IE52573B1

IE52573B1 - A fuel briquette and a method and an apparatus for manufacturing such briquettes

Info

Publication number: IE52573B1
Application number: IE248181A
Authority: IE
Original assignee: Finn Ervald
Priority date: 1980-10-28
Filing date: 1981-10-22
Publication date: 1987-12-23
Also published as: PL233605A1; LU83721A1; IE812481L; GB2086420A; NL8104887A; WO1982001562A1; GB2086420B; FR2492839A1

Abstract

The Fuel briquette comprises up to 100% coal in particle and/or powder form compressed or compacted by vibration. By the production of the briquette coal in particle and/or powder form possibly mixed up with another material is poured into a mould cavity and the content thereof is vibrated to compaction and the fuel briquettes thereby Formed in the mould cavity are removed from the mould cavity. The apparatus comprises at least one mould cavity, a vibration means for the vibration of the walls thereof, means for filling the mould cavity with briquette material and means for removing the compressed or compacted content from the mould cavity. Thereby durable briquettes can be produced simply and at low costs without a binding agent being necessary. Furthermore apparatuses can be used being known for the production of concrete stones, tiles and sand mouldings.

Description

The invention relates to a fuel briquette and a method and an apparatus for manufacturing such briquettes.

The fuel briquette according to the invention 5 is characterised in that it comprises more than 0% and up to 100% coal in particle and/or powder form compacted or compressed by vibration. It appeared that said fuel briquette comprising 100% coal in particle and/or powder form compacted by vibration has adequate strength (also referred to herein as cohesive force) to resist stress occurring during transportation and handling from place - of origin to the place of utility. Thereby coal in particle and/or powder form may acquire a higher value and larger field of application than is at present the case for coal dust, screenings and slack.

Furthermore it appeared that such briquettes are also able to maintain a fair cohesive force although they contain other materials even without a binding agent which probably is due to the fact that coal in particle or powder form per se during and after vibration acts as a binding agent.

Moreover the fuel briquette may contain: material chosen from ground plastic waste, oil waste, ground and dried refuse or waste, epoxy adhesives, wooden chips, inflammable dust or particles of wood, and/or peat and/or lignite; and/or other material chosen from urea formaldehyde resin sold by Kemicasco as urea adhesive No 1351,lye of sulphite, solid alcohol in particle form and aliphatic hydrocarbons in a liquid particulate or paste-like form; and/or other materials chosen from stearin, paraffin, hy'droxyethylcellulose, sodiumcarboxymethylcellulose, lime or calciumoxide, fly ash and calcium chloride.

The fuel briquette may be thus provided.with an increased cohesive force, larger heating value, durability and/or ease of inflammability. The materials other than coal which perhaps could not be used otherwise may serve 10 to further reduce the price or to improve the fuel briquette.

Screened coal such as coal dust or minor coal particles has at present a rather low market price as also is the case for several types of combustible — refuse or waste whereby briquettes may be manufactured simply and at low costs.

In case of calcium chloride forming part of the briquette said material acts as an accelerator e.g. if cement, lime or calcium oxide or fly ash also form part of the briquette, and where hydroxyethylcellulose or sodiumcarboxymethylcellulose form part of the briquette these substances act as thickening agents, while substances such as stearin and paraffin in10 crease the strength and the combustibility of the briquette. In cases where cement in a manner known per se forms part of the briquette the content of the cement is 1-8% by weight, preferably 6% by weight, whereby a satisfactory strength of the briquette is obtained, so that the briquettes are able to resist the effects imparted on them during storing and handling.

In cases where the briquette contains, hydroxyethylcellulose the content of.this is from above 0 up.to O'. 05 o/oo by weight, preferably 0.03 o/oo by weight (weight per thousand), and in excess of acting as a thickening agent the cellulose also acts as a means for promoting of a perfect combustion of the inflammable components of the briquette especially by briquettes of a high humidity.

In cases where the briquettes contain calciumchloride the amount thereof is 1-3 o/oo by weight, preferably 2.5 o/oo by weight of the briquettes.

