Process for beneficiation of coal and associated apparatus
AssigneeViking Systems International, Inc.
InventorAmol A. Kulkarni
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Abstract
A process for removing mineral matter from coal is disclosed. The process involves creating ultrafine coal by pulverizing the coal feed material and mixing it with an aqueous amine solution. The coal/amine solution is fed into a flotation cell and gaseous carbon dioxide is charged into the cell. The carbon dioxide reacts with the amine solution to form bubbles which carry the "clean" coal component of the coal feed material to the top of the cell for subsequent removal from the cell. The bubbles are reduced in size as they move up within the cell. The mineral matter, which is heavier than the clean coal, stays at the bottom of the cell and can be removed spearately. The amine and the carbon dioxide used in the process can be recycled. An associated apparatus is also disclosed.
Claims15
A process for separating coal particles from mineral matter in a raw coal feed material containing said coal particles and said mineral matter comprising the steps of
- mixing said raw coal feed material with an aqueous amine solution to create an aqueous slurry,
- introducing said aqueous slurry into a lower portion of a flotation cell,
- charging said lower portion of said cell with gas containing carbon dioxide so as to create bubbles,
- creating turbulence in said aqueous slurry by said charging of said gas, so that said coal particles attach to said bubbles,
- reducing the size of said bubbles by about 50% to 90% as said bubbles rise from said lower portion of said cell to said upper portion of said cell by operating the cell under conditions such that the carbon dioxide chemically reacts with said amine solution,
- transporting said coal particles by means of said rising bubbles to an upper portion of said cell, and
- removing said coal particles from said upper portion of said cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.