Computer simulation of coal preparation plants

Abstract

Coal preparation is a procedure for removing physical impurities, such as ash and pyritic sulfur, from freshly mined coal. This paper describes the development of a computer simulation model for predicting the performance of coal preparation plants. The model allows the user to interconnect individual plant components into whatever configuration may be of interest. A provision for recycle streams is also included. The paper presents a discussion of the computational methods used for each of the unit operations, and a description of the executive routine. Several examples are presented which illustrate the use of the simulator to verify theoretical predictions and to predict the performance of a realistic plant configuration.