In cases where the briquettes contain lime, cal30 cium oxide and/or fly ash or fly dust these substances contribute in neutralizing the effects of the sulfur in the surrounding environment which is subject to the flue gasses from the combustion of briquettes having coal particles of a high sulfur content.

Solid alcohol and calcium chloride also contribute to an increased production rate of the briquettes.

The invention also resides in an apparatus when used for production of fuel briquettes by the method of the invention, characterized in that it comprises at least one mould cavity, a vibration means for the vib5 ration of the walls of the mould cavity, means for filling of the mould cavity with briquette material and means for removal of the content of the mould cavity. Thereby a hitherto unknown apparatus for the production of fuel briquettes comprising only coal dust or small coal particles is achieved, and, as'the apparatus may comprise machines known per se being hitherto used or intended for other purposes than the production of fuel briquettes of the invention. The apparatus may be a machine of the kind otherwise being used for the production of slabs or bricks of concrete or tile. Examples of suitable known apparatus are casting machines for the concrete or brick making industry where the materials for casting hitherto used are replaced by coal dust possibly mixed up with suitable amounts of other materials. In a common machine 3 for production of concrete slabs e.g. 50 m of fuel' briquettes corresponding to a production of 100 -ton may be mouldeda day. The apparatus may also be machines of the kind otherwise being used in the iron industry either for producing by vibration cores for casting moulds for steel or metal or for production by vibration of casting moulds for steel or metal where the cavities of the mould board are shaped complementary to the shape of the briquettes intended to be produced thereby. -By means of such machines briquettes may be provided with different shapes, with plane side faces as well as with rough side faces for increasing the burning surface of the briquettes during combustion. Alternatively the apparatus of the invention may be formed as a foundry mould production machine for moulds with vertical mould joint surfaces, where the mould board is provided with cavities being complementary to the shape of the fuel briquettes intended to be produced thereby.

A suitable moulding machine is a DISAMATIC (Registered Trade Mark.) moulding machine manufactured by Dansk Industrisyndikat A/S, Copenhagen, and instead of using conventional moulding sand for the production of the casting moulds coal dust with or without minor coal particles is mainly used.

The fuel briquettes may also be produced by continuous moulding in a shaking conveyor or by extrusion e.g. using an extruder with at least one vibratable part and a cutting off device for separation of the rod shaped extrusion product into fuel briquettes. The vibratable part may be a moulding or forming tube or an extruder spindle or an extruder plunger.

In the following text an example of the use of an apparatus according to the invention for the manufacture of the briquettes is explained which apparatus originally was intended for production of concrete slabs. 1. Materials forming parts of the briquettes are weighed out and mixed together in a mixer or mixing machine. 2. Via a conveyor the mixed materials are taken to a silo in a concrete stone moulding machine. 3. The mixed materials are delivered to a mould filling carriage from the silo. 4. The mould filling carriage is displaced from the silo to the top of the mould and the materials are dropped in the mould cavities. The mould filling carriage is reciprocately displaced on top of the mould and simultaneously the materials in the mould cavities are vibrated by a vibrator, positioned below the mould. When the mould cavities are completely filled the mould filling carriage is returned to its initial position.

. Piston plates above the mould cavities are lowered to abutment against the mould, the vibrators are activated again and are in function a predetermined number of seconds. 6. A steel plate forming the basis of the mould with the mould cavities is withdrawn and the mould and the briquette material in the mould are then supported by a wooden plate. 7. The mould is raised and at the same time the piston plates are maintained immovable relatively to the wooden plate whereby the briquettes are pressed downward out of the mould cavities and are thereby separated from the mould. During this operation the vibrators on the piston plates for removing of castings i.e. the briquettes are in function. 6. The wooden plate carrying the briquettes is removed and a next wooden plate together with the steel plate are displaced to their position below the mould. 9. The mould is lowered into abutment against the steel plate and simultaneously the piston plates are raised from the mould. Then the mould with its mould cavities is ready to he refilled with briquette material. Point 4-9 may be repeated.

