Embodiments described herein provide for the flameless premixed combustion of the pyrolysis gases of a milligram-sized sample of solid material in a microscale fire calorimeter (MFC) at high temperatures of combustion and under precisely controlled fuel-to-oxygen ratios. The microscale fire calorimeter (MFC) device and techniques set out herein provide for the generation of fuel gases from solids and the mixing of those fuel gases with oxygen under controlled conditions to obtain precise fuel/oxygen ratios during combustion. Combustion is conducted under flameless, premixed conditions in a rapid test that can generate soot and other products of incomplete combustion, which may then be analyzed to determine their type and nature. This allows for microscale, accurate, and convenient techniques for the generation and determination of the type and nature of combustion species produced over the full range of fire stages from early stage (over-ventilated) fires to late-stage (under-ventilated/high-toxicity) fires.

Provided is a method for predicting and evaluating adhesion of combustion ash in a coal-mixed combustion boiler in which biomass is used as renewable energy, the method comprising: ashing a sample to prepare an ashed test sample, the sample being obtained by mixing the biomass with coal that is main fuel of the coal-mixed combustion boiler, at a predetermined additive ratio; sintering the ashed test sample under a combustion temperature condition of the coal-mixed combustion boiler to generate sintered ash; testing the sintered ash by a rattler tester to obtain a sticking degree from a ratio obtained by dividing a weight of the sintered ash after the test by a weight of the sintered ash before the test; and evaluating in advance an adhesion state of the combustion ash in the coal-mixed combustion boiler on a basis of the sticking degree.

An apparatus and method predict an initial deformation temperature of coal without an additional test by using a predictive model. The apparatus includes a parameter extractor configured to analyze characteristics of test coal and to extract parameters of the test coal based on the test coal characteristic analysis; a temperature analyzer configured to analyze an initial deformation temperature (IDT) of the test coal; a modeler configured to derive an IDT predictive model for predicting the test coal IDT using the extracted parameters of the test coal and the test coal IDT; and a predictor configured to predict an initial deformation temperature (IDT) of target coal to be supplied to the coal-fired power plant by substituting parameters of the target coal into the IDT predictive model. The test coal characteristics are analyzed by ash component analysis, elementary analysis, industrial analysis, or calorific value analysis.

A method of estimating a surface tension of coal includes subjecting a surface tension, a physical property value representing a coal rank, and a total inert content of each of different brands of coal to multiple regression analysis to determine in advance a regression equation including the surface tension of coal as an objective variable and the physical property value and the total inert content as explanatory variables; and measuring the physical property value and the total inert content of a coal of which the surface tension is to be estimated, and calculating the surface tension of the coal with the measured physical property value and the measured total inert content, and the regression equation.

A method of producing advanced carbon materials can include providing coal to a processing facility, beneficiating the coal to remove impurities from the coal, processing the beneficiated coal to produce a pitch, and treating the pitch to produce an advanced carbon material such as carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, resins, polymers, biomaterials, or other carbon materials.

There is provided a method for blending coals for coke production, in which the strength of coke produced from a coal blend serving as a raw material is estimated using a physical property that has not been taken into consideration in the past as an index, so that the method is capable of suppressing an increase in the raw material cost of the coal blend and increasing the strength of coal. Two or more coal brands are blended together to provide a coal blend for coke production. When the two or more coal brands are blended together, the coal brands and the blending ratio of the coal brands are determined using the surface tension of each of the coal brands subjected to heat treatment, the surface tension serving as a control index.

Provided is a technique by which the compatibility between coals for cokemaking can be quantitatively determined to estimate the coke strength taking into account the compatibility and to select and blend coals based on the coke strength estimated taking into account the compatibility, thereby allowing the production of a coke with the desired strength. A method for blending coals for cokemaking includes predicting the strength of a coke to be produced from a blend of a plurality of coals based on a difference between the surface tensions of the plurality of coals after heat treatment and determining the types and proportions of the coals to be blended.

Device and method for checking fuel rods with IFBA, their zirconium diboride coating. The device includes a variable magnetic field generator and a magnetic field pickup device, arranged in the vicinity of the rod, as well as a control system for comparing both fields in order to measure the electric conductivity of the rod. The method includes the steps of: arranging the rod to be measured between the generator and the pickup device; generation of a variable magnetic field in the generator; picking-up of the magnetic field; comparison between the generated magnetic field and the picked-up one in order to quantify the electric conductivity of the rod; if the electric conductivity differs from a reference value, consider the rod for checking or recycling.

Methods and systems for in situ monitoring of coke morphology in a delayed coking unit. At least one transmitting electrode and at least one receiving electrode are utilized to transmit AC current across coke being formed within the delayed coking unit. An impedance analyzer can be used to measure the impedance encountered between the transmitting electrode and the receiving electrode. This measure impedance is compared to an impedance curve comprising known impedance values for different coke morphologies to determine the morphology of coke being formed in the delayed coking unit.

A method for manufacturing coke having a high strength and excellent extrusion capability. The method includes a preparing step of blending two or more coal brands to prepare a coal blend, a stirring and mixing step of stirring and mixing the coal blend to disintegrate at least a part of pseudo-particles that have been formed by agglomeration of coal particles in the coal blend, and a carbonizing step of charging the stirred and mixed coal blend into a coke oven to carbonize the stirred and mixed coal blend. Additionally, a mixing apparatus is used in the stirring and mixing step that has a capability of controlling a degree of mixing of the coal blend to be 0.85 or more at 60 seconds after start of a mixing operation. The degree of mixing is calculated by the following equation (1):

degree of mixing=(σC.sub.0−σC)/(σC.sub.0−σCf)  (1).