Roller energy chain for stackers on 615m travel without failure for 10 years

Profile

• What was needed: Roller e-chain of type 5050RHD, chainflex motor/control and fibre optic cables, i. Sense condition monitoring system
• Requirements: Long travel (615m), continuous loads, extreme weather conditions (snow and ice)
• Industry: Power plant, electricity industry
• Success for the customer: Trouble-free operation for more than 10 years

The stacker piles the coal into a heap. This is supplied with energy, data and media via cables and hoses, which are safely guided by a plastic energy chain over 615m of travel.

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Problem

At Tušimice the coal is stored in a long heaps on the periphery of the power plant site, which theoretically could be used to fuel the power station for a full week. To pile the coal automatically on the heap, a 'stacker' is used, which must be reliably supplied with energy, data and media. Since the stacker is only used in the event of a stop in regular coal production in the lignite power plant, the energy supply system must also always work reliably, sometimes in 24/7 continuous operation, sometimes during a one-month shutdown. The extreme weather conditions in the cold Czech winter were also a special challenge. For example, the cables of the previously used cable drum froze time and again, which could result in repeated failures and unplanned downtimes on the long travel when the system starts up. Accordingly, the customer was looking for an energy supply system that was as resilient as it was fail-safe.

Solution

The trouble-free operation of the lignite-fired power plant in Tušimice has therefore been ensured for more than 10 years by an energy chain type 5050RHD. The 'R' in the name stands for 'rollers'. By using a roller, the coefficient of friction on long travels drops dramatically when the upper run of the chain runs on the lower run. Thereby, the coefficients of friction is reduced and up to 57 percent of the required drive energy can be saved while moving the energy chain system.
In addition to the 615 metre long travel distance, two other systems are moved with our roller energy chains, whose lengths of 400m and 150m, respectively, are not exactly short either. The two systems supply the 'reclaimer', which removes the coal from the pile and transfers it to the conveyor belt that runs to the power plant.

In ten years of operation here, only a few plastic crossbars have been replaced.

In addition to the motor, control and data cables, a water hose is routed in the energy chain of the 5050RHD series (here right in the chain), which can be heated.