MANDATE MAIN FACILITIES SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS CONTACT ADDRESS

MANDATE

• To conduct research in different areas of fuel science and technology with an emphasis on coal.
• To develop economic, efficient and environment-friendly energy management systems for the coal, steel, power, chemical and allied industrial sectors, both within the country and outside.
• To develop new technologies for the gainful utilization of coal in the country and for promoting import substitution for coking coals.
• To assist the country through consultancy, sponsored research and training in the field of fuel science and technology.

• The institute has the following pilot and test facilities: briquette curing plant, catalyst test unit for conversion of syngas to liquid fuels, CBJ hydraulic press, coal preparation plant, coal-oil stabilized slurry unit, Fischer-Tropsch process development unit, fuel-bed hot air generator, fluidized-bed  combustor, heavy, medium and hydro cyclone units, high pressure hydrogenation pilot plant, high temperature graphitization furnace, hydrogen gas plant, low pressure bracketing plant, oil-agglomeration unit, PSA testing unit, super centrifuge and test coke ovens.
• The institute has a wide range of modern instrumental facilities for testing and material characterization, particularly coal and related products. These include: atomic absorption spectrometer, automatic calorimeter, automatic calorimeter, automatic Giesler plastometer, CDS micro reactor, coke reactivity apparatus, differential scanning calorimeter, elemental analyser, ESR spectrometer, FT-NMR/IR spectrometers, gas chromatograph, Hakke viscometer, heating microscope, high pressure liquid chromatographs, high volume air samplers, inductively coupled plasma emission sepectrometers, mass spectrophotometers, mercury porosimeter, Orthoplan-POL microscope, particle size analyzer, proximity analyzer, semi-automatic image analyzer, spectro-calorimeter, stack sampler, sulphur determinator, surface area analyzer, temperature programmed desorption apparatus, thermal analyzer, UV & IR spectrophotomenters, water kit analyzer, X-ray diffractometers, and zeta potential analyzer.

• Use of the technologies proposed by the institution in all the 22 existing central washeries ( installed capacity 38 million tonnes of coal per year ), and upgradation of high ash Indian coals by benecifiation to augment coking coal reserves in the country.
• Selection of optimum coking blends for steel plants, characterization of available coking coals, commissioning of coke oven batteries, development of improved designs for beehive coke ovens (non-recovery type) and standarization of specifications and testing of coke for BIS.
• Development of solvent refined coals (SRC), a coking additive, from non/weak- coking coals that would help reduce prime coking coal component or importated coal brands in the coke ovens in the steel plants.
• Chemical desulphurization of coals with high sulphur content.
• Process development of indegenous sand for caking index (import substitution) and reactivity of coke/char, development of carbon molecular seive for gas seperation, utilization of low-ash metallugical coke (LAMC) as heating medium in the production synthetic graphite and substitution of synthetically calcined anthracite by LAMC for alumina reduction cell.
• Basic studies on the structure of coal theat have led to valuable information useful in the production of coal fertilizer, sponge iron using non-coking coal, briquetting and formed coke, predicition of tar formation demineralization of coal and auto oxidation and spontaneous combustion in mines and stacks.
• Process for building bricks using fly ash, sand and lime.
• Development of a series of zeolite catalysts for the production of industrial chemiclas like 2-, 3- & 4-picolines and pyridine.
• Development of modified, new generation catalysts for synthesis of olefins and liquid fuels from syngas.
• Improvement of tar/pitch for use as binders for basic refractory bricks.
• Conversion of coal to liquid fuels by multistage hydrgenation and by modified Fischer-Tropsch route.
• Monitoring of air, water, soil and affluents with a view to combating environmental pollution by different industries; evolving national standard for SPM in stack emissions of coke ovens and briquetting plants; collaboration with MOEF for total methane budget from Indian paddy fields; study of CO₂ emissions from coal-based industries; and utilization of fly-ash in agriculture as a source of essential plant nutrients and soil conditioner.
• Development of coke/coal based efficient home chulhas under the NPIC of Depertment of Non-conventional Energy Sources.

CONTACT ADDRESS
Dhanbad, 282 108.
Telephone: (091)326-60141, 61710.
Telegram : RESEARCH, FRI, DHANBAD.
Telex    : 0629-201 CFRI IN.
Fax      : (091)326-864350.
E-mail   : cfri@sirnetd.ernet.in.