An assessment of chemical properties and hardgrove grindability index of punjab coal

Abstract

This paper deals with the determination of chemical properties and hardgrove grindability index (HGI) of coal samples collected from three different coal fields of Punjab; Eastern Salt Range, Central Salt Range and Makerwal coalfields. The chemical properties of Punjab coal reveal that most of the Punjab coal belongs to sub-bituminous category except coal of Tunnel C section of Makerwal Collieries and Iqbal Mineral coal mine of Dalwal, which are high volatile bituminous and lignite, respectively. The results of the research show that the HGI values of Punjab coal vary from 57 to 92.The eastern salt range coals are found to be the softest coals among that of three coalfields. It was further observed that the HGI values of the Punjab coal decrease with increasing moisture content, fixed carbon and sulphur contents, while it has a positive relation with volatile matter, ash content and gross calorific value. It was concluded that moisture content at its lower range has negligible effect on HGI of the Punjab coal.