Almost 70 percent all coal sold by the Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Holding Corporation (Vinacomin) is treated and prepared in coal mines. This shows that coal treatment is an important part of Vinacomin’s operation. The Vietnam Institute of Mining Science and Technology of Vinacomin has succeeded in researching and creating the coal preparation technology by heavy medium drum-type separator, contributing to increasing coal productivity and quality and coal recovery coefficient and minimizing coal losses and environmental pollution.
From 2002-2004, the Vietnam Institute of Mining Science and Technology did a good job implementing the ministerial-level scientific research project 'The technology to recover coal from oversize coal for Quang Ninh Province-based coal-mines'. The former Ministry of Industry's (now part of the Ministry of Industry and Trade) scientific council highly rated this project's results, while this technology was applied to handling oversize coal in Quang Ninh.
From 2004, the institute was succeeding in implementing state-level experimental production projects: 1) construction and application of the coal preparation technology by heavy medium drum-type separator in oversize coal treatment in Quang Ninh coal-mines and 2) improvement of the autogenous coal suspension technology. Apart from increasing the amount of recovered coal by 20-30 percent compared to the old technology, the new technologies help increase labor productivity and decrease environmental pollution and occupational diseases.
After more than five years of research, the institute succeeded in implementing the above-mentioned projects while designing, constructing and transferring nine coal treatment lines with modules of 250,000-650,000 tonnes per year in capacity. The total design capacity of coal treatment lines using the coal preparation technology by heavy medium drum-type separator is 5.6 million tonnes per year, which is more than 12 percent of the country's total coal mining output. From 2005-2009, this new technology was applied in many coal-mines including Coc Sau, Nui Beo, Deo Nai, Quang Hanh and Ha Lam, profiting the coal industry with more than VND5 billion each year on average.
Seeing the economic and environmental benefit that this technology has brought, the Uong Bi Coal Company invested in one more coal treatment line using the new technology in 2007. New technology application has profited the company with more than VND3.5 billion per year on average.
The Mao Khe coal-mine invested in a coal treatment line using the new technology in 2005. The new technology application profited the coal-mine with more than VND3.7 billion per year on average. Seeing this great benefit, the coal-mine procured one more coal treatment line using the new technology in 2007, which has a capacity to treat 500,000 tonnes per year. All of related equipment is controlled with a sensor screen. Coal treated with the new technology can be mixed with coal dust for use in the Pha Lai Thermoelectric Plant, contributing to making use of redundant natural resources, energy efficiency, environmental pollution minimization and economic efficiency improvement.
The coal preparation technology by heavy medium drum-type separator and the autogenous coal suspension technology, which were applied for the first time in Vietnam, have contributed to improving the coal treatment technology here in Vietnam. The advanced coal treatment lines can be manufactured domestically so are cheaper than imported products of the same kind.
The nine advanced coal treatment lines installed in different coal-mines have helped increase the clean coal output and revenue of these coal-mines.
The National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam has granted a patent for the coal preparation technology by heavy medium drum-type separator and the autogenous coal suspension technology of the Vietnam Institute of Mining Science and Technology. Institute scientists now continue working to improve the consistency and automation of the new technologies and increase equipment durability.
Minh Nghia
Vietnamese
