AKSUM UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF MINES
DEPARTMENT OF MINING
ENGINEERING
COURSE NAME: COAL MINING

Complied by: Fethawi B.

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 CHAPTER ONE

1. COAL MINING
1.1. Introduction to Coal Mining

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 What is coal

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 “COAL” : Derived from SANSKRIT root “KALA” means “black”.
 Used for heating as early as the time of cavemen & by the Romans in
100-200 A.D.

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 WHAT IS COAL?
 Coal is the altered remains of prehistoric vegetation
that originally accumulated in swamps and peat bogs.
 The build-up of silt and other sediments, together with
movements in the earth’s crust (known as tectonic
movements) buried these swamps and peat bogs, often
to great depths.
 With burial, the plant material was subjected to high
temperatures and pressures.
 This caused physical and chemical changes in the
vegetation, transforming it into peat and then into coal.

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 Cont’d
 A fossil fuel formed in ecosystems where plant remains
were abundant.
 A combustible rock formed from the remains of plant life,
mostly made up of carbon- fossil fuel.
 Three hundred million years ago, some plants grew
into giant ferns and mosses.
 Normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins
called coal beds or seams.
 Preserved by wood , mud or acidic water from oxidation
& biodegradation.
 Is a natural black mineral, which is a mixture of free
carbon and compounds of carbon.
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 As coal contains mainly carbon, the slow process of
conversion of dead vegetation into coal is called carbonization.

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 cont’d

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 cont’d
 The wide shallow seas of the Carboniferous period
provided such conditions. 400MM yrs.
 For millions of years, a layer of dead plants at the bottom
of the swamps was covered by layers of water & dirt.
 Heat & overburden pressure change plant remains turn
into coal.
 Trapping the energy of the dead plants.

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 cont’
d

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 Coal Formation
• Coal formation-coal form from the dying and accumulation
of plant matters before it goes through a physical and
chemical transformation. There are 4 primary stages that lead
to coal formation.
1. Accumulation stage: plant matter , where peat(parent matter
of coal) accumulates in fresh water marshes ,swamps ,and rain
forests. accumulation must exceed the oxidation and
biodegradation of the dead matter.
2. Burial and preservation stages : subsidence and freshwater
preservation and burial are critical for coal formation. the
water eventually squeezed out.
3. Diagenesis stage : peat is transformed(metamorphosed ) into coal
through heat and pressure from geochemical process that take
place underground.
4. Coalification stage
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 cont’d
 Composed mostly of Carbon & hydrocarbon with
small quantities of other elements, mainly sulfur.
 Other elements, chiefly sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen and
nitrogen.
 Nonrenewable energy source as it takes millions of years
to create.
 The energy comes from the energy stored by plants.
 A readily combustible black or brownish-black in color
and is a sedimentary rock.

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COAL
FOSSIL FUELS
85% of the world’s
commercial
energythat burn in air to give heat
Fuels “Substances
energy are called fuels”

NATURAL GAS
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OIL 16
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 COAL COMPONENTS

Coal is combined with three components:

 Moisture (M)
 Mineral matter (A)
 Combustible (organic) matter

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 Coal

 Is solid, brittle , varies in color from

brown to dark,
 More or less distinctively stratified,

 Formed by partial to complete decomposition

of vegetation,
 Not fusible with out decomposition and

 Very insoluble.

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 Reasons For Classification Of
 Coal
Variable characteristics of coal (complex material)
 Different boiler furnaces in use,
 Applications in chemical technology and metallurgy,
 Extended trade of coal
Classification of Coal
 Coal Type
 A classification of coal on the basis of the
constituent plant materials;
 Megascopic classification is a “lithotype”.
 Microscopic classifications use
“microlithotypes” and “macerals”.
 Coal Grade
 A classification of coal based on degree of purity i.e.
quantity of ash left after burning;
 Dependent upon amount of mineral matter.
.
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 cont’d
 Describes size, appearance, weight, structure, cleanliness, heat value
and burning characteristics.
 A: Superior < 8% ash
 B: Good: 8-12% ash
 C: Fair: 12-16% ash
 D: Poor >16% ash
 Coal Rank
 The classification of coals according to their degree of
metamorphism or coalification (maturation) in the natural series
from lignite to anthracite.
 Coal is not homogeneous… it needs classification
 Describes extent of geologic change and metamorphism since
deposition as peat
 Note :
 These are independent properties but can vary together spatially
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 Cont’d

 Low Rank  High Rank parallels:

