100005542
Important factors in the combustion
of high ash coal
Date of Submission: October 27, 2019.
Word Count: 946
Student Name: Daulet Zhakupov
Student ID Number: 100005542
Assignment Name: Academic Writing Cause Essay
Writing Tutor: Deanne Cobb-Zygadlo
Writing Group: 5
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According to the United Nations (2019) by the 2050 the total population of
the Earth will amount to 10 billion people. It means that demand of main
resources like food, water and energy will increase sharply. The data collected
from experts (Smith, 1993) suggests that a key factor to supply another 3 billion
people is to generate enough power and energy to produce significant nutrition.
Analysis of modern energy industry shows that the most cost-effective solution
can be provided by implication of clean coal technologies. For the Republic of
Kazakhstan development of clean coal technologies will open the possibility to
adapt vast resources of high ash coal, which traditionally is not used in power
industry. Statistics illustrates that only Ekibastuz coal basin has 2 Bt of lowquality coal. (Azizov & Vlasov, 2013) Thus, it can be said that causes for
utilization of low-quality coal should be investigated completely. This essay will
clarify the key reasons for the industrial implication of bad coal. The focus will
be on the most common used (Oprisan, 2011) Ekibastuz coal. First it is
essential to define the term ‘high ash coal’. This term means that ash takes 3040% of overall content of fuel. Ash cannot be combusted and causes the
corrosion of reactors equipment. Therefore, mentioned type of fossil discards to
ash dumps nowadays.
It may be stated that implication of high ash coal can improve
environmental situation. Today only 72 percent of overall reserves of Ekibastuz
coal can be utilized. As (Azizov & Vlasov, 2013) show, the capacity of the basin
is 9.7 Bt of coal. Modern technologies used for power generation can allow to
implement only coal with the ash content up to 42%. It means that 2.7 Bt of high
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ash coal will be sent to dumps. This great volume of bad quality coal will destroy
the ecosystem near dumps by poisoning soil water and air with harmful
elements. (Niyazbekova, et al., 2018). However, implication of low-quality coal
in power production will be expensive reform for industry. As Kazakhstan
Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC) (2018) reports, current power
supply level still be sufficient for Kazakhstan for the next 10 years. The same
time, the efficiency of current power plants is around 35-39%, when the clean
coal technologies based on high ash coal utilization can increase this parameter
to 45% with less emissions of greenhouse gas, sulfur and nitrogen dioxides
(Chunning, Jiahai, Yan, & Zheng, 2014). Evidences show that the
environmental sustainability can be provided by adaptation of high ash coal in
power industry in spite of high cost of implication.
Implication of the high ash coal in industrial processes may become a
trigger for deep modernization of power industry. The energy industry needs a
deep renovation. There are 68 power plants in Kazakhstan (US Commercial
Service, 2013). All of them were built in Soviet Union period and do not match
contemporary emissions and efficiency requirements. The overall installed
capacity is 19.800 gigawatts yet only 15.000 is available. This difference is
caused by maturing of mechanisms and lack service (Karatayev, M., & Clarke,
M.L., 2014). US Commercial Service (2013) states that modification of power
plants and infrastructure is needed to produce enough electricity for export and
local consumers. It is also essential to increase energy efficiency. The article
(Sarbassov, Kerimray, Tokmurzin, Tosato, & De Miglio, 2013) shows that the
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potential upgrade of heat and electricity systems can save one third of this
energy types consumption in urban and industrial sectors and average price
can be decreased for 1$/GJ. The modernization of power industry should be
based on combustion of high ash coal using the clean coal technologies. The
quality of coal determines the method of combustion and the appropriate
technology (Oka, 2004). The (Oprisan, 2011) shows that the most suitable and
effective solution to reform of power industry is to improve the combustion
process of low-quality coal via implication of clean coal technologies. The
experience of the Public Republic of China the World’s largest coal consumer
and leading country in CO2, SOx and NOx emission demonstrates the costeffectiveness of concerned reforms (Chunning, Jiahai, Yan, & Zheng, 2014).
Sarbassov (2017) states that the high ash coal of Ekibastuz basin can be used
in fluidized bed reactors as a fuel. This type of reactors consumes a low-quality
fuel and even a biomass to produce an electricity (Oka, 2004). Nevertheless,
the fundamental research is needed to approve the technological possibility for
industrial implication of low-quality coal in Kazakhstan. Also, the special
conditions as high-qualified engineering staff and equipment are required to
combust the high ash coal in the fluidized bed (Sarbassov, 2017). The
presented facts and evidences allow to make a conclusion that current status of
power industry will not guarantee sustainable and sufficient energy supply due
to the aging of equipment and low efficiency. This situation can be improved by
adaptation of previously did not used and available high ash coal through the
reactors based on clean coal technologies. The foreign and local experience
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supports the idea that high ash coal should play a main role in the
modernization of energy industry in Kazakhstan.
By summarizing all the information mentioned above, it can be said that
the possible implication of high ash coal needs to be investigated. This essay
has concerned the ecological and industrial benefits from the adaptation of lowquality coal in Kazakhstan. The data provided shows that this type of fuel in
case of industrial utilization will allow to provide environmental sustainability by
reducing the amount of damaging pollutants and will accelerate the
transformation of power industry. Further research in this field regarding the role
of high ash coal would be of great help to ensure the energy sustainability.
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Reference List
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Kazakhstan: reference book. Almaty: Ministry of Geology and Mineral
Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Chunning, N., Jiahai, Y., Yan, X., & Zheng H. (2014). Penetration of clean coal
technology and its impact on China’s power industry. Energy Strategy
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Karatayev, M., & Clarke, M.,L. (2014). Current energy resources in Kazakhstan
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Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company KEGOC. (2018). KEGOC
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Oka, S. N. (2004). Fundamental processes during coal combustion in fluidized
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Oprisan, M. (2011). Prospects for coal and clean coal technologies in
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%20for%20coal%20and%20clean%20coal%20technologies%20in%20K
azakhstan_ccc192.pdf
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Sarbassov, Y., Kerimray, A., Tokmurzin, D., Tosato, G., & De Miglio, R. (2013).
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US Commercial Service. (2013). Kazakhstan: Power Generation and
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