FORM 2
THE PATENT ACT 1970 (39 of 1970)
The Patents Rules, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
'See Section 10, and rule 13'
1. TITLE OF INVENTION
METHOD FOR GAS TREATMENT OF COAL

2. APPLICANT(S)
a) Name
b) Nationality
c) Address

MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, JAPANESE Company 16-5, KONAN 2-CHOME, MINATO-KU, TOKYO 1088215, JAPAN

LTD.

3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed : -

Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for treating coal with gas.
Background Art
Conventionally, in a case of subjecting coal to drying and dry distillation, the coal is loaded on a mesh conveyor for a drying process, hot air (about 150°C) is supplied from below the mesh conveyor to thereabove with the mesh conveyor travelling, and moisture in the coal is thereby removed. Thereafter, the coal is dropped and thus transferred from the mesh conveyor for the drying process to a mesh conveyor for a dry distillation process, a dry-distillation heated gas (for example, combustion exhaust gas obtained by heating air through combustion) which have been heated (400°C to 450°C) is supplied from below the mesh conveyor to thereabove with the mesh belt conveyor for the dry distillation process travelling, and the coal is thereby subjected to dry distillation.
Citation List
Patent Literature
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application Publication No. Hei 5-087496
Summary of Invention
Technical Problem
However, in such a gas treatment of coal, when coal is broken into fine particles due to a vibration in the travelling, an impact in the transferring, and the like, the coal falls through meshes of the mesh conveyors and the yield is thereby reduced.

To counter this problem, reducing the sizes of the meshes of the mesh conveyors is conceivable. However, reduction in the sizes of the meshes of the mesh conveyors
t
makes clogging of the meshes more likely to occur. This causes uneven flow of the gas, and uniform treatment of the coal becomes difficult.
In this respect, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for gas treatment of coal which can suppress clogging of a mesh while suppressing falling of coal from the mesh.
Solution to Problem
A method for gas treatment of coal according to a first aspect of the invention which solves the problems described above is a method for gas treatment of coal including: placing coal on a conveying body which has a quadrilateral mesh and which is configured to travel; and causing gas to flow in an up-down direction in such a way that the gas is brought into contact with the coal through the mesh of the conveying body, the method for gas treatment of coal characterized in that a lower-level loaded coal having a diameter size Dl larger than twice a length Lss of a short side of the mesh of the conveying body (Dl>2Lss) is placed on the mesh of the conveying body in at least two levels, and an upper-level loaded coal having a diameter size Du equal to or smaller than twice the length Lss (Du<2Lss) is placed on the lower-level loaded coal.
A method for gas treatment of coal according to a second aspect of the invention is the first aspect of the invention characterized in that, when a length Lsl of a long side of the mesh of the conveying body is equal to or larger than twice the length Lss of the short side, a lower-level loaded coal having a diameter size Dl larger than 2.5 times the length Lss (Dl>2.5Lss) are used.
A method for gas treatment of coal according to a third aspect of the invention is a method for gas treatment of coal including: placing coal on a conveying body which

has a triangular mesh and which is configured to travel and; causing gas to flow in an up-down direction in such a way that the gas is brought into contact with the coal through the mesh of the conveying body, the method for gas treatment of coal characterized in that a lower-level loaded coal having a diameter size Dl larger than
a length Ltl of a longest side of the mesh of the conveying body (Dl>Ltl) is placed on
i ■
the mesh of the conveying body in at least two levels, and an upper-level loaded coal having a diameter size a diameter size Du equal to or smaller than the length Ltl (Du2Lss) and the upper-level loaded coal IB having a diameter size Du equal to or smaller than twice the length Lss (Du<2Lss), by using a sieve or the like; then deliver the lower-level loaded coal 1A in such a way that the lower-level loaded coal 1A is placed on the upstream side of the mesh of the mesh conveyor 111 of the drying device in the travelling direction, in at least two levels (two levels in the embodiment); deliver the upper-level loaded coal 1B in such a way that the upper-level loaded coal 1B is placed on the lower-level loaded coal 1A on the upstream side of the mesh conveyor 111 in the travelling direction; and also deliver the lower-level loaded coal 1A to a coal supplying device 123 (described in detail later) disposed above the upstream side of the mesh conveyor 112 of the dry distillation device in
the travelling direction.
i
In Fig. 1, reference numeral 122 denotes a coal distributing device 122 disposed between a portion below the downstream side of the mesh conveyor 111 of the drying device in the travelling direction and the portion above the upstream side of the mesh conveyor 112 of the dry distillation device in the travelling direction. The coal distributing device 122 can sort the dry coal 2 received from the mesh conveyor 112 of the drying device into a lower-level loaded coal 2A and an upper-level loaded coal 2B according to a diameter size and supply the coals to the portion above the upstream side of the mesh conveyor 112 of the dry distillation device and to the coal supplying device 123.

