A rapid coal characterisation analysis by low-resolution NMR spectroscopy and partial least-squares regression

Journal article

1H-NMR spectroscopy is a potentially useful technique for the characterisation of coal. A novel technique was applied to distinguish, characterise and determine quantitatively five different classes of proton containing components from air-dried Australian bituminous coals. The five different classes of protons are described by 14 fitted NMR parameters, which are the signal amplitudes, spin-lattice relaxation times and spin-spin relaxation times. To establish the mathematical relationship between the 14 fitted NMR parameters and the properties of a large set of bituminous Australia coals, a partial least-squares (PLS) regression algorithm was used. Predictions were accurate for many coal properties, particularly those related to the organic matter of the coal. The method is therefore, a rapid (25 min) method for coal quality monitoring with potential for commercial application. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Authors: Harmer, JR; Callcott, T; Maeder, M; Smith, B

• Journal: Fuel
• Volume: 80
• Issue: 9
• Pages: 1341-1349
• Publication date: 2001-07-01
• DOI: 10.1016/S0016-2361(01)00006-0
• ISSN: 0016-2361
• Language: English
• Keywords: Nuclear magnetic resonance; Regression analysis; Coal characterisation