Method of transporting coal, especially for coking purposes, over long distances

Abstract From the Canadian patent

Comminuted coal in particle sized of about, 3 mm and less is divided into a coarse fraction and, a fine fraction the latter consisting of particle, sizes from about 0.4 mm down. The coarse fraction with particle sizes up to about 3 mm, is transported hydraulically, through a pipeline, to a remote destination to which the fine fraction is delivered dry, e.g. by rail. At the destination the oncoming slurry containing the coarse fraction is mechanically dewatered, as by centrifuging and vacuum drying the, two fractions being then mixed together to provide a mass of coal with an overall moisture content of about 8% suitable for coking. For more efficient hydraulic pumping of the coarse coal …