Metallurgical coal or coking coal is a type of coal that can be used to produce high-quality coke. Coke is the main fuel and reagent in the blast furnace smelting process in the production of cast iron. The demand for metallurgical coal is closely related to the demand for steel. Companies engaged in primary steelmaking often have a division that produces coal for coking in order to ensure stable and inexpensive supplies.
Gas coal is one of the universal brands. It belongs to the energy, but it is already possible to get coke from it. The structure of the brand is more dense than that of the long-flame varieties, but it is inferior to them in strength. The color of the material is black, the gloss is matte or metallic.
Gas coal burns well and produces a lot of heat. It contains less sulfur than anthracite and leaves a small amount of ash. But for fire safety purposes, boilers under this brand should be equipped with afterburning chambers. Special filters are installed at thermal power plants to capture and condense volatile substances.
Properties of gas coal:
Ash content – 7-35% (average 10-15%)
The heat of combustion is 7500-8000 kcal
Humidity – up to 10%
The density is about 1700 kg/m3
The carbon content is 83%
Gas coal is used primarily in the energy sector. It is purchased for private and communal boiler houses, thermal power plants. The brand is suitable for the manufacture of coke, it is added to the charge or used independently. Since coking coals are expensive and in short supply, they are partially or even completely replaced by gas at many metallurgical plants. Also, this variety is a valuable raw material for producing liquid fuel.
Gas coal is divided into 2 groups:
The first gas (1G)
Second gas (2G)
The first gas coal includes 2 subgroups – vitrinite and fusinite:
Vitrinite is characterized by the content of vitrinite, a cementing component of coal, which was formed from cellulose and lignin without oxygen access
Fusinite is characterized by the content of plant residues that decomposed in the presence of oxygen.