Surface-charge density and potential of coal-liquid mixtures and control of their stability and fluidity

The preparation conditions of concentrated (>70%) aqueous suspensions of coal were optimized, as were the surface charge density and the surface potential of the coal-water suspensions. The theoretical study showed that (1–3) or (2–3) electrolytes such as Na2SO4 or Na5P3O10, greatly increase the surface charge density and the surface potential of the coal particles in water. This study has led to the interesting result that thinners and stabilizing agents of concentrated clay suspensions, such as lignosulphonates, tripolyphosphates, polynaphtalene sulphonates, etc., must also be good thinners and stabilizing agents for ground coal-water suspensions. Two parameters were controlled: the stability and the fluidity of the suspensions. A penetrometry technique revealed the importance of the resistance coefficient,C r that can be used as a criterion for the evaluation of coal-water mixture stability and fluidity. Concentrated coal suspensions (about 75% of solid by weight) were prepared in water by using different additives, for instance sodium tripolyphosphate (NaTPP) and surfactants like lignosulphonates (by coupling of the dispersion and stabilizing effects) with the optimum concentration ratio of these two products equal to 1.9. The stability of the suspensions was then greater than 2 months and the viscosity was 1900 cP.