CLASSIFICATION OF COAL

By Satyajit Rout

TERMS USED
V(VM) : volatile matter content C : Carbon content A : ash content M : moisture content O: oxygen N: nitrogen H: hydrogen, S: sulfur daf: dry ash free basis dmmf: dry mineral matter free basis BTU: British thermal unit

CLASSIFICATION AND ITS OBJECTIVE

Classification means classifying or categorising objects as per their characteristics or property. Objective is to place like things together and separate things that differs.

CLASSIFICATION OF COAL

Coal is a naturally available heterogeneous organic mass. So very difficult to classify.

Hence for last 150 years many attempts have been made. Since then many system of classifications have classified coals according to different classification basis.

Followings are examples of such classification system.

CLASSIFICATION BY VISUAL CHARACTERS

Category Attributes Flame

Brown coal/lignite

Brown colour, woody structure Black and banded Black and lustrous

----------------

Bituminous coal Anthracite

Smoky yellow flame Burns without flame

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON THEIR SOURCE OF GENESIS: HUMIC AND SAPROPELIC COAL

Humic coal: Those developed from terrestrial plant debris that was exposed to atmosphere and passed through peat stage Higher plant kingdom is source Sapropelic coal: Developed from plankton, algae, terrestrial plant but in anaerobic or Lacustrine condition. E.g. bog head coal, cannel coals

CLASSIFICATION BY ULTIMATE ANALYSIS: 1. REGNAULT-GRNER-BROSQUET SYSTEM

First attempt in 1837 Based on the C, H, O content Only includes coal with more than 75% carbon on d.a.f basis. Initially Regnault gave a system considering only O+N but later modified

Classification table of Regnault-Grner-Brosquet system

2. SYLERS CLASSIFICATION
The complete system was published in 1899 %age of C, N, O and H is considered in dry ash sulfur free basis His classification divided coal into 7 carbon planes and 2 hydrogen planes. The 7 carbon planes are Anthracite (>93.3% C) Carbonaceous (91.2-93.3% C ) Bituminous
1. 2. 3.

Meta(91.2-89% C) Ortho(87-89% C) Para (84-87% C)

SEYLERS CLASSIFICATION (CTD)

Lignitous
1. 2.

Meta (80-84% C) Ortho (75-80% C) Per- hydrous(>5.8% of H) Sub hydrous(< 4% of H)

Hydrogen planes
1. 2.

Disadvantages Complex naming Inadequate classification for low rank coals Applicable only to British Carboniferous Coal

SEYLERS CHART

3. GROUT AND RALSTON CLASSIFICATION

In 1907 Grout plotted C, H, O contents of American Coal on a tri-axial diagram. The plot separated cannel coal(high H) from ordinary coal Classification was based on dry-ash free analysis including fixed C and Total C In1915 Ralston extended the study and found coal of equal Volatile matter(isovols) and equal calorific value(isocals) can be represented by straight lines in the triangle.

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON PROXIMATE

ANALYSIS

Moisture, volatile matter, ash, fixed carbon content play the role of criteria fuel ratio which is fixed carbon/volatile matter is used most Rogers classification: in 1858 he divided coals into 4 groups on basis of %age V, M,Ash.

1.

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON PROXIMATE

ANALYSIS
2.

Frazers classification: In 1877, he used fuel ratio to classify coal as given:

Sl no 1. 2. 3. 4. Coal type Anthracite Semi anthracite Semi bituminous Bituminous Fuel ratio 100-12 8-12 5-8 0-5

Coals of lower rank than bituminous were not considered Study was on only Pennsylvania coal.

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON PROXIMATE

ANALYSIS
3.

Campbell classification: also based on fuel ratio but all coals below 5 FR were taken as bituminous coal In 1926, he combined fuel ratio to different characteristics for distinguishing lower rank coal.
Sl no. 1. 2. 3. 4. Coal type Anthracite Semi anthracite Semi bituminous Bituminous fuel ratio 10-50 5-10 2.5-5 <2.5

CLASSIFICATION INVOLVING BOTH PROXIMATE ANALYSIS AND CALORIFIC VALUE:

1.

Parrs classification: He considered Volatile Carbon, Total Carbon, inert volatile matter and gross coal index(C+ available H+ S) The basis was Volatile carbon X 100/Total carbon. He gave a new classification in 1928, where he used following formula (indicated BTU-50S) X100 Unit B.T.U=--------------------------------------100-(1.08A +0.55S)

PARRS CLASSIFICATION
[V as determined-(0.8A+0.4S)]X 10 unit VM=-----------------------------------------------100-(1.08A +0.55S)
Class Anthracite semi Anthracite Bituminous A Bituminous B Bituminous C Bituminous D Lignite Peat % unit VM 0-8 8-12 12-24 25-50 30-55 35-60 35-60 55-80 Unit BTU 15000-16500 15000-16500 15000-16500 15000-16500 14000-15000 12500-14000 11000-12500 9000-110000

A.S.T.M. CLASSIFICATION
It classifies coal to 4 broad classes based on fixed carbon and calorific value (BTU) on dry mineral matter free basis. Applicable only to vitrinite rich coal and excludes southern Gondwanaland coal Gross Heating Value found on a moist and mineral matter free basis. Moist refers to the natural inherent water contained (MJ/kg X 430.11=Btu/lb). Coals containing 69 wt % or more fixed carbon on a dry mmf basis are ranked according to their fixed carbon content regardless of their Gross Heating Value.

