POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Cracow

Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute

SILESIAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY Gliwice
Department of Mining and Geology

Authors: Wieslaw S. Blaschke, Lidia Gawlik

Current situation and

development prospects
of coal preparation
in Poland

! Coal preparation is one of the main

technological and economic issues connected
with the mining industry
! Coal preparation technologies are adjusted to
demand of domestic and foreign consumers
! Coal preparation technologies depend on
characteristicof raw coal

Structure of coal production in Poland

84,2% - steam coal

15,8% - coking coal
All coking coal is washed
About 48% of steam coal is washed

Capacities of coal preparation plants in Poland

Range of gross
capacity, t/day

Number of coal preparation plants

Steam coal

Coking coal

Total

2000 1500

1500 1000

11

1000 500

16

21

< 500

Total

31

12

43

Coal quality in seams

Heat content

Ash content

above 25 MJ/kg
22 - 25 MJ/kg
20 - 22 MJ/kg
below 20MJ/kg

80.4%
14.9%
3.6%
1.1%

below 10%
10 - 15%
15 - 25%
above 25%

Sulphur content
below 0.6%
0.6 - 1.0%
1.0 - 2.0%
above 2.0%

33.4%
36.8%
22.9%
6.9%

47.7%
37.2%
9.1%
6.0%

ROM coal quality

Heat content: 14.9 MJ/kg - 24.2 MJ/kg

Ash Content 17% - 42%

Quality of saleable coal:

Steam coal (as received)
Sulphur content: 0.45% - 1.22% (average: 0.83%)
Ash content: 8.0% - 24.1% (average: 19.1%)
Heat content: 29.7 MJ/kg - 19.8 MJ/kg (average: 22.4 MJ/kg)
Coarse coal
Sulphur content: 0.67%
Ash content: 6.8%
Heat content: 29.5 MJ/kg

Coking coal (dry basis)

Sulphur content: 0.51% - 0.87% (average: 0.67%)
Ash content: 5.8% - 8.3% (average: 6.8%)
Heat content: 28.2 MJ/kg 31.6 MJ/kg (average: 29.5 MJ/kg)

Quality of coal fines for the domestic purposes are

much lower than international standards:
Demanded quality in the international markets:
Heat content: Q = ~ 25 MJ/kg
Ash content: A = maximum 15%
Sulphur content: S = 0.8 1.0%
Quality of sold fines in Poland:
Q=20.6 MJ/kg
38% - unwashed coal fines:
A = 22.6%
S = 0.86%

40% mixtures of washed

and unwashed coal:

22% washed coal fines:

Q= 22.1 MJ/kg
A=21.1%
S = 0.87%
Q= 24.8 MJ/kg
A = 12%
S = 0.72%

50 coal preparation plants exist

(40 in coal mines and 10 independent)
In all coal preparation plants there exist section for preparation middle and
coarse grains (above 20 (10) mm).
Production capacity of those sections is 90.8 mln tonnes of raw coal.
In 38 coal preparation plants there exist sections for preparation fines of
grain sizes from 20 (10) mm to 0.5 mm.
Sections for slimes flotation work in 16 coal preparation plants. They treat
coals of grain sizes from 1.0 (0.5) mm to 0 and can wash 10.1 ml tonnes of
raw coal.
Capacities of coal preparation plants and their sections are not fully used, as
they work only to meet market demand.
Production capacities of coal preparation plants are used in 68%,
sections for coarse grains preparation - in 44%,
fines sections - in 79%
flotation sections - in 66%

The structure of production and quality of saleable

coal (2002 averages)
Item

Production

Quality parameters

Ml t

Q, kJ/kg

A, %

S, %

1. Coking coal

15.9

15.6

29 366

6.9

0.65

2. Steam coal

86.2

84.4

22 852

17.9

0.80

2.1. Grain class + 20 mm

8.0

7.8

27 424

6.2

0.65

2.2. Grain class 208 mm

2.8

2.7

28 116

6.1

0.59

2.3. Grain class 20(10)(8)0 mm

71.5

70.1

22 269

20.8

0.84

2.3.1. Washed fines

16.3

16.0

25 392

11.3

0.72

2.3.2. Unwashed fines

27.9

27.4

20 394

29.8

0.88

2.3.3. Fines mixtures

27.2

26.7

22 319

23.3

0.84

2.3.4. Semi-products

3.9

3.8

20 447

18.9

0.75

102.1

100.0

23 865

16.1

0.77

Total - hard coal

Number of coal preparation plants and units in

Poland and their capacities
Item

Number
of
sections/
plants

Gross
capacity,
t/h.

