The present work investigates utilization of ultrasound in reagent-based coal de-ashing and de-sulfurization. The coal under study was received from Girald mine, Rajasthan, India. Three different ultrasonic frequencies (25kHz, Dual (58/192kHz) and 430kHz) and three reagents (HCl, HNO3 and H2O2) were used. The study employed a Taguchi fractional-factorial L27 DOE. Experimental data were used to derive an empirical model for the prediction of total sulfur removal. The model incorporates cavitational intensity, reagent concentration, sonication time, coal particle size and coal concentration as key parameters. Effects of above factors on reagent-based ultrasonic coal-desulfurization are presented here. An optimum set of process parameters are identified and validated. Larger-scale trial with high-ash and high-sulfur coals is strongly recommended. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Ramamurthy Nagarajan

Department Of Chemical Engineering

Sreenivas Jayanti

ACOUSTIC CAVITATIONS

ASH REMOVAL

COAL CONCENTRATION

Coal particle size

DE-ASHING

Empirical model

Experimental data

HIGH-SULFUR COALS

Key parameters

MICRO-JETS

MICRO-STREAMING

Process parameters

RAJASTHAN , INDIA

REAGENT CONCENTRATION

Taguchi

TOTAL SULFUR

Ultrasonic frequency

Acoustic streaming

cavitation

Desulfurization

Sulfur

Ultrasonics

Coal

IIT Madras is a public technical and research university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Founded in 1959, it is recognised as an Institute of National Importance.

IIT Madras has been ranked as the top engineering institute in India for four years in a row by the National Institutional Ranking Framework of the MHRD

It currently offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees across 16 disciplines in Engineering, Sciences, Humanities and Management. About 596 faculty belonging to science and engineering departments and centres of the Institute are engaged in teaching, research and industrial consultancy.

IIT Madras

Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification

Unburnt coal in a boiler gets converted to fly ash and bottom ash. Fly ash particles travel along with flue gas and get deposited on heat transfer surfaces along the way. Fouling and slagging are phenomena associated with fly ash deposits which could potentially damage the heat transfer surface, if left unattended. Sodium and potassium are directly linked to the deposition of fly ash, as they form a molten salt film which aids in sticking of fly ash particles. Ultrasound is one of the mitigation techniques used to prevent ash deposition. This study aims at reducing the concentrations of alkali metals in coal as a pretreatment method, using ultrasound. Two modes of operation are chosen: continuous and pulsed. A solvent has been used to enhance the leaching process. In the pulsed mode, the sample is alternated between periods of exposure and nonexposure. A maximum leaching rate of 62% for potassium and 24.5% for sodium was observed in the continuous mode at 360 kHz of operation while pulsed mode of operation showed a maximum leaching rate of 91.3% and 54.4% for potassium and sodium operated at 360 kHz, respectively. The experimental data have been fit to the shrinking core model, and the rate-controlling step has been found to be surface diffusion of reactants into the core. The effect of various parameters is analyzed and compared for pulsed and continuous modes of operation. Order of the reaction, activation energy, and leaching kinetics are obtained by fitting the data into the shrinking core model. © 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Chemical Engineering Communications

Mechanistic study of ultrasound-assisted solvent leaching of sodium and potassium from an Indian coal using continuous and pulsed modes of operation

Deposition of fly ash particles onto heat-transfer surfaces is often one of the reasons for unscheduled shut-downs of coal-fired boilers. Fouling deposits encountered in convective sections of a boiler are characterized by arrival of ash particles in solidified (solid) state. Fouling is most frequently caused by condensation and chemical reaction of alkali vapors with the deposited ash particles creating a wet surface conducive to collect impacting ash particles. Hence, the amount of alkali elements present in coals, which, in turn, is available in the flue gas as condensable vapors, determines the formation and growth of fouling deposits. In this context, removal of alkali elements becomes vital when inferior coals having high-ash content are utilized for power generation. With the concept of reducing alkali elements present in a coal entering the combustor, whereby the fouling deposits can either be minimized or be weakened due to absence of alkali gluing effect, the ultrasonic leaching of alkali elements from coals is investigated in this study. Ultrasonic water-washing and chemical-washing, in comparison with agitation, are studied in order to estimate the intensification of the alkali removal process by sonication. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fulltext

