Efficiency of coal washing process and Harrington desirability function

Zavalishin D.A.
SGS Vostok Limited, Novokuznetsk, Russian Federation
Russian Mining Industry №3 / 2021 р. 106–109

Abstract: The technological efficiency of the coal washing process is traditionally assessed by the correlation between the practically achieved results of this coal washing at a coal dressing plant and the theoretically possible ones defined by the laboratory testing to define the coal washability. However, the laboratory assessment of coal washability is a labor-intensive process and cannot be used for on-line control. The article considers the possibility of introducing a performance evaluation indicator using parameters traditionally defined in operational control schemes. This indicator is based on the well-known function of qualitative process evaluation based on several parameters, i.e. the Harrington's desirability function. The proposed efficiency indicator was calculated based on the qualitative and quantitative parameters of washing thirty different coals using the conventional processing scheme. Evaluation of the proposed efficiency indicator was made by comparing it with the traditionally used efficiency indicators. The evaluation results showed that the proposed indicator is more informative, because it also allows to take into account the compliance of the ash content during washing with the specified parameter, as well as to evaluate the efficiency of the washing process more objectively than the traditionally used clean coal yield indicator. Within a given ash content of the clean coal there exists a correlation with the performance indicators recommended for assessment of the washing efficiency. Given the specific features of the desirability function, the indicator makes it possible to qualitatively assess the coal washing process and determine the optimal value..

Keywords: coal washing efficiency, Harrington’s desirability function, yield of clean coal, ash content in clean coal, yield of tails, ash content in tails, relative efficiency index, selectivity of washing process

For citation: Zavalishin D.A. Efficiency of coal washing process and Harrington desirability function. Gornaya promyshlennost = Russian Mining Industry. 2021;(3):106–109. (In Russ.) DOI 10.30686/1609-9192-2021-3-106-109.

Article info

Received: 31.04.2021

Revised: 14.05.2021

Accepted: 01.06.2021

Information about the author

Dmitry A. Zavalishin – technical projects manager of research on coal processing of Laboratory complex, SGS Vostok Limited, Novokuznetsk, Russian Federation; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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