43

Gravitational washing class +

20(10) mm

42

Gravitational washing class

650 mm

Gravitational washing class

20(10)0 mm
Flotation class 1.0 (0.5)0 mm

Coal preparation plants (total)

Production capacity
t/day
(16 hours
of work )

Ml
t/year

43 530

696 480

174.1

19 760

316 160

79.0

30

15 790

252 640

63.1

14

2 105

33 680

8.4

Out of which:
Sections of grain class washing

Capacities of the sections according to applied

washing equipment
Technology of
washing

Capacity of the section

t/h

Dense media
separators

16 935

47.6

Jigs

16 440

46.2

Hydrocyclones

765

2.1

Dense media
cyclones

450

1.3

Spirals

660

1.9

Parnaby Barells

300

0.9

35 550

100

Total

The technological scheme of steam coal preparation plant

Ra w c oa l
(1)

Ov a l throw s c re e n
Jaw c rus he r

(3)

(2)

S traig ht-line v ibra ting s c re e n

Ov a l throw s c re e n (4)

De ns e -me dium s e parato r (7)

S tra ig ht-line v ibra ting s c re e n (18 )

Re fus e

S tationa ry s c re e n 1,0 mm

(8)

S tra ig ht-line v ibrating s c re e n (9)

Vo r s iv c o nic al s ie v e (5)
to de ns e me dium tank
(10 )

Re c upe ra to r

S tra ig ht-line v ibrating s c re e n (6)

Ov a l throw s c re e n (12 )
Re c upe ra tor

(11 )
Nuts

Clas s ifying tank

Cube s

(14 )
Ov al throw s c re e n (13 )
P e as to s e ll
o r to c rus h

Do rr thic ke ne r

(15 )
J aw c rus he r

(16 )

Va c uum dis c filte r

Circ ular wa te r

Fine s IIA

(17 )

30-0 mm

Livellas screen

The technological
scheme of the coal fines
preparation and
desulphurisation plant

(1)

Jiq

(2)
Wastes

Straight-line vibrating screen

(3)
Concentrate

Vibrating centrifuge (4)

Concentrate
HC D=500

Spirals

(5)

(6)
HC D=100

Spirals

(11)

(7)
Spirals

Bend sieve

(13)
Screen

(12)

(8)
Spirals

(9)

Screen

(10)

(14)

HC D=100

Wastes
Flocculant
Slimes from washing
+ 30 mm

Flocculant

Hyperbaric filter

(15)
Concentrate

Lamella tickeners

(16)

Circural water

Dorr tickener

(18)
Tailings

(17)

Filter presses

The technological scheme of the coking

coal preparation plant
Raw co al
Screen

120 mm

Jig
Wastes
20-0 mm

Cru sher

Screen

Vo r-siv co n ical sieve

Midd ling s
20-0 mm

20 mm

Dens e-medium sep .

Centrifug e
S ieve

Screen

Co n cen trate
20-0 mm
Fro m recuperatio n

S creen

Crush er

S ieve

= 1.47

Wastes
200-20 mm

Classificatio n su mp

S creen
Flo tatio n

Co ncentrate
20-0 mm
= 1.74
Vacu um filter

Thickener

Dryer
= 1.1
Mid dlin g s 200-20 mm

Flo tatio n
co ncentrate

Recuperato r
S usp end ed matter

To a clas sificatio n sump

Tailin g s

Filter p ress es

Circu ral
water

Groups of steam coal preparation plants:

I. Two - product washing of grain sizes 200 - 20 (10) mm in dense media
separators or water jigs.
Grains below 20 (10) mm are sold as raw coal.
II. Two - product washing of grains 200 - 20 (10) mm in dense media
separators or water jigs.
Two - product washing of grain sizes 20 (10) - 2 mm in water jigs or
water cyclones.
Grains below 0.5 mm are added to coal fines to prepare saleable
mixture of steam coal.
III. Two - product washing of grain sizes 200 - 20 (10) mm in dense media
separators or water jigs.
Two - product washing of grains 20 (10) - 2 mm in water jigs.
Washing of grain sizes 2 - 0.5 mm in spirals.
Two - product washing of grains 0.5 - 0.2 mm in hydrocyclones.