To be specific, the coal distributing device 122 can: first sort the received dry coal 2 into the lower-level loaded coal 2A having a diameter size Dl larger than twice the length Lss; of the short side of the mesh of the mesh conveyor 112 (Dl>2Lss) and the upper-level loaded coal 2B having a diameter size Du equal to or smaller than twice the length Lss (Du<2Lss), by using a sieve or the like; then deliver the lower-level loaded coal 2A to the coal supplying device 123; and deliver the upper-level loaded coal 2B in such a way that the upper-level loaded coal 2B is placed on the lower-level loaded coals 1A, 2A placed on the upstream side of the mesh conveyor 112 in the travelling direction.
Furthermore, the coal supplying device 123 is disposed between a portion below the coal distributing device 122 and the portion above the upstream side of the mesh conveyor 112 of the dry distillation device in the travelling direction, and can deliver the upper-level loaded coals 1A, 2A received from the coal distributing devices 121, 122 in such a way that the lower-level loaded coals 1A, 2A are placed on the upstream side of the mesh of the mesh conveyor 112 in the travelling direction, in at least two levels (two levels in the embodiment).
Next, a description is given of gas treatment of coal which uses the gas treatment apparatus for coal of the embodiment described above.
When the low-grade coal 1 is put into the coal distributing device 121, the coal distributing device 121 sorts the low-grade coal 1 into the lower-level loaded coal 1A (about 30% to about 50%) and the upper-level loaded coal IB (about 50% to about 70%), by using the sieve or the like. Then, the coal distributing device 121 places the lower-level loaded coal 1A on the upstream side of the mesh of the mesh conveyor 111 in the drying device in the travelling direction in such a way that lower-level loaded coal 1A is loaded in two levels, and also loads the upper-level loaded coal IB on the lower-level loaded coal 1A loaded on the mesh conveyor 111. Moreover, the coal distributing device 121 delivers the lower-level loaded coal 1A to the coal
supplying device 123.
i

The mesh conveyor 111 of the drying device on which the coals 1A, 1B are loaded (coal 1A: about 10% to about 20%, coal 1B: about 80% to about 90%) travels with the drying heated gas 11 supplied thereto from below to above, and thereby conveys the
coals 1 A, IB while causing them to dry.
i
At this time, since the lower-level loaded coal 1A having a diameter size Dl larger than twice the length Lss of the short side of the mesh of the mesh conveyor 111 is placed on the mesh, the open rate of the mesh (proportion of mesh not clogged by coal) can be 80% or more. In other words, since the variation in the proportion of the clogged mesh can be smaller than plus or minus 10%, the drying heated gas 11 can flow while being evenly distributed to the coals 1A, 1B, and the coals 1 A, 1B are thus dried evenly as a whole.
Moreover, since the lower-level loaded coal 1A is loaded on the mesh of the mesh conveyor 111 in two levels, a space penetrating the loaded lower-level loaded coal 1A in a vertical direction has an area in horizontal directions smaller than the size of mesh openings. Accordingly, falling of the upper-level loaded coal IB from the mesh is drastically suppressed.
The dry coal 2 dried by the drying heated gas 11 while being conveyed by the mesh conveyor 111 of the drying device falls from the downstream side of the mesh conveyor 111 in the travelling direction and is put into the coal distributing device 122. The coal distributing device 122 sorts the dry coal 2 into the lower-level loaded coal 2A (about 10% to about 30%) and the upper-level loaded coal 2B (about 70% to about 90%), by using the sieve or the like, and the lower-level loaded coal 2A is delivered to the coal supplying device 123.
The coal supplying device 123 places the lower-level loaded coal 1A delivered from the coal distributing device 121 together with the lower-level loaded coal 2A in such a way that the lower-level loaded coals 1A, 2A are loaded in two levels on the upstream side of the mesh of the mesh conveyor 112 in the dry distillation device in

the travelling direction. Subsequently, the coal distributing device 122 loads the upper-level loaded coal 2B on the lower-level loaded coals 1A, 2A loaded on the mesh conveyor 112 of the dry distillation device.
The mesh conveyor 112 of the dry distillation device on which the coals 1 A, 2A, 2B are loaded (coals 1A, 2A: about 10% to about 20%, coal 2B: about 80% to about 90%) travels with the dry-distillation heated gas 12 supplied thereto from below to above, and thereby conveys the coals 1 A, 2A, 2B while performing dry distillation thereof.
At this time, since the lower-level loaded coals 1A, 2A having a diameter size Dl larger than twice the length Lss of the short side of the mesh of the mesh conveyor 112 are placed on the mesh, the open rate of the mesh (proportion of mesh not clogged by coal) can be 80% or more. In other words, since the variation in the proportion of the clogged mesh can be smaller than plus or minus 10%, the dry-distillation heated gas 12 can flow while being evenly distributed to the coals 1 A, IB, 2A, and the coals 1A, IB, 2B are thus subjected to dry distillation evenly as a whole.
Moreover, since the lower-level loaded coals 1A, 2A are loaded on the mesh of the mesh conveyor 112 in two levels, a space penetrating the loaded lower-level loaded coals 1 A, 2A in the vertical direction has an area in horizontal directions smaller than the size of the mesh openings. Accordingly, falling of the upper-level loaded coal 2B from the mesh is drastically suppressed.
A dry-distillation coal 3 dried by the dry-distillation heated gas 12 while being conveyed by the mesh conveyor 112 of the dry distillation device falls from the downstream side of the mesh conveyor 112 in the travelling direction and is
i
collected.
In summary, in the embodiment, the lower-level loaded coals 1 A, 2A having a diameter size Dl larger than twice the length Lss of each of short sides of the meshes in the mesh conveyors 111, 112 having the quadrilateral meshes are loaded on the

