Usabeli Coal Size and Augers

so how small do they sort the coal down too? I know most of it is about 1.5 inch minus but if one was to ask real nice can you get it smaller than that?

and... those with smaller augers, what size is your auger and is the coal soft enough to be broken up by the auger?

pv

Rice is pretty small, it would take a few pieces to cover a penny. You don't want to break up anthracite with an auger, it (and it's drive) would not be happy.

pura vida wrote:so how small do they sort the coal down too? I know most of it is about 1.5 inch minus but if one was to ask real nice can you get it smaller than that?

and... those with smaller augers, what size is your auger and is the coal soft enough to be broken up by the auger?

pv

http://www.sizes.com/materls/anthracite.htm

http://www.sizes.com/materls/coal_bituminous.htm

I sent soft coal to be tested in an EFM boiler and was told the coal for the test needed to fall through 1/2 X 1/2 inch hardware cloth to be properly sized so the auger would feed correctly. Slightly larger coal might work but could bridge/arch over the worm. Utah Bituminous Burning in the EFM DF520
Oil treated coal would not feed properly....Is usabeli coal oil treated?
Check with usabeli and see if they offer the right size. I would be kinda worried about getting a unit that requires a special sized coal though. What if they decide to stop making that size coal?

I don't know what sizes usabeli produces, but there are typically two sizes of stoker coal available for bit users. "stoker" coal varies, but is somewhere between 1/4" and 1-3/4" and "pea stoker" which is (roughly) 1/4" x 1".

for example here's the test of my stoker coal with the efm stoker and the sizes of kentucky pea stoker and ohio pea stoker are about the same size and I blend them. Unfortunately this is the smallest commonly available "sized" coal for bit (other than fines which don't burn well in a stoker and have the consistancy of a sand and baby powder mix) and even this was too large for the EFM Stoker unit with its tiny little auger. Kentucky/Ohio Brookville Soft Coal Experiment

Northland Fuels and Energy is the retailer in Healy from Usibelli Coal Mine.
Usibelli sizes thier coal to about 8" minus, and then sells it to Northland Fuels and Energy
Northland Coal has a two deck screen,
Product from top screen is about 8" down to about 1 5/8", good for hand fed.
Below the top deck and above the bottom deck they get Chestnut coal 1 5/8" to 11/16" Thank you Coal Berner for the size link, works good in my auger.
From the bottom deck 11/16" down to dust with alot of dust, and in the rain, the dust is coal mud, this becomes basically "Waste".

The outside diameter of my auger pipe is about 3.5" this is called 3" pipe in the trade, trade sizes are based on the original inside diameter of pipe.
So my auger pipe inside diameter is just over 3", 3.086" actual.
When operating it sounds like a small rock crusher, poping and crunching along.
Years ago my father was told we would need a 4" trade size pipe auger to feed Usibelli coal, that would have about a 4" inside diameter, this delayed our conversion to coal for ten years.

I have fed about 35 tons of coal and never broke a shear pin.
Usibelli coal is soft, it is actually Sub-Bituminous grade C.
Soft is a relative term, some Usibelli coal can be driven over with your pick up and only break some crumbs from the piece, other pieces would become dust.

This time of year Northland fuels probably only comes to Healy to load trucks once per month, in the winter they come Friday and Saturday each week.
You can come up to Healy and drive to the Northland Fuel Plant and walk the piles, Raw form Usibelli, Hand fed, Chestnut, "Waste".

The "Waste" is reportedly hauled to the local power plant and burned.

Enjoy

I just noticed that EFM is now claiming they can burn Bitumious coal in thier stokers.
This is big news.
I understand they use a 2" trade size pipe for an auger tube.
The small pieces of coal from Usibelli, beak down fast in the weather.
I see EFM recomends rice sized coal 5/16" to 3/16" with the soft coal of Healy you might be able to feed some 1/2", and hopfully it would break up and feed.
The coal I sent to EFM for testing was sifted from the "Waste" pile mentioned above.

short bus, thanks for the info. exactly what I was looking for. unfortunately exactly what I was afraid of... the efm sounds like it would work perfectly for my application (indoor, auger fed, under fed, dual burning) except it has a scary small auger for our coal. I sure would be nervous about making a $9k+ investment and not have it work with our coal. I plan/want to have an out door 15+ ton coal storage that is augered through the wall. it would be sealed in-ground storage plus covered by some sort of roof but I would still be concerned about using the "waste" coal... is there any issues burning the "dust" coal?

i'm a little frustrated/disappointed that I am having such a hard time finding a boiler that is going to work for. the only other one I've tracked down is the Per-eko make out of poland. I know a few of them are being used in glennallen without issue but the biggest issue with those is they have a hopper you have to fill by hand. I don't want to do that. that's why I liked the efm so much. direct fed from your coal pile to the boiler. plus getting support from poland could be an issue...

also, anyone heard of someone selling indoor coal boilers in the anchorage/valley area? heard there was someone now? started out selling wood boilers and has now added coal? does this sound familiar to anyone? anyone in ak sell indoor boilers?

think I might need to make a trip around the state to check out a couple boilers and coal sizes...

thanks as always

pv

I think the dust or fines cause trouble for the augers, causing binding and just in general mess things up.

The local lodge is getting ready to put an automiated coal burning system under his Heatmore outdoor boiler, he is starting with a burn pot form http://www.coalandheat.com/ and he will be ordering an auger custom for his application, he will then be conecting a gearbox he found somwhere to the auger and a variable frequency drive motor, he will be learning alot along the way, I also hope to be able to learn form this experiment.

You are welcome to come to Cantwell and see what I've settled for in my coal burning system, I still have high asperations but in the mean time I have an old system that works.

he's going to have problems with a variable frequency drive motor keeping a proper fire.

thanks for all the info. it sure is frustrating having these grand ideas that would work well for me and save me a ton of money, but not being able to find a product that works for me.

pv

Yes Berlin, I think he has taken on a chalange, he works at the coal power plant in Healy and that is how they do it, controlled among other things by an Oxygen sensor in the stack.
I've tried different coal feed speeds on my underfeed stoker and just don't get the heat to melt the ash into clinkers, there seams to be a minimum burn size.
I'm not sure even a smaller burn pot would help, since the combustion takes place above the twyres.
Maybe with the rotating ring burner things will be different, I think the combustion happens basicaly on a grate shaped like a cone sloping away from the center.
I would deffinatly be trying a heat reflector above the fire.
I'm eager to see the products of combustion from a rotaitng ring fire.

I've seen a few "Kirks Stoker" come up for sale on-line in Western Canada. **Broken Link(s) Removed**
These have the rotating head/self cleaning feature and might be something for you guys up north to watch out for a good deal on.