Mill Power Consumption and Fuel Particle Size Distribution While Co-milling Bituminous Coal with Steam-exploded Woody Biomass in a Conventional Bowl Mill

• Brian Schoof, Brigham Young University - Provo
• Rajarshi Roy, Brigham Young University - Provo
• Regan Kuttler, Brigham Young University - Provo
• Parker LaTour, Brigham Young University - Provo
• Scott Montgomery, San Rafael Energy Research Center
• Jacob Tuttle, San Rafael Energy Research Center
• Gwendolyn Bennett Bennett, Brigham Young University - Provo
• Brian D. Iverson, Brigham Young University - ProvoFollow
• Andrew Fry, Brigham Young University - Provo

Keywords

co-milling, biofuel, steam explosion, renewable energy, fuel particle size distribution, green technology

Abstract

The mill behavior of a 312 Combustion Engineering Raymond Bowl Mill was studied with five blends of Utah bituminous coal and steam-exploded woody biomass, ranging from 100 % coal to 100 % biomass. Mill power consumption increased with biomass content, peaking at 187 % of the power required for 100 % coal before the mill faulted at 100 % biomass. After repositioning the rollers, power consumption for 100 % biomass decreased by 13 % compared to 100 % coal. SEM images revealed that milled biomass particles were non-spherical, indicating some fibrous structure remained post steam-explosion. The particle size distribution (PSD) of the blends broadened and skewed towards larger particles with more biomass, yet blends with 50 % coal met industrial standards, with 70 % passing through a 200 mesh sieve and less than 1 % retained on a 50 mesh sieve. These findings indicate that coal mills can effectively process blends of coal and biomass with minimal adjustments.

Original Publication Citation

Schooff, B.*, Rajarshi, R., Kuttler, R.†, Montgomery, S., Tuttle, J., Bennett, G., Iverson, B. D., & Fry, A.§, 2025, “Mill power consumption and fuel particle size distribution while co-milling bituminous coal with steam exploded woody biomass in a conventional bowl mill,” Powder Technology, Vol. 453, p. 120678. DOI: 10.1016/j.powtec.2025.120678

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

Schoof, Brian; Roy, Rajarshi; Kuttler, Regan; LaTour, Parker; Montgomery, Scott; Tuttle, Jacob; Bennett, Gwendolyn Bennett; Iverson, Brian D.; and Fry, Andrew, "Mill Power Consumption and Fuel Particle Size Distribution While Co-milling Bituminous Coal with Steam-exploded Woody Biomass in a Conventional Bowl Mill" (2025). Faculty Publications. 9704.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/9704

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2025

Publisher

Powder Technology

Language

English

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering

Department

Mechanical Engineering

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Copyright Status

© 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

Copyright Use Information

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

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