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US 2011/0252701 A1Published application
Systems and methods for recovering fine particles from fluid suspensions for combustion
AssigneeSoane Mining, LLC
InventorsDavid Soane, Nathan Ashcraft
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Abstract
The present invention provides compositions, systems and methods for using coal from coal processing sources to remove coal fines from a mixture and form a coal-on-coal composite particle.
Claims19
A system for removing coal fines from a fluid, comprising:
- a fluid containing a population of suspended coal fines;
- an activator polymer added to the fluid to complex with the suspended coal fines to form activated coal fines, the activated coal fines residing within the fluid volume;
- and
- an anchor particle complexed with a tethering agent to form tether-bearing anchor particles, the tether-bearing anchor particles being mixed with the fluid volume to contact the activated coal fines, the tether-bearing anchor particles being capable of complexing with the activated coal fines to form complexes removable from the fluid,
- wherein the complexes removable from the fluid comprise a composite material comprising complexed coal fines and anchor particles.
2 more elements
A method for removing coal fines from a fluid, comprising:
- providing an activator polymer capable of interacting with a population of coal fines suspended in a fluid;
- adding the activator polymer to the population to form activated coal fines;
- providing an anchor particle;
- complexing the anchor particle with a tethering agent capable of complexing with the activated coal fines, thereby forming tether-bearing anchor particles;
- mixing the tether-bearing anchor particles with the activated coal fines to form a complex removable from the fluid, the complex comprising a composite material comprising coal fines and anchor particles;
- and
- removing the composite material from the fluid.
4 more elements
An energy-bearing pellet comprising a composite material comprising activated coal fines complexed to combustible tether-bearing anchor particles.
An energy-bearing pellet, comprising:
- a composite material comprising an energy-containing fine material and a combustible anchor particle in a complex, the complex further comprising an interacting pair of polyelectrolytes, wherein the first of the pair of polyelectrolytes is bound to the energy-containing fine material and the second of the pair of polyelectrolytes is bound to the combustible anchor particle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.