Glossary
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| agglomeration | Formation of larger coal or ash particles by smaller particles sticking together. |
| anthracite | A hard, black, shiny coal very high in fixed carbon and low in volatile matter, hydrogen and oxygen. |
| biogas | Energy produced from the anaerobic digestion of sewage and industrial waste. |
| bituminous coal | A relatively soft dark brown to black coal, lower in fixed carbon than anthracite, but higher in volatile matter, hydrogen and oxygen. |
| char | Solid carbonaceous residue that results from incomplete combustion of organic material. |
| coal rank | Classification of coal in terms of its chemical and physical properties. |
| co-generation | Simultaneous or sequential production of two or more forms of useful energy from a single primary energy source. |
| coking coal | Coal with a quality that allows the production of a coke suitable to support a blast furnace charge. |
| cover:coal ratio | Proportion of overburden to coal prior to mining. |
| CV | Calorific value, energy content measured as the heat released on complete combustion in air or oxygen. |
| EXITO | Extractive Industry Training Organisation |
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| fossil fuels | Coal, natural gas, LPG and fuels derived from crude oil (including petrol and diesel). They have been formed over long periods of time from ancient organic matter. |
| GJ | Gigajoules. 109 joules. A generic unit of energy. |
| GDP | Gross Domestic Product. A measure of the value of goods and services produced in a year. |
| greenhouse gases | Gases that increase the temperature of the earth's surface. They include water vapour, tropospheric ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and nitrous oxide. |
| hard coal | Coal with a high proportion of carbon to oxygen. |
| IEA | International Energy Agency |
| integration | The process whereby firms combine or merge to form larger units. |
| joint venture | An undertaking of a risk with another party. |
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| lignite | Brownish-black, woody-structured coal, lower in fixed carbon than either anthracite or bituminous coal, but higher in volatile matter and oxygen. |
| metallurgical coal | Coal suitable for steel production. |
| mine roof | Layer of rock or coal over an underground mine working. |
| natural gas | Mainly methane occurring naturally in underground deposits. It may be associated or free gas. |
| NZMIA | New Zealand Minerals Industry Association |
| opencast | Mining by removal of the surface layers, working from above, not from shafts or tunnels. |
| overburden | Rock and materials that must be removed prior to mining the mineral deposit beneath it. |
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| PJ | Petajoules. 1015 joules. A generic unit of energy. |
| reducing agent/reductant | Substance that brings about a conversion to metal by oxidation and losing electrons. |
| RMA | Resource Management Act |
| SOE | State Owned Enterprise. A commercial operation governed by SOE regulations, whose shareholder is the Government. |
| splint coal | Hard dull coal which occurs in bands in coal seams. It does not burn readily. |
| spot market | A market pertaining to a here and now point in time. |
| steaming coal | See thermal coal. |
| sub-bituminous | Glossy-black, non-agglomerating coal lower than bituminous coal in fixed carbon and with more volatile matter and oxygen than the latter. |
| thermal coal | Coal used for steam raising and space heating purposes, including all anthracite coals and bituminous coals not included under coking coal. |
| try pot | Pot for extracting oil from fat by heating. |
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