IMC's September 2013 report for EastCoal on the Ukrainian coal mine plans a washing plant in two phases, treating 80 mm top size coal through one 1,000 mm cyclone, spirals for fines and specialist dry screens.
The Verticalnaya Coal Mine is a development-stage anthracite mine in Ukraine of EastCoal Inc. IMC Group Consulting prepared the NI 43-101 technical report, dated September 4, 2013. Washability results for seam H11B set the design, though no specific data exist for seam H8, which is not expected to produce before 2017. The first plant would be built immediately, and a second would come with H8 production.
Critical Data
| Parameter | Value | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report date | September 4, 2013 | Not applicable | EastCoal Inc. |
| Annual processing rate | 2.275 | Mtpa | 6,500 hours a year |
| Separating density | 1,900 to 2,000 | kg/m³ | Magnetite based medium only |
| Top size | 80 | mm | Market for larger sizes has gone |
| Dense medium cyclone | 1,000 | mm diameter | 250 tons per hour, 80 to 1.6 mm |
| Washing plant capacity | 350 | tons per hour | Feed |
| Dry fines removed | About 80 | tons per hour | Screens at 4 to 6 mm |
| Dry fines ash | About 36 | % | Minus 6.3 mm |
| Power station spec | About 20 | % ash | 50/50 washed coal and dry fines |
| Energy | 5 to 6 | kWh per ton | Projected |
| Water | 80 | litres per ton | Projected |
Overview
The report is blunt that a natural medium system could not wash this high density anthracite and would be doomed to failure. Products would be dry screened run of mine with clean washed coal, sized into standard fractions for different markets. The market is volatile and seasonal, so the design favours flexibility and stockpiling, with a rule of thumb of at least 5% of annual production held in product stockpiles.
Key Process Stages
Storage and reclaim. H11B and H8 production reach the coal processing area separately and sit in separate stockpiles at the drift exits, with at least 10 hours of production. Conveyors in tunnels beneath reclaim to either plant.
Dry screening. Specialist screens remove dry fines. These can blend directly with clean washed coal for the power sector or go to washing, depending on the market.
Washing. The dense medium cyclone treats coarse feed, and spiral separators clean the fines below 1.6 mm. Clean coal is mechanically dewatered and screened into size grades, then goes to rail truck loading or storage.
Additional Interesting Data and Summary
Removing fines before wetting reduces both plant water and energy. The 80 tons per hour of dry fines equals 22.9% of run of mine, and 60% of the expected minus 6.3 mm material.
At a washed yield of 50% with washed coal at 6% ash, IMC expects 46% of total production to go as power station smalls and 16% to metallurgical markets. Changing the split is a simple matter of adjusting the dry fines extracted. Clean production in the report's table peaks at 2,696 thousand tonnes in 2019, excluding dilution.
Key Processes
- Separate seam stockpiles with tunnel reclaim
- Dry screening of fines at 4 to 6 mm
- Magnetite dense medium cyclone washing
- Spiral cleaning of fines
- Mechanical dewatering and size screening
- Rail loading and product stockpiling
Source: Verticalnaya Coal Mine, Ukraine, NI 43-101 Technical Report, IMC Group Consulting Limited for EastCoal Inc., September 4, 2013.
