Investigation of the Process of Water Stripping from Coal Particles by the Aeromechanical Method

The article describes the existing problem of achieving the required moisture content of coal at coal preparation plants and loading complexes, which is especially evident in winter when transporting coal over long distances. Instead of explosion- and fire-hazardous expensive thermal drying, an aeromechanical method of dehydrating small coal classes by tearing off the surface moisture of coal particles in the flow is proposed. The possibility of using this technological process in the coal industry was studied at the VNIIgidrougol Institute (Novokuznetsk) by a group of scientists led by senior engineer L. D. Podlutskiy. The advantages of the aeromechanical method and the limitations of its application are shown. The energy efficiency of the method is determined in comparison with thermal drying. An experimental setup has been developed and created to confirm the efficiency of the method when using coals of various grades and ash content. The process of tearing off the surface moisture from the coal particles is carried out in the neck of the Venturi tube, and the dehydrated coal particles are captured in the settling chamber. The high-pressure fan 30TsS‑85 is used as the blowing equipment.