ABSTRACT
Drying of low-rank coal (LRC) is carried out to increase its caloric value and facilitate its transport. Wet coal is difcult to load or unload from railway cars owing to freezing, which is a problem in colder climates. The presence of moisture causes a reduction in friability of coal, makes it difcult to control blending operations, worsens the quality of grinding (if coal is ground), and impedes separation and classication as well as the pneumatic transport of pulverized coal. Friable coal suitable for combustion in modern steam boilers is obtained only when the moist coal is dried. Coal must also be dried for the following processes: (1) briquetting, (2) coking, (3) gasication, (4) low-temperature carbonization, (5) liquid
fuel synthesis, and others. The nal moisture content requirement for coal is different depending on the process in which it is used. The following is a summary of approximate ranges of moisture content of coal required for various processes.
