2 replies to this topic

[Tony Mertens]

Note to self -

Next time you buy coal sweep all of the sand out of the dump truck first. I'm thinking that's why I seem to get a lot of klinker. The amount varies depending on where I dig into my coal pile. Maybe I should get into making glass.

[PTsideshow]

It might help, but generally clinker content has to do with the make up and type of coal. It also can do with the way it is fired, but you are burning a lot less at one time than I did in the boilers!

[knots43]

I don't know if this will be helpful or not but it may be worth trying if the problem really is sand contamination.

Years ago when our guild bunker got low the last of the coal and fines were pretty dirty. So when we we got to that point we set what was called a wet fire. What we did was put those leavings in a bucket , fill the bucket with water and stir it vigorusly, let it settle and use the resulting drained slurry to pack the fire pot with a lining of wet coal ( except for the bottom inch or so which was thought to contain the settled contaminates) . Dry coal was heaped on after the news paper and kindleing was in place and the fire started. The wet packed coal coked up nicely and a lot quicker than one might think.

The lesson learned from that experience brought to light a reaization that coal when wetted and dried sitll burns without noticeable degradation .

Although this seems unlikely to have been done only by our group I must admit that I have never seen this any where else. However having had this experience, If I had a load of contaminated coal that was causing me a LOT of trouble I would probably perform a washdown test on a small batch to see if there was improvement. If not it is likely to be the coal .

Edited by knots43, 11 August 2012 - 10:22 AM.