Impact of conditions of coal supply to hard-to-reach northern areas on its useful properties

Abstract

Hard-to-reach northern areas of Russia are supplied with coal via complex and extended delivery chains. Long-term storage and large haulage distances between the coal production sites and the heat power generation points result in degradation of useful properties of coal and its high quantitative losses. The authors discuss the causes of change in the fuel quality as it travels from production faces to boiler-houses, as the consequences of lower quality fuel burning. The current approaches to alteration of coal properties are reviewed. The influence of oxidation and cryogenic effects is analyzed. Assuming the delivery chains as the integrated systems in blocks and their performance evaluation by the final result allows disengaging new reserves in quality management. An element of the refreshed quality management can be technological and managerial procedures in open pit coal mining and in pre-treatment of coal before shipment.