Ultimate Analysis of Coal

This analysis of coal is more precise way to find the chemical composition of coal
with respect to the elements like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur and
ash. Since the content of carbon and hydrogen that is already combined with
oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water is of no value for combustion, the
chemical analysis of coal alone is not enough to predict the suitability of coal for
purpose of heating.

Table 1.11 the Results of Ultimate Analysis of Most Coal

Analysis of coal on dry and moist base:

When an analysis is given on a moist fuel basis, it may be readily converted to a
dry basis by dividing the percentages of the various constituents by one minus the
percentage of moisture, reporting the moisture content separately.

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 How to change the moist base to the dry base:

1.2 Calculations of Heating Value from an Ultimate Analysis

The first formula for the calculation of heating values from the composition of a
fuel as determined from an ultimate analysis is due to Dulong, and this formula,
slightly modified, is the most commonly used to-day. Other formula have been
proposed, some of which are more accurate for certain specific classes of fuel, but
all have their basis in Dulong’s formula, the accepted modified form of which is:
Heat units in Btu. per pound of dry fuel =

Where: C, H, O and S are the proportionate parts by weight of carbon, hydrogen,

oxygen and sulphur.

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Assume a coal of the composition given. Substituting in this formula above

Heating value per pound of dry coal

Coal Composition Calculation:

# Example:
Consider a Pittsburgh seam coal that contains 77.2% C, 5.2% H, 1.2% N, and 2.6%
S, 5.9% O, and 7.9% ash by weight. The ultimate analysis is generally reported on
as received basis, including the moisture in the chemical analysis. The molar
composition may be determined by dividing each of the mass percentages by the
atomic weight of the constituent. For convenience in stoichiometric calculations,
the composition is then normalized with respect to carbon:

Solution:

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Where the SO2 mole fraction has been expressed as parts per million (ppm) on a mole (or
volume) basis, a common form for presenting data on minor species in the gas.