Process information
| Key Data Set Information | |
| Location | MY |
| Geographical representativeness description | The data set represents the country specific situation in Malaysia, focusing on the main technologies, the region specific characteristics and / or import statistics. |
| Reference year | 2013 |
| Name |
Base name
; Treatment, standards, routes
; Mix and location types
; Quantitative product or process properties
Hard coal mix; from underground and open pit mining; consumption mix, to power plant; 26 MJ net calorific value
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| Use advice for data set | The data set can be used by power plants. Combination with individual unit processes using the hard coal mix enables the generation of user-specific (product) LCAs. |
| Technical purpose of product or process | Hard coal for power plants, industry and as domestic fuel. |
| Synonyms | Bituminous coal, Black coal |
| Classification |
Class name
:
Hierarchy level
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| General comment on data set | For each material or good with domestic production a regionalized LCI data set was established using Malaysian specific energy supply chains and if possible also Malaysian specific preliminary products. The regionalisation was conducted based on the product systems in the GaBi 6.4 data base. Most of these product systems for materials/goods have German, European or Global boundary conditions. Energy: All energy data sets with exception of the compressed air processes (unit processes) are modelled with Malaysian boundary conditions. Fuel mixes (import and domestic production) are modelled according to statistical data and specific emission data for the relevant production countries and transportation routes. Inorganic and organic chemicals: For all inorganic and organic chemicals the assumption was made that thermal energy and steam is generated from natural gas. Minerals: According to the Malaysian Mineral Yearbook close to 100% of the Gypsum is imported from Thailand and Barite is imported from Thailand and China. These data sets were regionalized with Thai or Chinese energy data sets. Construction materials: The energy carriers used for the production of cement, calcium oxide or particles board varies a lot depending on county and region. For the cement production and lime (calcium oxide) production 95% coal use and 5% use of palm kernel shell (PKS) will be assumed based on several publications. The use of old tyres was neglected. For the production of particle boards or plywood energy supply (power and thermal energy) by biomass was assumed. Metals: The regionalization was done based on the experts at SIRIM and several publications as well as an extended internet research. For the metals gold, zinc, ferro chrome, ferro nickel and primary lead 100% or close to 100% import was found. A real regionalization (production in Malaysia) was not done for these metals, instead an import based on global production and the transport to Malaysia was modelled, resulting in so called consumption mixes. A copper matte process (100% import), a regionalized copper process based on imported copper matte and an additional global copper mix process were generated. Primary aluminium is not produced in Malaysia. The aluminium sheet and profile processes are based on a global primary aluminium mix, the extrusion process and the sheet making processes are regionalized. |
| Copyright | Yes |
| Owner of data set | |
| Quantitative reference | |
| Reference flow(s) | |
| Time representativeness | |
| Data set valid until | 2018 |
| Time representativeness description | Annual average |
| Technological representativeness | |
| Technology description including background system | The hard coal mix merges hard coal from the respective production countries to a hard coal mix, which represents the average hard coal of Malaysia. The hard coal mix Malaysia consists of the indigenous production inside Malaysia and imports of hard coal from exporting countries outside Malaysia. The following modelling was used for the hard coal transportation. Imports: Starting from a coal mine the imported hard coal is transported depending on its origin via train, inland vessel, bulk carrier (ocean respectively costal) or a combination of several transportation methods. From the border or port, a country / region specific distance for regional distribution via train (electric or diesel traction) and / or barge to the main consumer, like power plants and heavy industry, is calculated. The distance between exporting and importing countries is based on railway tracks, stretches of river and sea routes. National production: For national production inside Malaysia the same distance for regional distribution was taken into account. The data set considers the whole supply chain from coal mining to coal upgrading as well as the transportation of hard coal to the final consumer. Hard coal mining: Hard coal is mined in open cast mining as well as in underground mining. The worldwide limit of profitability in open cast mining is a maximum overburden/coal ratio of 6 m3 spoil for one tonne of raw coal. For a higher ratio the coal is mined in underground mining. For each country contributing to the Malaysian hard coal mix the individual share of open cast mining and underground mining was considered. Open cast mining: Coal lying close to the surface in flat lying seams is excavated by blasting the overburden rock and soil lying above the seam. The overburden of the currently excavated trench is deposited by draglines with large buckets in the void of the exhausted side of the mine, the overburden spreader. The coal is blasted and extracted by excavators and haul trucks (haulers). Coal in smaller ort horizontal lying coal seams and in sites with lower technology standards is drilled and blasted loose, hauled out of the pit and carried to the coal preparation by the shovel and truck mining method with excavators and haul trucks (haulers). Mining by means of bucket wheel excavators which is common in brown coal mining is only possible if the hard coal is not too hard and contains only a small amount of surrounding rock. The used machinery is chiefly powered by diesel. Underground mining: For underground mining two different mining methods exists: the room and pillar mining and the longwall mining. Room and pillar mining is ideal for relatively shallow deposits where overlying rock pressure is low. Seams are mined leaving in situ coal pillars with an edge length of 10 m and a chessboard pattern of mined-out rooms. This method permits an extraction of 65% of the available coal. By insertion of wood, steel or concrete pillars (rib-pillar mining) the yield can be augmented up too total extraction. In developing and emerging countries the room and pillar mining is mainly still employed by conventional drilling and blasting. In industrialized countries the method is executed predominantly by mechanical cutting machines or coal ploughs. Total extraction is also achieved by employing the longwall mining. Longwalls are usually several hundred metres long and consists of a corridor in which one wall and the roof are formed by powered steel supports capable of resisting the pressure from above. The second wall of the corridor consists of coal and is the actual face from which coal is cut. After a coal cutter has cut a stripe of coal over the whole length of the corridor the steel supports are advancing in the direction of the coal to shorten and support the corridor. Behind the powered steel support the overlying rock breaks in because of the missing pillars. In both methods the raw coal is usually transported above ground to the coal preparation plant by conveyors and the mine shaft. The modern longwall mining is applied mostly in industrialized countries and has displaced the classical room and pillar method especially in the western part of Europe. However the room and pillar method has notable lower investment costs is therefore still applied in smaller seams and especially if a subsidence of the overlying strata has to be prohibited. Additional important processes in underground mining are mine ventilation and dewatering. The mine ventilation provides with fresh air and removes toxic and potentially explosive gases like firedamp. Firedamp is a mixture of methane (90-95%) and carbon dioxide, higher hydro carbons and nitrogen. The firedamp is adsorbed at the coal or accumulates in porosities of the coal. During mining a part of the firedamp is released. At preparation and stocking of the coal significant parts of the firedamp are released. Depending on geology, methane amounts and technology it is possible to use 0-50% of the firedamp in gas turbines for the generation of electricity the remaining part is released to the atmosphere. In the preparation plant the coal is comminuted, purified from barren ground and separated in different size fractions. The separation is carried out by swim-sink separator (lump coal), cyclones small coal) or flotation (coal fines). At underground the used machinery, pumps and means of conveyance are completely powered by electricity. The machinery above ground is powered by electricity as well as by diesel. For each country contributing to the Malaysian hard coal mix the individual emission values, energy and material consumption as well as coal properties are considered. |
| Flow diagram(s) or picture(s) | |
Modelling and validation
Administrative information
Inputs and Outputs