. Wooden plates carrying the briquettes are conveyed from the apparatus to a storing location. 11. After a predetermined storage time e.g. 24 hours the briquettes are removed from the wooden plates and are piled-Όη carrying pallets.

Claims

1. A fuel briquette characterized in that it comprises more than 0% and up to 100% coal in particulate and/or powdered form compacted or compressed by vibration. 5

2. Briquette according to claim 1, characterized in that it also contains material chosen from ground plastic waste, oil waste, ground and dried refuse or waste, epoxy adhesives, wooden chips, inflammable dust or particles of wood and/or peat and/or lignite.

3. Briquette according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it contains other materials chosen from urea formaldehyde resin sold by Kemicasco as urea adhesive No. 1351» lye of sulphite, solid alcohol in particle'form and alphatic 15 hydrocarbons in a liquid, particulate or pastelike form.

4. Briquette according to claim 1, 2 or 3 characterized in that it also contains other materials chosen from stearin, paraffin, hydroxyethylcellulose, sodiumcarboxy20 methylcellulose, lime or calciumoxide, fly ash and calcium chloride.

5. Briquette according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, in which cement forms a part thereof, characterized in that the 25 cement makes 1-8% by weight thereof.

6. Briquette according to claim 5, characterised in that the cement makes 6% by weight thereof. 30 7· Briquette according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4> 5 or 6, characterised in that where it contains hydroxyethylcellulose this material makes at most 0.05 0/00 by weight thereof. 53 57 3 δ. Briquette according to claim 7> characterised in that hydroxyethylcellulose makes 0.03 o/oo by weight thereof. 5 9. Briquette according to claim 7 or S characterised in that a content of calcium chloride makes 1-3 o/oo by weight thereof.

7. 10. Briquette according to claim 7 or S, characterised 10 in that calcium chloride makes 2.5 o/oo by weight thereof.

8. 11. Method for production of fuel briquettes from coal, characterised in that coal in particle and/or powder form 15 optionally mixed up with another powdered or particulate liquid or pastelike optionally inflammable material is poured into a mould cavity and that the content of the mould cavity comprising up to 100% of said coal is vibrated into compacted or compressed 20 state and that the fuel briquette thereby formed in the mould cavity is removed from the mould cavity.

9. 12. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the content of the mould cavity is vibrated by a constant 25 frequency of vibration for a period of time determined by foregoing test results, in which optionally also pressing occurs, before the content is removed from the mould cavity, and the content compressed and removed from the mould cavity is stored optionally supported in a single 30 layer for a period of time determined by foregoing test results.

10. 13. Method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the vibration, the optional pressing and the re35 moval is made discontinuously or continuously.

11. 14* Apparatus when used for the production of fuel briquettes by the method according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises at least one mould cavity, a vibration means for the vibration of the walls of the 5 mould cavity, means for filling of the mould cavity with briquette material and means for removal of the content of the mould cavity.

12. 15. Apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in 10 that it is a machine of the kind otherwise being used for the production of slabs or bricks of concrete or tile, or of the kind otherwise being used either for producing by vibration cores for casting moulds for steel or metal or for production by vibration of casting moulds for steel 15 or metal where the cavities of the mould board are shaped complementary to the shape of the briquettes intended to be produced thereby.

13. 16. Apparatus according to claim 14 or 15» character20 ized in that it is formed as a foundry mould production machine for moulds with vertical mould joint surfaces, where the mould board is provided with cavities being complementary to the shape of the fuel briquettes intended to be produced thereby.

14. 17. Apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that it is an extruder with at least one vibratable part and a cutting off device is provided for the separation of the rod shaped extrusion product into fuel briquettes.

15. 18. A fuel briquette according to claim 1 and substantially as herein described.

16. 19* A method according to claim 11 and substantially as herein described.

17. 20. An apparatus according to claim 15» and substantially as herein described.