Technical Market Support Priorities
The technical market support committee will consider proposals addressing technical issues that significantly and demonstrably affect the “value-in-use” of Australian coals in current technologies, especially where the impact is acknowledged and confirmed by an industry advocate. This may include:
- Understanding the properties of Australian coals which impact on utilisation performance and market acceptance.
- Incorporation of innovative testing and measurement techniques into new projects.
- Understanding properties of coals from key competitor nations.
- Environmental performance of coal taking account of current and emerging legislative regimes.
- Characterisation of the special requirements of coals from the emerging coal basins, eg southern Queensland.
Proposals should clearly articulate:
- Industry needs and benefits.
- Knowledge of the current state of the art.
- Capability to make a meaningful contribution.
- Realistic timetable for completion.
The major markets for Australian coals are electricity generation and iron production, and it is anticipated that the majority of proposals will address these markets. Proposals addressing the use of coal in other industrial applications will also be considered where a significant benefit to coal producers can be demonstrated.
Proposals must be clearly distinguished from existing work elsewhere and must also show a major benefit to coal producers to be considered for ACARP funding.
THERMAL COAL
Technical issues of interest include:
- Combustion performance of blends of Australian and International coals.
- • Trace elements, in particular factors affecting deportment/speciation behaviour
- • Environmental performance in use, (eg impacts of the emerging mercury treaty; effects resulting from utilisation of harder, more reactive coals)
- Fine particulate emissions, especially PM2.5.
- Dust control, eg from coal handling and transport systems.
METALLURGICAL COAL
ACARP is particularly interested in coke making processes as they impact on the value in use of Australian coals, with emphasis on the following points:
- Emerging coking mechanisms in:
- conventional coke ovens, particularly as they relate to variable operating conditions.
- non-recovery/heat recovery coke ovens, particularly as they relate to coke quality relative to conventional coke ovens.
- Blend optimisation under different coke making regimes, eg via stamp charging and other density enhancement techniques.
- Effects of pellitisation or briquetting of fine coal to improve bulk density.
- Interactive effects in blends, particularly understanding the factors that influence coke strength.
- Understanding overseas work on alternative cokemaking processes, in particular the implications for the use of Australian coals.
- Impact of coal ash mineralogy on coke behaviour in the blast furnace.
Pulverised coal injection is of general interest.
Other smelting processes, while representing smaller markets, are also of interest. Proposals addressing the impact of coal properties on value in use in these processes will be considered.
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