Smokeless Solid fuels

Post Reply
 
User avatar
joeq
Member
Posts: 5739
Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Northern CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson

Post by joeq » Wed. Nov. 13, 2019 8:02 pm

Just saw a YT video comparing wood burning to "Smokeless solid fuels", and how the two compare performance wise in a similar stove. The coals appeared to be in charcoal form, and when I looked up a brand name, seems they were selling out of Britain. I don't think the term "smokeless" was generalizing all coals, but more specifically a type of coal. Never heard of it. Is it new? :annoyed:
P.S. Of course the coal won out over the wood for all the reasons we've touted.
(Check the bottom of the page for pics. and video)
Last edited by joeq on Thu. Nov. 14, 2019 6:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
User avatar
McGiever
Member
Posts: 10130
Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Wed. Nov. 13, 2019 9:09 pm

Not made of "charcoal" but your correct it is in a pressed briquette form. It is anthracite as a matter of fact. ;)

 
User avatar
joeq
Member
Posts: 5739
Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Northern CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson

Post by joeq » Wed. Nov. 13, 2019 10:45 pm

Thanks for the response Larry. Is the stuff available stateside? Are there any benefits compared to conventional anthracite?

 
hank2
Member
Posts: 846
Joined: Sat. Dec. 10, 2011 4:07 pm
Location: Berks County
Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine 1400 WH ciculator; 1880's small cannon in reserve
Coal Size/Type: Nut
Other Heating: small New Yorker oil fired boiler; mostly used for domestic HW

Post by hank2 » Thu. Nov. 14, 2019 12:50 am

Not any help on availability, but there used to be a guy posting on these forums from Great Britain. He spoke of burning coal briquettes. I believe there are some made from Anthracite, including partially in cooking charcoal, but also mostly from Bituminous and Lignite in Europe and Asia.


 
User avatar
McGiever
Member
Posts: 10130
Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Thu. Nov. 14, 2019 12:53 am

There was a charcoal place in (I think Brookville), PA that did make some smokeless briquette, maybe Humphrey, but never got my hands on any...it was discussed here with the guy that was to market them here some years back.
There seems to be a market, as you saw at youtube, in the UK. They had a web site and various sizes or recipes..none have showed up State Side that I heard.

The anthracite fines that don't go for filtration at water plants, I beleive, is sold for local power generation.
I beleive the market exists for home heating, but seems nobody wants to venture there nowdays. I bet Tractor Supply could sell a bunch of them if they could get them.

Just last week a new member came here trying to peddle a huge amount of spent anthracite filtration media from DC water plant...that would be good for briquette making if had for cheap and transportation was reasonable.

 
Den034071
Member
Posts: 907
Joined: Sat. Jun. 25, 2011 4:30 pm
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer, 3095

Post by Den034071 » Thu. Nov. 14, 2019 9:34 am

Some history .In the 1930s the Old Lehigh Coal companymade briquettes from fine Sand coal Waste .They used the fine powder coal added a resin binding agentto solidify the briq .They Lehigh had a bagging plant nrar no. 9 mine in Lansford Pa .Formerly the coal sand or dust was thrown away on refuse plant .The planned market for the briq. was homes without coal bins .jack

 
User avatar
Sunny Boy
Member
Posts: 25553
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
Location: Central NY
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Thu. Nov. 14, 2019 11:42 am

A few years back I posted about experimenting with making briquettes out of the coal fines.

I used a mix of baking flour, water, and coal fines. Mixed to a thick batter and poured into a cupcake pan. Took a long time for them to dry even while sitting on the range.

Burned ok.

But I soon realized that it was A LOT easier to just put the same volume of fines as in a briquette, directly on the fire.

It burned just as well if the fines were placed in a clump and not spread out over the firebed - just like as if it was a large piece of coal would burn. That way, the fines didn't slow the fire by clogging and restricting air flow through the firebed.

And it saved the flour for a better tasting use ! :yes:

Paul

 
User avatar
joeq
Member
Posts: 5739
Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Northern CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson

Post by joeq » Thu. Nov. 14, 2019 5:57 pm

I remember that experiment Paul. Very clever.
So Jack, was those briquettes very popular? Wonder why they went away. Nothing goes to waste. Sorta like saw dust/particle board.
And here's one of the ads I saw for this stuff. The YT video showed it cooking with big orange dancing flames, kinda like a wood fire. Maybe I'll find the link and post it.Here ya go. :)
Smokeless fuel.jpg
.JPG | 171.9KB | Smokeless fuel.jpg



 
User avatar
McGiever
Member
Posts: 10130
Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Thu. Nov. 14, 2019 9:54 pm

Wish this would of got jump started:
New Coal Product

 
User avatar
joeq
Member
Posts: 5739
Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Northern CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson

Post by joeq » Thu. Nov. 14, 2019 10:01 pm

McGiever wrote:
Thu. Nov. 14, 2019 9:54 pm
Wish this would of got jump started:
New Coal Product
That was 2011. What ever became?

 
User avatar
McGiever
Member
Posts: 10130
Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Thu. Nov. 14, 2019 10:03 pm

I wish I knew ???

Post Reply

Return to “Coal News & General Coal Discussions”