Some aspects of the role of coal thermoplasticity and coke structure in coal gasification: 3. The effect of rank, pitch and sodium carbonate on Brabender plastometry parameters

Abstract

The thermoplastic properties of coal are a significant factor in determining gasification behaviour in most gasification processes. This investigation has involved the use of constant shear rate (Brabender) plastometry to study the plastic properties of a wide range of coals varying from 101 to 902 in the NCB Classification. The results obtained show more complex behaviour during the carbonization process than reported previously and are compared with ASTM Gieseler plastometry and BS dilatometry results. Some coals have two peaks in the caking region of the plastometry curve. This has been attributed to an initial peak corresponding to softening of the coal followed by caking due to active decomposition. The phenomenon was observed for coals with ranks 301a to 602, the temperature difference between the peaks being largest for the prime coking coals. It has been shown that this technique produces much additional information about the initial phase of the carbonization process. The effect of pitch and sodium carbonate addition on the plastometry parameters has also been studied. The results show that small amounts of these additives can radically change the plastometry curves. Pitch increases the plastic range whereas sodium carbonate reduces it. The addition of sodium carbonate tends to modify the plastometry curves so that they are similar to coals of lower rank whereas pitch addition, in general, tends to increase fluidity and, in the case of low-rank coals, produces plastometry curves similar but not identical to higher-rank coals.