Ultrasonics Sonochemistry

Ultrasonic coal washing to leach alkali elements from coals

The present study is focused on fabrication of high-purity submicrometer alumina ceramic particles (predominantly in sub-100 nm range) from micrometer-sized feed (e.g., 70-80 μm) using sonofragmentation. The effects of various parameters such as ultrasonic frequency, feed concentration, sonication time, surfactant, and applied ultrasonic power on sonofragmentation were investigated. Sub-100 nm particle production by sonofragmentation was validated via three metrics, i.e., laser particle size analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and turbidimetry. There is a significant change in color and shape of alumina ceramic particles as a result of sonofragmentation. Higher size reduction ratios are obtained at lower frequencies and at higher input power. Submicrometer particle generation increases as concentration of the feed particles increases, indicating that attrition by interparticle collision is a significant mechanism. The shape of the particles changes from angular to spherical as sonofragmentation time increases. Probe-type sonication produces fragmentation effects that are less uniform than those induced by tank-type ultrasonics. Surfactant plays a significant role in preventing agglomeration, especially as finer fragments are produced with prolonged sonication. © 2008 IEEE.

IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology

Advances in nanoalumina ceramic particle fabrication using sonofragmentation

Cavitation erosion is predominant in pipelines for liquid transportation, causing damage to pipe wall, impeller and their accessories. The present study is focused on development of cavitation -wear resistant nano-ceramic particle-reinforced polymer matrix material; and on study of its feasibility to be used as lining material in hydraulic transportation. The polymer/nano composite is fabricated using power ultrasound in all three process steps: synthesis of nano-dimensional particles of white fused alumina (WFA) from micron size particles, optimized blending and finally reinforcement into poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) matrix. The effect of ultrasonic parameters on nanocomposite/ virgin polymers (like polyethylene and polypropylene) is studied by measuring mass loss of the materials and suspension turbidity during exposure time. At low frequency (20-60 kHz), cavitation intensity is predominant; this effect is utilized for fabricating sub-micron particles, and for performing accelerated cavitation erosion tests. At high frequency, acoustic streaming is predominant; this effect is utilized for blending and reinforcing of the nano ceramic particles into polymer matrix. The size and quantity of the particles generated by cavitation erosion was analyzed by Laser Particle Size Analyzer (20 nm-1400 micron range). The nano-composite coupons were analyzed before and after the ultrasonic erosion test using SEM. It is concluded that lowfrequency sonication is a viable option for cavitaton erosion testing of ceramic/polymer composites. © (2008) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.

Solid State Phenomena

Application of power ultrasound in cavitation erosion testing of nano-ceramic particle/polymer composites

This paper investigates the effect of high-intensity ultrasound on the breakage characteristics of particles suspended in water. A continuous sonicated flow experimental apparatus is used involving a 24 kHz horn type transducer and continuous in-line particle chord length measurement. The effects of sonication power (150-350 W) and temperature (10-50 °C) on the breakage characteristics are investigated. Higher breakage is favored at higher sonication power. An optimum temperature in the range tested is observed to exist between 25 °C and 37 °C. The acoustic cavitation field is influenced by temperature through a complex interplay of vapor pressure, surface tension and viscosity leading to the optimum observed in particle breakage. The efficiency of ultrasound energy conversion to particle breakage is calculated using calorimetry and found along with the net breakage efficiency to initially increase with temperature followed by a decrease after the optimum. It is found to be independent of input ultrasonic power. The effects of contact time is also investigated. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental investigations on ultrasound mediated particle breakage

Ultrasonic cleaning, employing frequencies in the range of 40-200 kHz, is widely used in many industries requiring precision cleanliness in the micrometer to submicron particle size range-e.g., semiconductor wafer fabrication, hard disk drive manufacturing, and integrated circuit assembly. One overriding concern with the use of ultrasonic cleaning for delicate components and assemblies has been the specter of cavitation erosion-surface material loss and other functional degradation due to the impact of shock waves generated by collapsing bubbles and bubble clusters in an oscillating acoustic field. The simultaneous processes of surface cleaning and surface erosion in the presence of a high-frequency ultrasonic field (≥ 58 kHz) are described here mathematically, and the equations are coupled to allow conceptual optimization of parametric settings to maximize cleaning efficiency while minimizing the level of erosion damage. This theoretical analysis is presented for various ultrasonic field conditions (frequency, intensity, etc.), fluid medium properties (viscosity, density), and surface conditions (hardness, smoothness, etc.). The contribution of acoustic streaming to surface cleaning is incorporated in the model, and is shown to have minimal influence on the optimum cluster collapse pressure, but to have a significant effect on the net cleaning efficiency for the surface.

Journal of the IEST

Use of ultrasonic cavitation in surface cleaning: A mathematical model to relate cleaning efficiency and surface erosion rate

Advanced Coal Preparation and Beyond

Precombustion/Postcombustion Desulfurization

Feasibility of using ultrasound-assisted process for sulfur and ash removal from coal

Journal	Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification
ISSN	02552701
Open Access	No