Flash pyrolysis of Australian coals: Effects of pre-oxidation and of oxygen in the inlet gases on formation of agglomerated material

Abstract

Addition of oxygen to nitrogen in the inlet gas during flash pyrolysis at 600 °C reduced the amount of char agglomerate formed from a relatively strongly caking Liddell seam coal and a weakly caking Millmerran seam coal. The reduction of agglomeration was significant over the entire ranges of variables used, viz, oxygen concentrations in the inlet gas of 2.62–10.5% (v/v) and oxygen to coal ratios of 0.02–0.12 (wt/wt). Pre-oxidation at 400 °C with solids residence times below 2 s, inlet concentrations of oxygen up to 10.5% and oxygen to coal ratios up to 0.10 (wt/wt) also effectively reduced agglomeration of Liddell coal. In terms of minimizing the oxygen requirement to obtain essentially nonagglomerating solids, the preferred method was found to be pre-oxidation followed by oxidative pyrolysis. The reduction of agglomeration by oxygen appears to be due to a combination of the extent of coal oxidation and the extents of polymerization and chemical condensation of the coal structure.