 Coal and Coke Subcommittee Seeks Participation in Development of Proposed Microwave Drying Standard
ASTM International Committee D05 on Coal and Coke is currently seeking participation in the development of a proposed new standard, WK10700, Test Method for Total Moisture in Coal Reduced to 2.36 mm (No. 8 Sieve) Topsize Through Determination of Air-Drying Loss by Microwave Oven. The proposed new standard is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee D05.21 on Methods of Analysis.
While air-drying is an important step in the proximate analysis of coal, it is also very time consuming, often requiring more than 12 hours to be completed. Coal buyers who need to know the proximate analysis data in a more timely fashion than allowed by many conventional methods allow will benefit from the use of microwave ovens as a quicker means of drying coal.
Microwave methodology has been used in the coal processing labs of the Powder River Basin in Wyoming since the late 1980s. The gradual refinement of microwave drying techniques has resulted in the development of WK10700, which is currently on ballot.
Once WK10700 has been approved, the most likely users will be quality control laboratories at coal preparation and processing plants. “Because of the rapid turnaround time of results, virtually all producer, consumer and general interest coal analysis labs will benefit from this proposed new method,” says David Byer, Peabody Energy, and D05.21 subcommittee member.
The subcommittee is particularly seeking coal analysis laboratories that would be willing to use the proposed new method as well as the current conventional ASTM methods to participate in a round robin study. //
Contact:
Technical Information: David Byer, Peabody Energy, St. Louis, Mo.
Phone: 314/342-7604
ASTM staff: Scott Orthey
Phone: 610/832-9730
Upcoming Meeting: May 14-17, May Committee Week, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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