Coal Quality - Ash by Weight or Volume ?

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 6:58 pm

I've seen anthracite coal quality listed by the percent of coal to ash, but is it by % of weight of coal burned to ash, or the volume of coal to ash ?

Paul


 
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Post by Carbon12 » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:12 pm

I do mine by weight. 100 pounds burned produces 10 pounds of ash. 10% ash by weight. Volume I don't keep track of.

 
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Post by Dennis » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:16 pm

I used to measure by weight,but this year i'm measuring by truck loads with this new coal :mad:

 
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Post by lsayre » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:20 pm

By volume it's down right scary sometimes. :shock:

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:20 pm

C12,

I've been doing the same - by weight. Been keeping track and it's running about 12% for the last 19 days.

I remember reading somewhere that 20 % was considered standard grade, and 15-12 % was high and ultra high grade.

Just can't remember where I found all that, and I don't think it said if it was weight of volume. :oops:

Paul

 
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Post by Rigar » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:21 pm

Dennis wrote:I used to measure by weight,but this year i'm measuring by truck loads with this new coal :mad:
...me too...absolutely amazed at how much (heavy) ash I have this season...
..nothing like last year

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:22 pm

Dennis wrote:I used to measure by weight,but this year i'm measuring by truck loads with this new coal :mad:
You truck out the ash ? That's a lot of coal burnin'. :shock:

Paul


 
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Post by Lightning » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:25 pm

Yes I believe ash is measured by relative weight compared to coal. So the way I understand it, 100 pounds of coal with 10% ash should produce 10 pounds of ash. But It's difficult to be accurate since some un burned coal tends to end up in the ash. The only way to be close is to measure coal weight total for a couple weeks and compare it ash weight for that time period.

 
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Post by Carbon12 » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:27 pm

I was suspect about my 10% ash by weight findings but I've repeated the measurements several times with small and large quantities of coal and it has always come out to 10% ash by weight. Not complaining. By volume, it certainly is fluffy with sheet pans of coal cakes. Very little unburnt coal, however.

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:29 pm

Rigar wrote:
Dennis wrote:I used to measure by weight,but this year i'm measuring by truck loads with this new coal :mad:
...me too...absolutely amazed at how much (heavy) ash I have this season...
..nothing like last year
Interesting. I started keeping track because I was running much less than I remember having to empty the 6 gallon ash can I use. It's been taking 3-1/2 to 4 days of ash to fill it. Past years, I couldn't get more than 3 days worth of ashes in that can.

Also, this years load of nut is running slightly larger sizes with a few chunks up in the stove coal size range.
And no wood chunks this year either. Past years there's always been wood chunks. Last year it was so loaded with wood there was at least one chunk in every coal hod full.

Paul

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:36 pm

Carbon12 wrote:I was suspect about my 10% ash by weight findings but I've repeated the measurements several times with small and large quantities of coal and it has always come out to 10% ash by weight. Not complaining. By volume, it certainly is fluffy with sheet pans of coal cakes. Very little unburnt coal, however.
That would seem about right from here too. I got a better scale that has proven itself rather accurate when checked with know weights. I'm getting a couple pounds more than you because my stove doesn't burn it all to ash. I get some unburned coal.

But, if quality is measured by % of weight then 10% is off the scale I remember reading.

Paul

 
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Post by Dennis » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:45 pm

Sunny Boy wrote:
Dennis wrote:I used to measure by weight,but this year i'm measuring by truck loads with this new coal :mad:
You truck out the ash ? That's a lot of coal burnin'. :shock:

Paul
It was ment as a joke,but iv'e been used to UAE coal and with this Blaschak coal it's more than twice the ash and half the heat,i'm very dissapointed :down:

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:52 pm

Dennis wrote:
Sunny Boy wrote: You truck out the ash ? That's a lot of coal burnin'. :shock:

Paul
It was ment as a joke,but iv'e been used to UAE coal and with this Blaschak coal it's more than twice the ash and half the heat,i'm very dissapointed :down:
Sorry to hear that Dennis.

Paul

 
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Post by Richard S. » Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 7:56 pm

It's by weight and keep in mind when you are given figures by breaker that's from a lab. Lab conditions are not going to be duplicated in the real world especially with a stoker.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Dec. 19, 2013 5:28 am

Just because a certain coal source has a lower ash by weight figure than another doesn't mean you will have to empty the ash tub less frequently. Some coal produces ash that is fluffy and fills the tubs quickly...but they will be easier to carry. :)

Edit: I suppose this is might be harder to observe in hand-fired equipment since the ashes are usually ground to a powder...but in a stoker it can be very easy to see. Probably the biggest difference I observed when running a hand-fed was how easy the stove shook down when burning coal that produced fluffy white ash.


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