Assessment of coal handleability

Prevention of blockages on chutes and conveyors, and in bunkers due to poor-handling coal, in necessary to avoid costly down time and manpower requirements to effect remedial action. The prior measurement of the handleability of any consignment, giving the operator advanced knowledge of the way a coal blend will pass through a handling, is important in today's competitive market situation. The definition and determination of the handleability of a coal blend and of the Handleability Index for a handling plant are described presenting the history and the development of testing equipment used for this purpose. While significant work has been undertaken on the development of a handleability index for coal blends, none of the equipment used has been accepted universally due to the complexity of use, the preparation of the sample for testing, or the time taken to carry out the testing.