Abstract:
South Africa is currently the seventh largest coal-producing
country in the world, and annually roughly 70 million tons of
coal (for export) are transported across the country by means
of heavy haul train operations. Coal is used worldwide in a
number of diff erent applications, and each application demands
a coal sample with very specifi c chemical, geological and physical
properties. Chemical and geological properties of coal have
been studied intensively over the last few decades, with physical
properties – although important – rarely being included in
these studies.
