Development of a Gas-Promoted Oil Agglomeration Process

Two series of agglomeration tests were conducted as part of an effort to find a suitable basis for size scale-up of the mixing system used for a gas-promoted oil agglomeration process. In the first series of tests the agitator impeller diameter and speed were varied among runs so as to vary impeller tip speed and agitator power independently while keeping other conditions constant. In the second series of tests the mixing tank size and agitator speed were varied while the ratio of tank diameter to impeller diameter were held constant. All tests were conducted with finely ground Pittsburgh No. 8 coal and with i-octane as the agglomerant. The results of these tests showed that the minimum time te required to produce spherical agglomerates was predominantly a function of the agitator power input per unit volume. In addition, the size of the agglomerates produced in a given time was also strongly dependent on power input. At lower power input levels, the mean size rose as power input increased until a point was reached where agglomerate breakage became important and the mean size decreased. The results also showed that the ash content of the agglomerates produced in a given time tended to decrease with increasing power input. On the other hand, the recovery of clean coal on a dry, ash-free basis was not greatly affected by power input