PRB coal makes the grade Several months ago, when we began work on this special issue dedicated to PRB coal, our goal was to publish articles that address the issues facing every plant burning PRB coal. Discussions with the PRB Coal Users' Group helped us narrow the topics down to these: slag/fouling removal, dust control and collection, heat rate improvement, emissions modifications, and fire protection. Then we picked the brains of industry leaders in those areas. The articles in this issue br

Growth of Powder River Basin (PRB) coal consumption over the past decade has been spectacular. In 1990, PRB coal shipments amounted to less than 200 million tons but grew to 286 million tons in 1995. Next year, over 400 million tons are expected to be hauled out of the basin by rail to destinations...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Power 2003-10, Vol.147 (8), p.28-36
Main Authors: Peltier, Robert, Wicker, Ken
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Boilers
Coal
Consumption
Cost control
Dust
Emission standards
Fire prevention
Industrial plant emissions
Manycompanies
Mines
Mining
Natural resources
Pollution control
Power plants
Shipments
Sulfur content
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Summary:Growth of Powder River Basin (PRB) coal consumption over the past decade has been spectacular. In 1990, PRB coal shipments amounted to less than 200 million tons but grew to 286 million tons in 1995. Next year, over 400 million tons are expected to be hauled out of the basin by rail to destinations including 36 states that use more than 1 million tons/yr of the fuel. That may sound like a lot of coal, but it's all relative: At the current rate of mining, most experts estimate that another 250 to 300 years' worth of PRB coal is available in Wyoming and Montana. Many utilities, independent power producers, and large industrial generators have switched from eastern bituminous coals to PRB coal for reasons of cost alone. Others have turned to the fuel because its use reduces emissions of SO(sub)2 - without the need to install costly scrubbers - and of NO(sub)x. But for both groups, the use of PRB coal has proven to have some big downsides.
ISSN:0032-5929
1936-7791