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18 www.coalage.com March 2018 coalprotec 2018 Lexington Hosts Coal Prep Professionals CPSA produces its first conference and exhibition on coal preparation by steve fiscor, editor, and jennifer jensen, associate editor The Coal Preparation Society of America (CPSA) has been work- ing feverishly to organize Coal Processing Technology 2018 (CoalProTec 2018). This year's must-attend event for prep plant operators as well as professionals involved in other aspects of coal handling includes three days of workshops and presenta- tions taking place at the Lexington Convention Center, in Lexing- ton, Kentucky, April 23-25. Being centrally located between the Illinois Basin and Ap- palachian coalfields, most agree that Lexington is a great venue, especially in the spring. The CPSA has brought the elite in coal processing expertise together with equipment, technology and service suppliers to network in a biennial format. A day of educa- tional workshops will provide some background for those wishing to reinforce principles operators may be overlooking in day-to- day operations. The speakers in the keynote session will deliver valuable insight as to the macroeconomic and political forces shaping the U.S. coal industry. Several sessions follow with tech- nical presentations on new plant construction and modifications, coal cleaning and advanced coal byproducts. A total of 80 exhibitors will display coal washing solutions along with ways to improve coal handling and product qual- ity. The 24,000-ft 2 exhibition will be filled with the latest equip- ment and services to help plant managers operate more safely and cost effectively. New Ideas in a Familiar Venue To fill a void created by Penton's decision to discontinue the Coal Prep event, the CPSA decided to launch a similar event with a different twist. The association is actively involved in the entire exhibition and conference, whereas before they only organized the program for a fee. "We have created a program that is more focused on the continuing education program," said Mel Laurila, executive director, CPSA. "Instead of a commercial exhibit with a small technical program attached, more emphasis has been placed on the dissemination of technical information. The exhibit is important, but the educational value of the technical program is more important as far as professional development for coal op- erators interested in preparation and material handling." Aside from the name, the greatest noticeable difference is that the technical program takes place across three days, while the exhibit is only open for two days. On Monday, April 23, the CoalProTec technical program begins with two workshops, Con- veyors 101 in the morning and Coal Prep 101 in the afternoon. Jerad Heitzler, Foundations training manager for Martin En- gineering, will serve as the instructor for Conveyors 101, cover- ing areas such as splices and system performance, conveyor belt storage, preventing belt damage, and root cause analysis for belt misalignment and proper tracking techniques. "The Martin Engi- neering Foundations program is well-recognized in the industry," Laurila said. "To condense it into a three-hour format, the CPSA board asked them to cover those four specific topics." The Coal Prep 101 Workshop has been designed for people who want to learn more about coal beneficiation. This work- shop is intended for equipment manufacturers, utility person- nel, coal purchasers, new plant hires or other support staff who would like to develop a better understanding of the principles of coal preparation. It covers a broad range of topics, including coal properties important to utilization, coal sizing, cleaning and dewatering operations. Dr. Barbara J. Arnold will serve as the in- structor. Specializing in froth flotation, fine particle processing and coal petrology, she holds a bachelor's, master's and doctor- ate degree in mineral processing from Penn State. She will review equipment used in coal preparation, including descriptions of common types of coal preparation processes and the factors that influence their performance. On Tuesday morning, April 24, the main conference kicks off with a keynote session with co-presenters. In his presentation, "18 Months After the Election, Where Does Coal Go From Here?" Heath Lovell, vice president, public affairs for Alliance Coal, will share his insights as steam coal producer from mostly under- ground bituminous operations. Lovell will share the stage with Ted O'Brien, manager, capital markets and marketing for Xcoal. He evaluates global investment opportunities in mines and infrastructure, and supports Xcoal's core business of marketing and exporting metallurgical and ther- mal grade coals. "Thermal coal markets seem to have recovered to a stable state at this point and metallurgical coal represents a significant Coal processing professionals return to the Lexington Center (above) in April.