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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-CA link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><div><div><div><div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0cm'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Dear Nikhil<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>“</span>Crispin: Is it any surprise that the mine doesn't wash or grade a high energy, high-vol coal for small retail sales? What incentive would you consider for it to do so?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Good question. I asked and found that they used to do both when it was part of the Soviet Union.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I think they either lost the equipment (breakdown) or it cost something to run and the customers had no say about it. The main issue is there is so much stone in the product it greatly interferes with certain combustors types. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Here is what I pulled out of a TJ Model 1 with a grate modified for coal burning:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=478 height=570 style='width:4.9791in;height:5.9375in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D2202D.E145C970"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The dark stuff is nearly burned out coke and the white material is fully burned out stones. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A great deal of what remains inside is stony. I suspect there are places in the mine with a far high grade and a lot less stone content, but this is the junk the really poor people burn.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>It happens to be high grade – the part that actually burns and the energy content is impressive – double that of the Nalaikh coal in Ulaanbaatar. So people say it burns for a long time and I agree. This stuff was a complete failure in a TLUD. I will try again with small chips and run it as a packed bed gasifier in case that works, but not in the 20-40mm size. No chance.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If they washed it (which involves floating it on a dense liquid) it would remove the bits that ae just ‘stones’ but it would change the price because they would have to keep all the junk they sell now. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The fact is there are different quality products in the market and they have different prices. Basically you get what you pay for but the imported Kyrgyz coal is a far better buy in terms of cost per MJ. It turns out the Kyrgyz coal has no national market in that country because it is so far through the mountains they can’t get it out to the north – so it is sold across the border to the south.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sizing is a different matter – anyone with a shovel and screen can do that and they are willing to sort it at the retail point. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Here is a typical operation:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=487 height=485 style='width:5.0729in;height:5.052in' id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image002.png@01D2202E.2EC3E420"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>They sell an 80mm, 40mm and a 12mm. The duff is sold to the power station for about 1.3 cents per kg.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The quality of what is in the picture is quite good. The bad stuff is from Aini Mine. (‘Aye-knee’ Mine)/<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Regards<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Crispin<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></blockquote></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></div></body></html>