[Stoves] Water in coal

[Crispin Pemberton-Pigott]

Dear Philip

>Pay for cola? A magical new process?  Or a typo for coal?  

I would rather pay for a typo than a new technology, especially a magical
one!

>There are two types of moisture in coal, adherent
>and inherent.

There are several 'semi-coked briquetting plants' going up at the moment in
the mistaken belief that removing the volatiles will reduce the smoke
generated during a typical burning cycle which ranges from 4 to 8 hours.  It
is in many ways like the South African township morning and evening
community coke-making exercises (also called 
'cooking' in local parlance).  Similar total volatiles, slightly lower heat
coal, similar device though the chimney helps speed the fuming.

I don't mind asking the briquetters to reduce the processing temperature to
105. But it would be unwise to reduce the moisture content so much the
cleaning effect is gone.

The present situation is that people are paying for the transport of water
on a per ton basis.  The cost of getting the water out is probably (will
check) less than the value of coal per dry ton so everyone should win by
cooking it just a little at the pit head - there is lots of coal
available...

>Just be careful of the miners - they tend to say that
>if people buy what they have to sell, then the quality 
>is not their problem.

The problem is so serious that the burning of raw coal in domestic boilers
has already been banned on the supposition that the coal not the device is
the problem.  It is very late in the game to get the stove builders into
high gear to come up with working 5 KW devices with low emissions.  The
market is wide open and there are 120,000 homes needing a device.

Any takers?

The dimensions are:

A refuelling time of 4 to 8 hours
Low CO and particulate levels
It must space heat and cook a 500mm diameter wok
Can have a 2.5 to 3 metre chimney 100 to 150 diameter
Have a lifetime in excess of 5 years (typically 4mm mild steel body and cast
iron tops)
Electricity is usually available (an interesting challenge to the fan stove
people)
Fabrication is not an issue.

Stoves will be tested against a reference burner to see how they measure up.
The idea is that developers can't claim the coal will not burn cleanly or
'that clean' as there is a device working they can look at and light and
use. They are looking for paradigm-shifting stoves with modern thought
embodied in them.

Regards
Crispin

No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.12/1203 - Release Date: 30/12/2007
11:27 AM