Class or Rank

Fixed Carbon (wt % dry Volatile Matter (wt % dry mmf) mmf) Group Equal or greater than 98 92 86 Greater than Equal or less than 2 8 14

Gross Heating Value (MJ/kg moist mmf) Equal or greater than Less than

Less than

Anthracitic

1. Meta-anthracite 2. Anthracite 3. Semi-anthracite 1. Low-volatile bituminous 2. Medium-volatile bituminous 3. High-volatile A bituminous 4. High-volatile B bituminous 5. High-volatile C bituminous

98 92

2 8

78 69

86 78

14 22

22 31

32.55
30.23 26.74 24.41

Bituminous

------------

69
--------

31
-------

----------

32.55 30.23 26.74

Sub-bituminous A Subbituminous Sub-bituminous B Sub-bituminous C

Lignite A Lignite B

24.41 22.09 19.30

26.74 24.41 22.09

19.30 14.65

Lignite

14.65

CLASSIFICATION BY NATIONAL COAL BOARD

Specifically designed for commercial use Rank based Uses 3 digit code to identify main class, class and subclass to which a coal belongs Applicable to vitrinite rich coal Volatile matter in dmmf basis and Gray-King coke type values are considered.

Class 101 102 201 202 203 204 206 301 305 306 401 402 501 502 601 602 701 702 801 802 901

Volatile matter1) (weight %) < 6.1 Anthracites 3.1 - 9.0 9.1 - 13.5 13.6 - 15.0 15.1 - 17.0 17.1 - 19.5 19.1 - 19.5 19.6 - 32.0 19.6 - 32.0

General description

Dry steam coals

Cooking steams coals

Low volatile steam coals

Heat altered low volatile steam coals Prime cooking coals Medium volatile coals Mainly heat altered coals

19.6 - 32.0 32.1 - 36.0 Very strongly coking coals > 36.0 32.1 - 36.0 Strongly coking coals > 36.0 32.1 - 36.0 Medium coking coals > 36.0 High volatile coals 32.1 Weakly coking coals > 36.0 32.1 - 36.0 Very weakly coking coals > 36.0 32.1 - 36.0

INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF HARD

COAL Mainly for anthracites and bituminous coal but covers fairly all kinds Uses 14 digit code that defines 8 parameters namely

1.

2.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

vitrinite reflectance Reflectogram characteristics Inertinite content Exinite/liptinite content Caking property(FSI) 2 for VM 2 for Ash 2 for S 2 for gross calorific value

CLASSIFICATION OF INDIAN COAL

Scientific Coding of Indian Coal 3 basic parameters and 1 supplementary parameter 1st digit (1-9) corresponds to Calorific value (dmmf) 2nd (0-9) one Volatile matter (dmmf) 3rd (0-5)one Coke type 4th (1-6) one: Maximum thickness of plastic layer for Caking coal and M % for non caking.

GRADING OF INDIAN COAL

For grading of Non-Coking coal useful heat value is used, which is calculated by HU= 8900- 138(ash + moisture) kcal/kg
1. 2.

if M<2% and VM< 19% then deduct 150 kcal/kg for each 1% reduction in VM M at 40 c and 60% RH

Grading does not include coal from North East India

Grading of coking coal is done as per their ash content

GRADING OF NON- COKING COAL

Grade A B C D E F G Useful heat value(kcal/kg) >6200 5601-6200 4941-5600 4201-4940 3361-4200 2401-3360 1301-2400

GRADING OF COKING COAL

Grades Steel I Steel II Washery grade I Washery grade II Ash content <15% 15-18% 18-21% 21-24%

Washery grade III Washery grade IV

Semi coking I Semi coking II Hard coke by product premium Ordinary Beehive premium Beehive superior Beehive Ordinary

24-28% 28-35%
<19%(A+M) 19-24%(A+M) <25% 25-30% <27% 27-31% 32-36%

CLASSIFICATION FOR EXPORT PURPOSE

Grade
Selected

Low volatile
<13% A; >7000 cal

High volatile
<11% A; <6% M; >6800 cal

First
Second Third

<15% A; >6500 cal

<18% A; >6000 cal ---------------------------

<13% A, <9% M; >6300cal

<16% A;<10% M; >6000 cal ------------------------

REFERENCE
Sarkar S. (1988), Fuels and Combustion, Orient Longman Publication, 2nd edition, pp-71-85 Rose H.J.(1945),Chemistry of Coal Utilisation, John Wiley & Sons, Vol. I, pp 25-80 Berkowitz N (1994), An Introduction to Coal Technology, Academic Press, 2nd edition, pp-61-72 Classification and Codification of Indian Coals and Lignite, IS:770-1977 Krishnan M.S. (1940), Classification of Coal, Vol. III

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