Tracking and properties control system for bulk materials

A method of tracking bulk materials in at least one container drained by gravity, comprising:

• adding bulk material, which has different grades, to a container;
• seeding the bulk material with identifiable tags, wherein said tags are associated with physical properties of the bulk material's grade;
• monitoring placement of said identifiable tags in said container and when said identifiable tags exit said container;
• and
• adjusting delivery of the bulk material to said container based on the monitored flow of the bulk material therethrough.

A method for tracking coal in a coal-fired power plant using radio frequency identification markers, comprising:

• receiving coal at a receiving station;
• designating physical properties of received coal as preliminary material data;
• writing to identifiable tags from said preliminary material data, and sending tag information and said preliminary material data to a controller;
• distributing said identifiable tags within the coal;
• segregating the coal into sections according to said preliminary data;
• blending the coal from at least one of said sections at a blending station;
• designating revised physical properties of the blended coal as revised material data;
• updating said identifiable tags in the blended coal with said revised material data;
• sending updated tag information and revised material data to said controller;
• delivering the blended coal to a furnace to generate a desired power output;
• and
• generating signals by said controller to control blending and delivering to obtain a desired mixture of the coal supplied to said furnace.