meshes in two levels, and then the upper-level loaded coals IB, 2B having a diameter size Du equal to or smaller than twice the length Lss (Du<2Lss) are placed on the lower-level loaded coals 1 A, 2A.
Accordingly, in the embodiment, even when the coals 1B, 2B are broken into fine particles due to a vibration in travelling, an impact in transfer, and the like, the coals IB, 2B are less likely to fall through the meshes of the mesh conveyors 111, 112 and a reduction in yield can be thereby suppressed.
i
In the embodiment, it is thus possible to suppress falling of the coals 1B, 2B from the
meshes of the mesh conveyors 111, 112 and also suppress clogging of the mesh.

Moreover, in the mesh conveyors 111, 112, the upper-level loaded coals 1B, 2B having a diameter size Du equal to or smaller than twice the length Lss (Du<2Lss) are placed on the lower-level loaded coals 1A, 2A having a diameter size Dl larger than twice the length Lss. Hence, in the heat treatment of supplying the heated gases 11,12 from below the mesh conveyors 111, 112, the heat treatment is performed by firstly bringing the heated gases 11,12 into contact with the lower-level loaded coals 1A, 2A, which require a longer time for heat to penetrate to the interior thereof than the upper-level loaded coals IB, 2B and which have a small heat transfer area relative to the volume, and then the heat treatment is performed by bringing the heated gases 11, 12, whose temperatures have dropped, in contact with the upper-level loaded coal IB which is more easily heated. Accordingly, coal with various particle diameters can be efficiently subjected to heat treatment.
Note that, since the low-grade coal 1 before drying is loaded on the mesh conveyor 112 of the dry distillation device as the lower-level loaded coal 1A to be subjected to dry distillation, the time of the dry distillation process is longer than the case where only the dry coal 2 having been dried is subjected to dry distillation. However, this is not a major problem because the proportion of the coal 1A in the entire coal is small (about several percent to about 10%)

Moreover, in a case where the length Lsl of each of long sides of the quadrilateral meshes in the mesh conveyors 111, 112 is larger than twice the length Lss of the short side thereof, it is highly preferable that the lower-level loaded coals 1A, 2A have a diameter Dl larger than 2.5 times the length Lss (Dl>2.5Lss). The reason for this is because the upper-level loaded coals IB, 2B having a diameter size Du equal to or smaller than 2.5 times the length Lss are less likely to fall through the meshes of the mesh conveyors 111, 112, and the reduction in yield can be thereby further suppressed.

In the aforementioned embodiment, a description is given of the case where the mesh conveyors 111, 112 have the quadrilateral meshes. In another embodiment in which the mesh conveyors 111, 112 have triangular meshes, similar operations and effects as those in the aforementioned embodiment can be obtained by causing the coal distributing devices 121,122 to sort received coals 1, 2 into lower-level loaded coals 1A, 2A having a diameter size Dl larger than the length Ltl of each of the longest sides of the meshes (Dl>Ltl) in the mesh conveyors 111, 112 and upper-level loaded coals 1B, 2B having a diameter size Du equal to or smaller than the length Ltl (Du2Lss) is placed on the mesh of the conveying body in at least two levels, and an upper-level loaded coal having a diameter size Du equal to or smaller than twice the length Lss (Du<2Lss) is placed on the lower-level loaded coal.
2. The method for gas treatment of coal according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a length Lsl of a long side of the mesh of the conveying body is equal to or larger than twice the length Lss of the short side, a lower-level loaded coal having a diameter size Dl larger than 2.5 times the length Lss (Dl>2.5Lss) are used.
3. A method for gas treatment of coal, including: placing coal on a conveying body which has a triangular mesh and which is configured to travel; and causing gas to flow in an up-down direction in such a way that the gas is brought into contact with the coal through the mesh of the conveying body, characterized in that
a lower-level loaded coal having a diameter size Dl larger than a length Ltl of a longest side of the mesh of the conveying body (Dl>LtI) is placed on the mesh of the conveying body in at least two levels, and an upper-level loaded coal having a diameter size Du equal to or smaller than the length Ltl (Du