Groups of steam coal preparation plants:

IV. Two - product washing of grains 200 - 20 (10) mm in dense media
separators or water jigs.
Washing of grain sizes 20 - 0.5 mm or 12 - 0.9 mm in dense media
cyclones.
Washing classes 3 (0.9) - 0 (0.2) mm in water cyclones
or spirals.
V. Classes above 0.5 mm are washed in one of above-mentioned
schemes.
For the class below 0.5 mm flotation is used.
VI. Three - product washing is used in some coal preparation plants.
Separated middlings are re-washed or sold as coal of lower quality.

Groups of coking coal preparation plants:

I. Three - product washing of grain sizes 200 - 20 mm in dense
media separators.
Two - product washing of classes 20 - 0.5 mm in water jigs
or in dense media cyclones.
Two - product washing of crushed middlings (class 6 - 0.5)
in water jigs or in dense media cyclones.
Grains below 0.5 mm are floated.
II. Selective crushing of raw coal to get grains 60 (50) mm.
Three - product washing of class 60(50) - 0.5 mm in jigs.
Crushing of middlings to below 6 mm and washing
of class 6 - 0.5 mm in water jigs or dense media cyclones.
Flotation of grains below 0.5 mm.

Polish typical coal preparation plant

Polish preliminary
classification screens

Equipment - washing of coal sizes

above 20 (10) mm

Polish dense media separators type Disa

(Disa 1, Disa 2S, Disa KU, Disa KR)
or Polish water jigs (OBZ, OZ, OZL, OS).
One separator Drew-Boy from the firm Denver washes coal sizes 600 - 6 mm - very effective.

Polish dense
media separator
type DISA

Equipment - fine grains washing

Classes 20 (10) - 0.5 (0.2) mm are usually washed in Polish jigs
(OBM, OM, OS)
and domestic hydrocyclones (HWO, HKZ).
Foreign machines are also installed:
Allmineral and Batac jigs,
Parnaby and AKW hydrocyclones,
Krebs dense media cyclones,
Reichert spirals.
Barrel concentrators.
427 concentrators work in Poland,
out of which 351 - of Polish production
76 - from import.

Polish jigs type OS

Equipment - flotation

Flotation is used to wash coking coal.

In two of steam coal preparation plants flotation is
experimentally used. (Polish steam coals are difficult to float).
The basic flotation machines are mechanic flotation machines
produced in Poland (IZ5, IZ12)
and column flotation machines (FLOKOB 12, FLOKOB 24,
FLOKOB 40).
Imported flotation machines are also used - type Allminerall
(Allflot) and Denver.

Section of flotation

Equipment - dewatering

Coarse grains:
In vibrating screens produced in Poland (WP-2, PWP-1, PWE,
PWL-Z).
Concentrates of grain sizes below 20 mm:
screen - dewatering sieve (OSO) - vibration centrifuge (WOW) dewatering machine (Nael).
In some plants Humbold centrifuges (HSG) work, as well as
Wemco (H-900) or Humbold dewatering machines (Konturbex).

Equipment - dewatering
Slimes (grains below 0.5 mm):
dewatering sieve - hydraulic classifier - radial thickener
Dorra - vacuum filter.
vacuum and disc filters (FTB, FTC, FTBO),
domestic filter presses (PF-570, PF 1.2, PF 1.5),
hydrocyclones HKZ.
pressure filters Andritz (HBF-96)
belt filter presses (CPF-2200, PL-2200)
Sieve-sedimentary centrifuges and sedimentary centrifuges
from BIRD, Decanter, Humbold-Wedag and Wemco.

Flotation tailings:
domestically produced filter presses ROW (type PF-570),
imported presses from Andritz (type CPF-2200).
Filter presses EIMCO and CENDED 2000 are also used.

Polish filter press type PF

Polish dewatering machines

Equipment - drying

Drying of coal concentrates is applied only in coking

coal preparation plants.
13 dryers work in Poland, and they are equipped in:
domestically produced dryer machines
(type ROW I and ROW II)
foreign dryers type Denver and Hoelter.

Equipment - control

The work of coal preparation plants is centrally

monitored and controlled from control room.
In a part of plants the equipment for on-line monitoring
of sulphur and moisture content are installed.
Some of parts the plants are automated (heavy media,
jigs, flotation).

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