Sampling of Coal

1. Sampling of Coal Dr kalyan sen Director, Central Fuel Research Institute, Dhanbad, 2003

2. Quality Monitoring (QM) of Coalis an essential requirement for process control, plant performance or for any commercial transaction between Consumer and Producer QM requires proper implementation of standard sampling, preparation and test procedures

3. Objective To collect a representative portion of fuel (coal)for determinationof quality parameters.

4. Purpose • Commercial Transaction • Location Normally at Loading point • Parameters Ash, TM, 60% RH moisture, GCV • Quality Parameters for Power Generation • Location Normally at unloading point • Parameters Ash, TM, GCV, VMS, N, Maceral composition

5. Steps for quality assessment • Sampling • Sample preparation • Analysis

6. Coal is heterogeneous material • Very difficult to achieve highest level of Sampling precision • In terms of variance • 80 % is from Sampling • 20 % is from preparation & analysis • Overall precision is influenced primarily due to Sampling • Utmost importance need to be given for Sampling

7. Sampling methods depend on • mechanical or manual sampling • sampling from moving belt • sampling from stationary lot (wagon, stockpile, etc.)

8. MovingStream Auto-mechanical sampling system Manual Stationarylot,Wagon, Stockpiles,etc. Auto-mechanical Auger Manual Samplingtypes

9. Sampling variance is a function of product variability i.e. different results can be obtained from • same increments for different coal • different increments for same coal

10. The objective is to reduce the sampling variance as far as practicable

11. Any Sampling scheme normally conforms with the national or international standards (BIS/ISO/ASTM, etc.) Constraint - technical, cost and time Thus modifications in sampling procedures are necessary with mutual agreement between parties

12. Precision • measures the closeness of data in given condition • indicates the reproducibility of the results • measures the chance error as expressed by variance SMALLER THE RANDOM ERROR, PRECISE IS THE METHOD A commonly accepted index of precision is twice the population standard deviation

13. Precision depends on • Variability of coal • number of samples from a lot • number of increments comprising each sample • mass of sample related to the nominal top size

14. Precision PL = 2 * Sqrt [VI/m*n + VPT/m] n = no. of increments m = no. of sub lotsVI = Primary increment varianceVPT = Preparation & testing variancePL = Overall precision at 95% confidence level

15. Bias Systematic error which leads to the average value of a series of results being persistently higher or lower than those which are obtained using a reference sampling method which is intrinsically unbiased

16. Reference method of sampling is ‘Stop Belt Method’ (free of Bias)

17. DesignofSamplingScheme Basic Principles Both for Mechanical & Manual systems

18. General scheme for sampling . . . • Decide purpose of sampling e.g. plant performance, process control, commercial transaction • Identify the quality parameters, viz., general analysis, TM, size, washability, etc. • Define the lot • Define the precision required • Decide whether continuous or intermittent sampling is required

19. General scheme for sampling . . contd.. • Determine the number of sub-lots, increments to achieve the required precision. • Determine the nominal top size of the coal • Determine the min. mass/ increment and the min. mass of the total sample • Decide on the method of combining the different increments for gross sample • Decide on drawing common or separate samples, for analysis

20. General principle of Sampling • Primary increments should account for the Variability • Equal probability to all particles to be selected and included in the sample • Largest particle of the lot should pass freely through the sample device • Sufficient mass of the sample to enable particles to be present in the same ratio as in the lot

21. SAMPLING FOR COMMERCIAL TRANSACTION • Joint Sampling • Washed coking coal • Power coal

22. Joint sampling • at loading point - by customer and producer on mutually agreed methods • at both ends - mean value • bonus/penalty to producer for values beyond agreed tolerance limits • requires periodic testing • . . . Unfortunately rarely practiced in India

23. Reasons for discrepancies in results • level of precision not defined • Non-identical procedures for sampling at both ends • manual sampling results in large human error • deviation in procedures from agreed one

24. Primary requirements for development of a methodology • testing for estimation of the variances, Viand Vpt • decision on level of precision of the ash value • calculation for no. of sub-lot and increment /sublot at desired precision from known values of variances • estimation of precision for the existing procedure • estimation of min. mass/ sub-lot form the std. Table • estimation of min. mass/ increment

25. SAMPLING SCHEME is designed based on the above test The procedure can significantly reduce the discrepancies in the results at both ends

26. Sampling of washed coking coal Samples are drawn from the • Automatic mechanical Sampler (AMS) • Conveyor Belt For day to day quality monitoring, samples are reduced by offline and/or manual means to analyze ASH & TOTAL MOISTURE

27. Sampling of Power Coal Best option: AMS at loading/ unloading point AMS for coal x200mm or above is not a proper choice to ascertain quality parameter Suggestion: sampling on crushed coal below 50mm or preferably at 20mm

28. Where AMS is non-existing/ non-functioning , sampling may be done for the time being, at loading point from the wagon by manual means • Wagon top sampling is difficult, because • segregation occurs because of large size • impractical to collect sample from the full depth • introduces bias due to manual operation Suggestion: smaller size (< 50mm) of the sample

29. Periodictests • Estimate of overall precision • Estimation of increment variance • Estimation of preparation & testing variance If the overall precision is different fromthe desired one then, number of increment& sub lot to be modified accordingly.

30. Alternative LongTerm • Auto mechanical sampling system at Sampling points • Auto mechanical Augers from the wagons

31. Alternative ShortTerm • Estimation of variance of sampling, sample preparation & testing • Design a practical procedure for routine implementation • Perform periodic test for checking

32. Conclusion: • Choice of Sampling methodology depending on the purpose • Efforts to reduce the sampling variance to a min. possible limit • Sampling on mechanically crushed coal below 50mm • Preferable size is 20mm ( feed to most power plants)

33. Conclusion…………contd. • Replacement of manual sampling method by AMS • In absence of AMS, manual wagon top sampling of this size would give better results • In absence of AMS, manual sampling from wagon top can be done as an temporary option, following the prescribed methodology

34. Ash Sample Preparation • Gross Sample • Air dry & Crush to 12.5 mm • Air dry (if required oven dry at 35 deg but not more than 2 h at a time) • Reduce the sample to 2 kg • Divide into 4 parts • 2 parts (Reserve); 1 part (212 micron) & 1 part (212 micron) • 1 part preserve as check sample • 1 part divide using laboratory divider (2 samples) • Sample A1 Sample A2

35. Total Moisture Sample Preparation Gross Sample Record Initial wt. Air dry Record wt. Stage 1 loss% Y Size Crush to 12.5mm 12.5 mm above ? N Oven dry 35deg not exceed 2h Stage 2 loss% Record wt. Reduce 2.5kg Crush to 2.8mm Divide into 4 parts RESERVE Sample A Sample B Stage 3 Moist. 10g, 108deg, 2h

36. Common Sample Preparation Common Bottle Sample Record Initial wt. Air dry Stage 1 loss% Record wt. Oven dry 35deg not exceed 2h Stage 2 loss% Record wt. Divide into 2 parts Divide Crush to 2.8mm Crush to 2.8mm Crush to 2.8mm Divide into 2 parts Sample A Sample B RESERVE Stage 3 Moist. 10g, 108deg, 2h Sample C Ash

37. THANKS