Problems Burning Unscreened Bit

Kielanders · Post by **Kielanders** » Sun. Nov. 25, 2012 4:16 pm

I've got a problem - our last delivery of 6 tons of bit turned-out to be unscreened - there's a a lot of fines, so much that almost 60% of it is the consistency of 'dirt'.

Since our coal depot is really only setup to load 800' coal ships headed for Asia, and while they used to screen, they may have stopped altogether.

They sell to the community as a public service for those of us that burn it, and just sending it back isn't really a good option (but may be necessary). They don't deliver, we hire a dump truck and have it picked-up.

The stuff will burn pretty well, but the problem I'm having is getting a fairly complete burn, so I don't have an ash box full of hot ash as a result of rocking the bed. When that happens the ash will stay hot for a week after it's dumped in the can outside - so it can't be bagged and put in the trash.

I do have access to both wood, and a couple of tons of the large chunk coal that they sold us on the previous two loads - and have thought about experimenting with mixing it, but I'm not sure that will make a difference.

Does anyone have any experience burning this stuff, and have some tips to make the best of a bad situation?

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Sun. Nov. 25, 2012 4:34 pm

Better get busy there Kielanders

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That's what probably happens when that ship gets to Asia.

Post by **ONEDOLLAR** » Sun. Nov. 25, 2012 4:57 pm

Kielanders

While I have never burned bit myself I did have a bunch of Anthracite coal fines that I mixed with some Corn Starch as a binder. The result was black hands of course BUT I did create about a dozen "coal balls" as I call them. About the size of a golf ball and to my surprise these "coal balls" burned just fine. These balls won't take lots of weight but they burned just fine on top of the coal bed.

It is hard to explain how much corn starch I used but the mix looked a lot like regular mortar. From there I just made "coal balls". If you have kids turn them loose with the fines and some corn starch! Might work?

Kielanders · Post by **Kielanders** » Sun. Nov. 25, 2012 5:21 pm

...i'm screwed.

LsFarm · Post by **LsFarm** » Sun. Nov. 25, 2012 5:37 pm

I'll move this to the Bituminous forum.

I have burned Bit fines by separating them from the coal, and putting them in paper grocery bags, rolling them up into 'logs'
Adding one of these 'logs' to the top of a well-burning fire seemed to burn the fines completely..
You could add a split of wood to each side of the 'coal log', that seemed to burn better.. but every stove and firepot is different.

Greg L

carlherrnstein · Post by **carlherrnstein** » Sun. Nov. 25, 2012 6:13 pm

The only thing I can offer is to put the fines in the center of a good strong fire a little at a time.

Kielanders · Post by **Kielanders** » Sun. Nov. 25, 2012 6:14 pm

LsFarm wrote:I'll move this to the Bituminous forum.
I have burned Bit fines by separating them from the coal, and putting them in paper grocery bags, rolling them up into 'logs'
Adding one of these 'logs' to the top of a well-burning fire seemed to burn the fines completely..
You could add a split of wood to each side of the 'coal log', that seemed to burn better.. but every stove and firepot is different.
Greg L

The best suggestions I can hope for given the present situation, thanks.

Short Bus · Post by **Short Bus** » Mon. Nov. 26, 2012 12:36 am

I've tried to use the fines left over from the Alaska Subituminous "Coal", it is a pain, putting fines on hot fires trying to use them up and still have a hot fire to stay warm with.
They have mountains of those fines in Healy, I sort of want to get the machine to make those coal logs in the picture, I understand Korea uses alot of those.
I also have seen home owner grade wood pellet machines that I would like to run the fines though to make coal pellets, this size coal is almost free in Healy, I understand somtimes they haul it back to the seam and use it for backfill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MtfWIoqss0&feature=fvwrel
I'll bet those pellets would burn great in a EFM 520.

Kielanders · Post by **Kielanders** » Mon. Nov. 26, 2012 5:12 pm

Short Bus wrote:I've tried to use the fines left over from the Alaska Subituminous "Coal", it is a pain, putting fines on hot fires trying to use them up and still have a hot fire to stay warm with.
They have mountains of those fines in Healy, I sort of want to get the machine to make those coal logs in the picture, I understand Korea uses alot of those.
I also have seen home owner grade wood pellet machines that I would like to run the fines though to make coal pellets, this size coal is almost free in Healy, I understand somtimes they haul it back to the seam and use it for backfill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MtfWIoqss0&feature=fvwrel
I'll bet those pellets would burn great in a EFM 520.

Since last night, I've been having a bit of luck.

I transfer the coal from hod to the top loading door of the stove with a 40oz ice scoop.

If I put a nice layer of sticks/wood bits between every two scoops, I'm getting a fairly complete burn.

It's not an ideal situation, but it's working so far - it's giving me hell with clinkers though.

I really wish someone had called me from the depot before filling a truck full of this stuff - they're usually really good over there.

Still, I'm glad they sell to us.

Dude, if you get a pellet machine to work and can get free fines, you may just have a great little small business you can get started.

rockwood · Post by **rockwood** » Mon. Nov. 26, 2012 5:26 pm

I guess Kosycoal has experimented with coal pellets in AK?

Short Bus · Post by **Short Bus** » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 12:35 am

Looks like our coal in Alaska makes a nice pellet without binder, nice
I think those coal pellets would plug the wood pellet burners I've seen with ash, four scoops coal makes about one scoop ash here at my house.
I'll bet those pellets would burn in an EFM stoker real nice, of course that feed they had would probalby burn nice in an EFM stoker, but the fines piles I've seen are alot more fines than that.

Tamecrow · Post by **Tamecrow** » Fri. Nov. 30, 2012 12:58 am

I use bit fines in my Will-Burt stoker. Approximately 'rice' size bit coal. They're the 'waste' bits from sizing pea coal. I originally was going to buy a pellet mill to compress the fines into pellets but decided to just dump the fines into the hopper one day to see how they'd burn. I've never looked back. They're 1/4 the cost and burn great. This is my 3rd year burning them. Although my gearbox oil changes contained no coal debris, I was concerned about the fines working their way past the seal. I removed the transmission at the end of last heating season and all was well with the seal. I just bought 12.5 ton. $651.00 delivered and slung into my coal bin. Not bad for a couple of years good heat.

rockwood · Post by **rockwood** » Sat. Dec. 01, 2012 8:05 pm

50 something dollars per ton for delivered coal is unheard of for residential heating

Tamecrow · Post by **Tamecrow** » Sun. Dec. 02, 2012 1:31 am

rockwood wrote:50 something dollars per ton for delivered coal is unheard of for residential heating

It was a lot cheaper before Nova Scotia Power started buying it. They'll buy all the fines the breaker produces. That's why I bought enough for 2 years. Nothing worse than getting to the breaker after NSP has bought up all the fines.

Berlin · Post by **Berlin** » Sun. Dec. 02, 2012 1:59 am

That's a good deal. You must be lucky with the qualities your coal possesses. I've tried many experiments on burning coal fines in will-bert stokers from many sources down here and none work well enough to bother. I can get coal fines for $20-40/ton @ the source. They just don't work well.

I know of a few residential stoker boilers in eastern europe that are specifically designed for coal fines, less than about 1/4". Too bad I don't have more free capital, I would import one to see how it performs with penn/ohio bitty.

Imagine heating your home for less than $100/year!