Kentucky still believes coal power is king. At least that’s what a recent AP article reported after Kentucky’s legislature wrapped up work on a bill “meant to lay the foundation for nuclear energy in a state where coal has been king for generations, fueling the economy.” Although investments in that state have recently been dedicated to hydroelectric facilities and nuclear energy, a Kentucky legislator stressed that nuclear energy is meant to complement — not supplant — coal as an energy source. The author of the article noted that Kentucky still generates 68% of its electricity from coal.
The USGS defines coal as “a sedimentary deposit composed predominantly of carbon that is readily combustible. Coal is black or brownish-black, and has a composition that (including inherent moisture) consists of more than 50 percent by weight and more than 70 percent by volume of carbonaceous material. It is formed from plant remains that have been compacted, hardened, chemically altered, and metamorphosed by heat and pressure over geologic time.”
According to the USGS mineral commodity summary of 2024, total mine production (in million dollars) for coal was 31,700 for 2023, with 41,000 worker in the coal mining industry in the US.
Coal-Fired Power Plants
Coal is mainly used as fuel to generate electric power in the US, especially by large industrial plants, steel making facilities, mining and mineral operations, and cement producers – as well as many homes across the country.
Globally, coal-fired power plants face increasing demands for cost saving and process optimization, health and safety concerns, and environmental regulations. Every year over a billion tons of coal are burned in the US alone, with 90% of that being used for electricity generation. There are advanced technologies and solutions to optimize the entire process of taking coal from the mine to the boiler and then on to deliver power generation in an effort to make this process more efficient, reliable, sustainable, and safer.
Precision materials measurement and coal quality analysis are two ways to help ensure personnel and plant safety, and emissions regulations are met.
Coal Analysis Technologies
Coal exists in various forms including lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous, and anthracite. Each contains varying amounts of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon, and as a result they have different combustion properties. Online elemental coal analyzers and blending software measure the composition of coal in real-time and proactively address process variations to help ensure more consistent coal blends that are optimal for a particular plant.
Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) technology can help provide accurate, reliable data to control coal blends and help ensure on-spec batches for coal-fired power generation plants.
PGNAA is a noncontact, non-destructive analytical technique used in online analysis systems to determine the elemental composition of coal. This technique is known collectively as neutron activation analysis and function by bombarding materials with neutrons. Using PGNAA to analyze the incoming coal delivers valuable information on levels of sulfur, moisture, total ash, calorific value, ash elemental concentration, and other critical parameters. This information is used to help maximize the use of resources, enable optimal blending for precise burn and temperature requirements, and reduce pollutants. (You can read more about PGNAA in this ebook: A Guide to PGNAA and PFTNA Technology for Non-Scientists.
Some of these analyzers can provide minute-by-minute elemental analysis of raw materials, which helps enable process control to achieve consistent chemistry thus minimizing cost and improving process efficiency.
So as many states investigate ways to replace coal power with clean energy, coal-fired power generation plants should make sure they are proactively addressing process variations and optimizing their operations to help ensure more consistent optimal coal blends and maintain their complementary status.
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