Techno-Economic Analysis of Coal Preparation Plant Design Using Siu-Sim Simulator

Abstract

A new coal preparation plant simulator has been developed to select the most profitable cleaning circuit-configuration based on a comprehensive techno-economic analysis of the feed coal characteristics, equipment performance, capital and operating costs, depreciation, taxes, and net present value (NPV). The resulting flowsheet not only gives the maximum clean coal yield while simultaneously satisfying the product quality and quantity constraints but also generates the maximum revenue within the plant life. The simulator also identifies the optimum operating conditions for individual cleaning circuits. Two sets of feed washability data were used to demonstrate the various features and utilizations of the new simulator. For each set of washability data, maximum yield, after-installation capital cost, operating cost, cost per ton of clean coal, cost per ton of raw coal, and NPV were calculated for the flowsheet used in the plant. The results were compared with the real-life plant operations with respect to product yield, ash content, sulfur content, heating value, and moisture content. The solutions were also compared with those obtained by the constant incremental product ash approach.