All I know all coal when burned will generate heat to make steam to make electricity. Can’t they just mix and match or use any type of coal to burn if the specific type is not available?
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Coal is not just pure carbon. When you dig it out of the ground there are lots of minerals mixed into it. For example Lignite contain 65-75% minerals and only 25-35% carbon, while Anthracite contain 3-14% minerals. When you burn this coal the minerals will form various other compounds that the power plant need to deal with. Some minerals such as sulfur are responsible for acid rain. Some minerals are radioactive and spread a cloud of radioactive smoke from the chimney. Heavy metal minerals tends to form toxic ashes. Other minerals can create glass like ash which clog pipes or erodes them away.
Some coal is illegal to burn without filtration in place. Some damage the power plant unless it is made for it. And some are just uneconomical because it is hard to get rid of the toxic materials from the coal.
Power plants require specific coal types for efficient power generation because different coals have varying energy contents and combustion characteristics. The choice of coal depends on its calorific value, sulfur content, and other properties. Using the right coal type ensures optimal combustion, reduces emissions, and maximizes power plant efficiency.
Yes and no, you can make a firebox/ combustion chamber for any fuel, or a specific fuel. The more precise you make the combustion chamber for a specific fuel, the better the power and efficiency. You can make an engine that can run on diesel, gas, and propane gas, but it will run less efficiently than one made for a specific fuel only.
It’s not that power stations require a certain type they can use anything if you can stand the pollution, steel works on the other hand require high quality “coking coal” for smelting steel and they’re prepared to pay for it So power stations use the lower quality for the economics even though it’s dirtier.
Probably because the boilers are designed to be very efficient, and therefore have specific requirements for the fuel they use. Things like particle size, contaminants and such almost certainly become important.
You can burn some dirty diesel in an engine, but you might end up with buildup and poor combustion. The same probably goes for coal.
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