книги / Английский язык для горных инженеров

Thus, in Fig. 3 one can see a seam limited by two more or less parallel planes, a shape which is typical of sedimentary rocks.

The benches may be separated by thin layers of clay, shale, pyrite or other mineral matter, commonly called partings (Fig. 4).

Like other sedimentary rocks coal beds may be structurally dis­ turbed by folding and faulting.

According to the amount of carbon coals are classified into: brown coals, bituminous coals and anthracite. Brown coals are in their turn subdivided into lignite and common brown coal.

Although carbon is the most important element in coal, as many as 72 elements have been found in some coal deposits, in­ cluding lithium, chromium, cobalt, copper, nickel, tungsten and others.

Lignite is intermediate in properties between peat and bitumi nous coal, containing when dry about 60 to 75 per cent of carbon and a variable proportion of ash. Lignite is a low-rank brown-to-black coal containing 30 to 40 per cent of moisture. Developing heat it gives from 2,500 to 4,500 calories. It is easily inflammable but burns with a smoky flame. Lignite is liable to spontaneous combustion. It has been estimated that about 50 per cent of the world’s total coal reserves are lignitic.

Brown coal is harder than lignite, containing from 60 to 65 per cent of carbon and developing greater heat than lignite (4,000-7,000 calories). It is very combustible and gives a brown powder. Bituminous coal is the most abundant variety, varying from medium to high rank. It is a soft, black, usually banded coal. It gives a black powder and contains 75 to 90 per cent of carbon. It weathers only slightly and may be kept in open piles with little danger of spontaneous combustion if properly stored. Medium-to-low volatile bituminous coals may be of coking quality. Coal is used intensively in blast furnaces for smelting iron ore. There are non-coking varieties of coal.

As for the thickness, the beds of this kind of coal are not very thick (1-1.5 metres). The great quantities of bituminous coal are found in the Russian Federation.

Anthracite or “hard” coal has a brilliant lustre containing more than 90 per cent of carbon and low percentage rif volatile matter. It is used primarily as a domestic fuel, although it can sometimes be blended with bituminous grades of coal to produce a mixture with improved coking qualities. The largest beds of anthracite are found in Russia, the USA and Great Britain.

Coal is still of great importance for the development of mod­ ern industry. It may be used for domestic and industrial purposes. Being the main source of coke, coal is widely used in the iron and steel industry. Lignite, for example either in the raw state or in briquetted form, is a source of industrial carbon and industrial gases.

There is a strong tendency now for increased research into new technologies to utilize coal. No doubt, coal will be used as a raw material for the chemical industry and petrochemical processes. All these processes involve coal conversion which include gasification designed to produce synthetic gas from coal as the basis for hydrogen manufacture, liquefaction (разжижение) for making liquid fuel from coal and other processes.

УПРАЖНЕНИЯ

28. Укажите, какие предложениа соответствуют содержанию текста. Подтвердите свои ответы фактами из текста.

1.Anthracite coals may be divided into lignite and common brown coal.

2.Coals are ranked according to the percentage of carbon they contain.

3.Peat, with the least amount of carbon is the lowest rank, then comes lignite or brown coal.

4.Brown coal is hard and it is not liable to spontaneous combus­

tion.

5.Bituminous coal weathers rapidly and one cannot keep it in open piles.

6.Being intensively used in the iron and steel industry bitumi­ nous coal varies from medium to high rank.

7.Anthracite or hard coal, the highest in percentage of carbon, can be blended with bituminous grades of coal.

29.Ответьте на следующие вооросы:

1.What is the classification of coal based on?

2.Is carbon the only element in coal? (Prove it.)

3.Is lignite intermediate in properties between peat and bitumi­ nous coal?

4.What heat value does lignite develop when burnt?

5.What coals are liable to spontaneous combustion?

6.What is the difference between lignite and brown coal?

7.Is bituminous coal highor low-volatile?

tablish the relation between the structures of different sequences (последовательность) controlling their localization.

3.Geophysical methods sometimes make it possible to deter­ mine the thickness of iron ore deposits, and under favourable con­ ditions even to establish the composition of the ores as well, thereby decreasing the number of exploratory openings to a minimum.

4.Depending on the structural conditions, there are several types of ore fields.

B)1. Studies of intrusive dykes are most important when investi­ gating the structure of ore field and establishing the genesis of the deposit.

2.While studying at the engineering institutes, every student is to go through practical training at mines, open-pits, quarries or dressing plants.

3.When making the geological map, the geologists study all the data of ground and aerial geological surveys.

36.Выразите несогласие и подтвердите свою точку зрении фактами из текста Б. Используйте предлагаемые разговорные формулы:

to my mind; In my opinion; on the contrary; I’d like to say a few words about; it seem s to be wrong; it Is quite obvious that; as for; as I know

1.Lignite is a high-rank coal, containing about 90 per cent of carbon. It is slightly liable to spontaneous combustion.

2.Bituminous coals cannot be stored in open piles. These coals are primarily used for domestic purposes.

3.Anthracites are soft coals being used mainly for metallurgical purposes. In future coal will be used only for domestic purposes.

