A COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF COAL PREPARATION PLANT ECONOMICS AND EQUIPMENT SELECTION

Special Research Report SR-114 In this research project a computer program has been developed for determining the capital and operating costs for coal preparation plants. The logic of the computer program is based upon a survey of existing preparation plants, operators, plant contractors, equipment manufac- tures, and consulting firms. This survey provided information on plant performance, order-of-magnitude costs, and costing procedures. Additionally, anextensive cost data file for the major capital equip- ment in coal preparation plants has been developed. Generalized and representative circuit flowsheets that portray real-world situations were analyzed. The preparation plant design was broken down into the following major circuits: 1. Raw coal storage 2. Raw coal crushing and handling 3. Coarse coal beneficiation 4. Intermediate coal beneficiation 5. Fine coal beneficiation 6. Clean coal storage 7. Unit train loading facilities 8. Refuse facilities and equipment 9. Thermal drying A preparation plant with one or all of the above circuits can be speci- fied for analysis with the program.