Processing of brown coal at RWE Power AG

The aim was the development of a SolidSim model for the coal processing and drying to ensure product quality in case of changes of feed composition or throughput. The simulation also simplifies and shortens the reaction on market demands.

The processing of brown coal to the different products as done by the RWE Power AG is shown in figure 1.

Example Flowsheets

The following screenshots illustrate the versatility of SolidSim.

Figure 1: Flowsheet of a urea granulation process
Figure 2: Flowsheet of a fluidized bed dryer
Figure 3: A crystallization process with subsequent drying and compacting
Figure 4: Examinig two flowsheet alternatives in one simulation for easy comparision

Compacting of potassium chloride

Simulation of potassium chloride compacting plants

The k+s group extracts potash and magnesium crude salts at six mines in Germany, with an annual output amounting to about 8 million tonnes of products. With a share of about 12%, the k+s Potash and Magnesium Products business segment is the fourth-largest producer in the world and the leading provider in Europe. Potassium chloride is a single-nutrient fertilizer with universal areas of application and is used globally for major crops, such as cereals, corn, rice and soy beans. As a granulate, potassium chloride is ideally Loader in a mine suited to being spread evenly over fields using fertilizer spreaders. k+s also supplies potassium chloride as a fine-grain standard product for the industry, which processes it along with other nutrients to produce granulated complex fertilizers.

Potassium chloride can be produced from crystallization. The common processing steps are shown in figure 1.

Figure 1: Processing steps of potassium chloride steps

To obtain the desired product size distribution the crystalls are treated in compacting plants. The compacting plant was simulated using SolidSim with the aim to increase the throughput.

METHA

Mechanical Classification and Dewatering of Harbor Sediments

The objective of this process is to separate contaminated harbor sediments in a high contaminated sludge and low contaminated sand fractions which can be used for road building. Only the high contaminated sludge has to be deposited on a landfill.

1.) Analysis of harbor sediments

The extent of contamination depends on the particle size: Fine particles (dp < 25 µm) account for ~35 %-wt of the mass but more than 80 %-wt of the contamination.