US 4,392,438 AGranted

Coal transport system

AssigneeR & D Associates

InventorJames L. Dooley

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Abstract

Coal energy is delivered from the mine to a distant point of use by a system involving the pulverization of the coal at the mine, and carrying it as a nonexplosive suspension in a pipeline or conduit, with high pressure coal gas which is made at the mine being employed as the transport medium. At the delivery point, the gas, as well as the coal dust can be fired directly into the furnace, or the coal can be separated from the coal gas and stored. Arrangements are provided for insuring that the finely pulverized coal may be maintained in suspension within the transport pipe, and such arrangements may include spiraling vanes to insure that settling particles are reintroduced into the main gas stream, and separate sections within the pipe, or a supplemental pipe for the high pressured gas to permit restarting of the flow in the event of a power failure and the settling out of the particles.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An economical system for transporting coal from a first location where coal is abundant and inexpensive to a utilization point, as a non-explosive particulate suspension in gas comprising:

means for forming coal gas from coal at said first location;
means for pulverizing coal into very fine particles at said first location;
an extended length conduit more than one mile in length extending from said first location to said utilization point;
means for compressing said coal gas at said first location;
means for supplying said coal particles and the pressurized coal gas to said conduit with the coal particles suspended in said coal gas to form a non-explosive two phase system;
means for collecting and utilizing both said coal particles and said coal gas at the other end of said extended conduit;
and
means for maintaining said coal particles in suspension in said coal gas as the suspension passes through the conduit,
said means for maintaining said coal particles in suspension including means for rotating the suspension as it passes along the length of said conduit comprising vanes mounted within said conduit and oriented at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of said conduit.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.