Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
  • C10L—FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE OR UNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; FIRELIGHTERS
  • C10L5/00—Solid fuels
  • C10L5/02—Solid fuels such as briquettes consisting mainly of carbonaceous materials of mineral or non-mineral origin
  • C10L5/06—Methods of shaping, e.g. pelletizing or briquetting
  • C10L5/10—Methods of shaping, e.g. pelletizing or briquetting with the aid of binders, e.g. pretreated binders
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
  • C10L—FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE OR UNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; FIRELIGHTERS
  • C10L5/00—Solid fuels
  • C10L5/02—Solid fuels such as briquettes consisting mainly of carbonaceous materials of mineral or non-mineral origin
  • C10L5/04—Raw material of mineral origin to be used; Pretreatment thereof

Definitions

• the present invention is concerned with fuel briquettes and, in particular, fuel briquettes suitable for open fire use.
• fuel briquettes are made from fine coals having low smoke emission, such as anthracite.
• a fuel briquette comprising fuel particles bonded together by means of a cured organic binder, wherein the fuel particles comprise coal having a volatiles content of 10 to 14%, a fixed carbon content of 77 to 87% (such as 78 to 85%), and an ash content of 3 to 8% (such as 3 to 7%), all percentages being by weight on a dry basis.
• the fuel particles typically have a moisture content of up to 15%, a sulphur content not exceeding 2% (for example, not more than 1%), a chlorine content not exceeding 1% (for example, not more than 0.1%), these percentages being again by weight, and a calorific value of 28,000 to 36,000 kJ/kg (such as 32000 to 35000 kJ/kg) on a dry basis.
• the coal used in the briquettes according to the invention may be dry steam coal; in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the coal may be a blend of two or more of anthracite coal, coking coal, lignite, bituminous or semi-bituminous coal or petroleum coke.
• the coal may further contain one or more ash modification agents wihch are such as to improve the combustion properties of the briquettes by reducing the volume of uncombusted carbonaceous material falling into the undergrade.
• ash modification agents wihch are such as to improve the combustion properties of the briquettes by reducing the volume of uncombusted carbonaceous material falling into the undergrade.
• Preferred examples of such materials are iron oxide, magnesium sulphate, or sodium orthophosphate (or a mixture of two or more thereof).
• Such ash modification agents may be present in an amount of 0.05 to 3% by weight, based on the weight of the coal.
• the briquettes according to the invention are particularly suitable for open fire use, by virtue of their relatively high volatiles content (compared to anthracite), which is, however somewhat lower than current commercial products for open fire burning.
• the briquettes according to the invention have a sufficiently high volatile content to make them easily ignitable, but longer burning than most current commercial open fire products.
• the briquettes according to the invention are capable of meeting statutory requirements for smokeless fuels, and can have very satisfactory physical strength.
• the present invention further comprises a briquetting process, which comprises mixing fuel particles comprising coal as defined above with a minor amount of a curable binder, forming the mix into briquettes, and allowing the binder to cure.
• the fuel particles typically have a particle size of not exceeding 22mm, such as 0 to 6 millimetres.
• the particle size generally corresponds to what is known as "duff".
• the binder used in the briquettes according to the invention may comprise, for example, a polyvinyl alcohol (e.g., as disclosed in GB2138442 or EP135785), molasses (e.g., as disclosed in GB2181449 or GB2187754), bitumen, starch, or a lignosulphonate.
• a polyvinyl alcohol e.g., as disclosed in GB2138442 or EP135785
• molasses e.g., as disclosed in GB2181449 or GB2187754
• bitumen e.g., as disclosed in GB2181449 or GB2187754
• bitumen e.g., as disclosed in GB2181449 or GB2187754
• bitumen e.g., as disclosed in GB2181449 or GB2187754
• bitumen e.g., as disclosed in GB2181449 or GB2187754
• the binder should be such that it is curable at less than 500°C; more preferred are binders which are curable at less than 350°C (such as 150 to 350°C). Curing is, accordingly, preferably carried out at a temperature in the range of 300-350°C.
• the mix may be formed into briquettes by any conventional technique, such as extrusion, roll-pressing, die-pressing, or rotary table pressing.
• the resulting briquettes may, if desired, be post-treated so as to improve their water-resistance, appearance, or other properties, by any conventional technique.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
• Geology (AREA)
• Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Solid Fuels And Fuel-Associated Substances (AREA)

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Publications (2)

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Cited By (7)

Citations (5)

• 1990
  • 1990-02-23 EP EP19900301942 patent/EP0385665A3/de not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (5)

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