Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-01-29

t. o. b. mines for $3.50. it is evident
that this method would be impracti.
cal. But, suppose the IS per cent of
the moisture in Ignite coal be re-
moved in a rotary dryer and the re-
sulting dry coal briquetted. Then
the briquets would have an approx
mate heating value Of 1000 heat units
per pound, and would be the equal
of Montana coal. They would be
especially adapted for range use on
account of their free burning and
ease of ignition qualities. They
would not be so we'll suited for fur
mace use as Ignite coke briquets
which will be described later. The
cost of dry coal briqlrets at a plant
located at the mine with the capacity
Of $50 tons per day would be $40,
providing slack coal could be OBJ
tanned, valued at Is cents per ton.
This cost is obtained by adding the
manufacturing cost of one and one
half tons of slack. II the run of
mine coal valued at $1.25 per ton
would be used then the cost per ton
of briquets would be $2.25 plus $1.S7
or $4.15. Ignite briquets made up
by this method should be able to
supplant the sale of eastern soft or
bituminous coal in North Dakota.
| In order to provide briquet which
could supplant the enormous sale OF
| hard or anthracite coal in North Da-
kota the following process has been
successfully worked out in practice
! by Prof. E. J. Babcock and the speak
er: Dry the Ignite coal in a rotary
al NJ ho
In specially designed gas retorts, bri-
quet the resulting coke residue, scrub
the tar and ammonia from the Ignite
gas, concentrate the ammonia liquor.
and distill the Ignite tar. Then a
Ignite coke briquetting plant could
offer for sale as by-products, gas, tar
and ammonia. The gas could be
used for city distribution and on &C.
count of its low cost could not only
he used lor lighting purposes of al
kinds, but in addition could even b.
used for residence heating. Any
surplus gas over what the city would
need could be turned directly under
steam boilers in competition with
coal or could be used in gas engine
for production of cheap electricity.
The total of producing electricity by
this method should not exceed three
quarter cents per kilOWatt hour. Thus
it can be seen that an enormous
amount of gas could be used in
city such as Bismarck. Minot, Mandan
and so forth.
The Ignite tar of distillation would
yield a creosote carbolic, and anthra-
Gene oils of considerable market val
ne and the pitch residue would be
turned over to the briquetting plant
as a partial binder for the coke resi-
DUE
The concentrated ammonia liquor
would find a ready market for use in
the manufacture of ice, chemicals,
etc. It would also be worked up as
a fertilizer and as such sold to the
farmers of the northwest.
The Ignite coke briquets compare
very favorably with Pennsylvania
hard coal. They are equal in heat |
ing value to hard coal per size I'll 800
heat units per lb.) and their analysis
are practically the same. They would !
not have so great a heating value as |
the hard coal, egg size, but surpass
the buckwheat size. They are 81.
perior to any size of hard coal for
range use, for they will burn until
entirely consumed and nothing re-
mains but light, pulverent ash,
while hard coal yields an ash which |
viii contain in most cases over 20 |
per cent of the original heating value |
of the coal. For furnace and stove |
use the briquets will last as long as !
hard coal and will go from two to |
three times as far as raw Ignite. In |
a practical test carried out at the |
Capitol Cafe there was required 500
pounds of Ignite coal per day, while |
to do the same work only 100 pounds |
of the briquets were required. In
a self.feeding stove at Hebron sixty |
pounds of hard coal were required
per day. while Ignite briquets did
the same work with a consumption |
of only fifty pounds per day.
The cost of manufacturing Ignite |
coke briquets would be 1925 per ton
in a 12O-ton per day plant. To this !
amount must be added the cost of the |
eighteen tons of raw Ignite required |
to make a ton of briquets, but the |
revenue from the by-products, gas,
ammonia and tar should pay for the |
coal so that the manufacturing cost |
should represent the total cost Of the |
briquets. The cost of a plant with |
daily capacity of 120 tons of bril-
quets, 1900 cubic feet of gas, six
tons of tar and one ton Of ammonia
sulphate would be $250,0OO. This is
very low investment considering
the value Of the products turned out.
1t is hoped as q result Of the work /
being carried out at Hebron that the
briquetting of Ignite coal will be put
on a successful basis and open the
way to the use of a home product !