37.Суммируйте содержание текста Б, используй следующие слова в выражении:

coal ranks; carbon and volatile matter content; moisture con­ tent; heat effect; liability to spontaneous combustion; coking quality; the use of different types of coal in industry

38. Подготовьте сообщение на тему:

Different types of coals and their comparison with each other (for example, lignite and anthracite or anthracite and brown coal, etc.), their carbon content, heat value, liability to spontaneous combustion and the use of each grade of coal.

39. Расскажите, что вы знаете об угольных пластах (рис. 3 и 4). В своем рассказе дайте ответы на следующие вопросы:

1.What do Figures 3 and 4 show?

2.What figure shows the seam which consists only of coal

bands?

3.Is the coal seam (Fig. 3) horizontal or inclined?

4.Is the shape of the seam typical of igneous rocks or sedimen­ tary rocks? What do you know about the structure of sedimentary rocks?

5.Can you explain why the coal seam shown in Fig. 4 is called complex? What does the seam consist of?

6.What mineral substances may separate coal beds? What do we call them?

7.What is thicker, coal bands or rock partings?

В

40. Прочитайте текст В в кратко передайте его содержание по-русски.

ТЕКСТ В

1. For along time coal has been the principal fuel, the main source of thermal and electric energy. Now it continues to play an important part in the economy.

2.Coal is the product of vegetable matter that has been formed from the remains of plants and animals accumulated in swamp areas millions of years ago. Although some coals were deposited 4,000,000,000 years ago during the Silurian period, most coals were formed during the Upper and Lower Carboniferous geological epochs about 250,000,000 years ago.

3.Coal formation processes are similar to those of sedimentary rocks. Various coal seams can be studied and related geologically to the sedimentary rocks with which they are associated. Coal contains varying amounts of carbon and volatile material as well as impurities such as sulphur, phosphorus, incombustible rock material and moisture.

4.The physical characteristics of coal concern the structural aspects of the coal bed and texture. Structurally coal beds are charac­ terized by the same irregularities in thickness, uniformity and continuity as other strata of sedimentary origin. Thickness varies greatly. Coal beds may consist of essentially uniform continuous

strata or like other sedimentary deposits may be made up of bands or benches of varying thickness. The benches may be separated by thin layers of clay, shale, pyrite or other mineral matter, commonly called partings. Like other sedimentary rocks coal beds may be structurally disturbed by folding and faulting.

5.Many classifications of coal have been suggested: by geologic age, coking properties, commercial application and chemical composition.

6.There exist four main types of coal: anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, lignite and brown coal. When speaking about the classification of coal based on its nature as rock mineral, scientists distinguish (различать) the following rock varieties or lithotypes such as vitrain, clarain, durain and fusain. These are the four constituents (составная часть) of coal.

7.Although the utilization of coal varies widely with rank, three general fields of coal utilization may be distinguished. They are combustion (domestic, industrial, railroads and public utilization), gasification and carbonification (high-temperature coke for metallurgical uses and low-temperature coke for producing smokeless fuel).

41. а) В каждом абзаце текста В найдвте предложение, передающее его основную мысль.

б) Укажите, в каком абзаце текста В идет речь о структурной харак­ теристике угла.

42. Расскажите содержание текста В, используа следующие вопросы:

1.What has coal been formed from?

2.What rocks can coal be related to?

3.What does coal contain?

4.What is the structural characteristic of coal?

5.What factors can the classification of coal be based on?

6.What is the role of coal in the national economy of Russia?

43. Определите, который из четырех заголовков наиболее соответствует содержанию текста В:

1.The Origin of Coal.

2.The Classification of Coal.

3.Coal as Fossil Fuel.

4.Coal and Its Industrial Application.

44. Расскааогте, что нового вы узнали из текста В. Какие факты вам были уже известны?

ДИСКУССИЯ

Энергия и жизнь

Для успешного участия в дискуссии вам необходимо ознакомиться с содержанием статьи и использовать вашу эрудицию по обсуждаемой проблеме.

Слова для понимания текста:

Energy in the UK: Changing Demands

Coal was the dominant form of energy used in the UK for over a century. Coal was plentiful and cheap. It has a variety of uses:

*ftiel for steam engines,

*fuel for homes, factories and offices, ’ the production of gas,

*the production of chemicals.

British homes were designed to cope with coal. Near the back door would be the coal bunker. There were open hearths on which coal and wood fires were burnt.

Open coal fires look very attractive, but they have many prob­ lems. Coal is dirty, heavy and difficult to use. Rooms can fill with smoke when a door is opened. When the fire is finished, soot and ash are left.

Alternative forms of energy have become widely available in the UK since the 1960s. Oil, gas and electricity provide most of the country’s energy. It is not all bad news for coal, however, because it is still the most important fuel used to generate electricity. New cleaner methods of using coal to heat houses have been developed.

Oil, gas and electricity are much cleaner and easier to use than coal. The price of the different forms of energy is also an important factor:

* During the 1960s oil and gas became cheaper while the price of coal rose. Demand for coal fell dramatically.

* In 1973/74 the Oil Crisis made oil much more expensive. Gas and coal were cheaper. Gas took a larger share of the energy market as the North Sea gasfields were developed. There was even a revival in the use of coal. This was reinforced by the great oil price increases of 1979/80.