 Loss of recognizable plant remains (macerals)
 Dull  shiny luster
 Increasing hardness
 Increasing Ash content
Coal Rank
LigniteSubbituminousBituminousAnthracite

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 Coal Rank
Fixed Volatil
Ranks of Coal Carbo e Moistur
n Matte e
r
Lignite 29 26 46
Subbituminous 42 34 23
Low-rank/volatile bituminous 47 41 12

Medium-rank/volatile 54 41 5
bituminous
High-rank/volatile bituminous 65 32 3

Low-rank/volatile
semibituminous 75 22 3
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 Classification of Coal
 The term "coal" describe a variety of fossilized
plant materials.
 Coal is made up of a wide variety of minerals.
 But no two coals are exactly alike.
 Considerations when matching specific coals to a particular
application:

 heating value & ash melting temperature,

 sulfur and other impurities,
 mechanical strength,
 chemical and physical properties

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 Classification of Coal…Cont’d
• The carbon content of coal supplies most of its heating value.
 Other factors also influence the amount of energy per unit of weight.
 The amount of energy in coal is expressed in British Thermal Units
(BTU) per pound.
 A BTU is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of
one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit (0.55 ⁰C).
1 BTU = 1.055 kilojoules
 Lignite ranks the lowest & is the youngest of the coals.

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 Broad categories of Coal
COAL
Boghead
Sapropelic coal
coal Cannel
coal

Peat

Lignite
(brown coal)

Bituminous

Humic coal
Anthracite
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 Classification of Coal…Cont’d
 Coal is classified into 4 general categories, or "ranks.“
 They range:
Based on the level of maturity in coal

Peat
Lignite Temperature and Pressure
Increase as depth Increase
Sub bituminous
Bi
tuminous
A
 Reflectingnthracite
the progressive response of individual
deposits of coal to increasing heat and pressure.
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 Classification(Rank)

Classification is based on :
 Level of maturity in coal
 The amounts and types of carbon it contains
 The amount of heat energy it can produce
 The quality of each coal seam/bed is determined by
temperature and pressure and by the length of time in
formation, which is referred to as its ‘organic
maturity’.
 Initially the peat is converted into lignite or ‘brown
coal’
– these are coal types with low organic maturity.
 In comparison to other coals, lignite is quite soft and its
color can range from dark black to various shades of
brown.
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 Classification of Coal…Cont’d

Peat:
 Peat is the first stage of coal.
 It is the most inferior variety of coal.
 Which contains 10-15% of carbon.
 When it is burnt, it produces a lot of smoke.

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 Classification of Coal…Cont’d
Lignite
 Is a variety of coal intermediate b/n peat & bituminous coal.
 Comparatively recent origin with lowest energy content.
 Were not subjected to extreme heat or pressure.
 Has high moisture content (30% water) & is crumble.
 Contains much volatile matter, and is usually brownish black.
 Contains 25-35% of carbon.
 Produces a lot of smoke on being ignited.

Mainly burned at power plants to generate

electricity.

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 Classification of Coal…Cont’d
Sub-bituminous

 Ranking below bituminous coal.

 With 35-45 % carbon content.
 Heat value between 8,300 - 13,000 BTUs/per-pound.
 Though low heat value, generally has a lower sulfur
content than others.
 Lower Sulfur makes it attractive for use as it is cleaner
burning.

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 Primarily used to generate electricity and make coke for the
Classification of Coal…Cont’d
steel industry.
 The fastest growing market for coal though still a small one,
is supplying heat for industrial processes.
 Has a carbon content ranging from 45 to 86%.
 Heat value of 10,500 to 15,000 BTU/pound.

It is also called soft coal.

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 Classification of Coal…Cont’d
Anthracite
 A coal with the highest carbon content (86 to 98%).
 A heat value of nearly 15,000 BTUs/pound.
 Has a heating value slightly lower than bituminous coal why?
 Most frequently associated with home heating.
 Is a very small segment of the U.S. coal market.

It is also called hard coal.

Is one of the most superior variety.

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 Classification of Coal…Cont’d
 The harder forms, anthracite coal can be regarded as
metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated
Temperature & Pressure.

Anthracite
Coal

 Extracted by underground mining or open pit mining

/surface
mining.
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 Variation of selected coal properties with coal rank

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 ANALYSIS OF COAL
 Proximate Analysis–content (wt%)
of:
 Moisture :M,
 Ash : A,
 Volatile matter: VM.
 Caloric values: HCV and LCV.

 Ultimate Analysis:–(wt%):
Elements content: C, H, O, S, N, P, ...(wt%)

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 Detailed Classification of Coals By Rank

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