The Economic Aspect of GeologyLeith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)
Science
The Economic Aspect of Geology
Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)
Geology, Economic
Thus it is that the naming and classification of coals is a perennial
source of difficulty and controversy. The earliest and most widely used
classification is based on the ratio between fixed (or non-volatile)
carbon and volatile constituents, called the "fuel ratio." For this
purpose "proximate" analyses of coal are made, in terms of fixed carbon,
volatile matter, moisture, ash, and sulphur. Anthracite has a higher
fuel ratio than bituminous coal; that is, it has more fixed carbon in
relation to volatile matter. Similarly bituminous coal has a higher fuel
ratio than lignite. The fuel ratio measures roughly the heat or
calorific power of the coal, in other words, its fuel value. However,
some bituminous coals have a higher calorific power than some
anthracites, because a large part of their volatile matter is
combustible and yields more heat than the corresponding weight of fixed
carbon in the anthracite. The fuel ratio pretty well discriminates coals
of the higher ranks, and gives a classification corresponding roughly
with their commercial uses. For the lower ranks of coal it is not so
satisfactory, because the volatile constituents of such coals contain
large and varying percentages of non-combustible hydrogen, oxygen, and
nitrogen. Also such coals contain larger and more variable amounts of
moisture, which is inert to combustion and requires heat for its
evaporation. Two coals of the lower ranks with the same fuel ratio may
have very different fuel qualities and different commercial uses,
because of their different amounts of inert volatile matter and of
water. For these coals it is sometimes desirable to supplement the
chemical classification by physical criteria. For instance,
subbituminous coal may be distinguished from lignite, not by its fuel
ratio alone, but by its shiny, black appearance as contrasted with the
dull, woody appearance of lignite. Bituminous may be distinguished from
subbituminous by the manner of weathering. Other classifications have
attempted to recognize these difficulties and still maintain a purely
chemical basis by considering separately the combustible and
non-combustible volatile constituents. For this purpose, it is necessary
to have not merely approximate analyses, but the ultimate analyses in
terms of elements.
Definitions of the principal kinds of coal by Campbell,[18] of the
United States Geological Survey, are as follows:
_Anthracite._ Anthracite is generally well known and may be
defined as a hard coal having a fuel ratio (fixed carbon
divided by the volatile matter) of not more than 50 or 60 and
not less than 10.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account