3.4.

3 Stacking and Reclaiming

Bulk materials such as coal and ores are imported from overseas to be used as fuel for
power generation or as raw material for making steel. After they arrive at a port on a bulk carrier,
they are temporarily stored in a stockyard until ready for use. A stacker-reclaimer is used to stack
the material in a stockyard and to reclaim the material from a stockpile. Because stockyards may
take different configurations depending on the layout of the port and plant equipment, the
equipment must be designed to make the most of the limited space available (Kawasaki, 2016).

Selection of the most appropriate stockout system is based on the unloading system
selected, blending requirements, enclosed storage requirements, and economic considerations.
Alternate types of outdoor stockout equipment for coal or limestone include a fixed boom
conveyor, radial stacker, traveling stacker, bucket wheel stacker-reclaimer, and an elevated
reversing shuttle conveyor (Black & Veatch, 1996).

3.4.3.1 Stacker

Stackers are used to produce these large piles or circular stacks. The function of the
stacker is to pile bulk materials such as coal and iron ore onto a stockpile. Stackers normally
travel on rail between stockpiler in the stockyard (Van Vianen, 2010). It has three (3) basic
movements:

1. Luffing - stackers whose boom can be luffed to move along the rail. It is moving
vertically. Either a pulling mechanism with wires of metal or a pair of hydraulic
cylinders are used by stackers. When compared favorably to hydraulic actuators,
winch mechanisms are still frequently utilized, especially in large stackers.
2. Luffing and Stewing Stackers - Stackers that in addition to travelling and luffing of
the boom, also are able to slew or rotate the boom. This type of stacker is the most
versatile since it is able to slew from a stockpile to the other side of the yard conveyor
and build equal stockpiles on both sides of the yard feed conveyor on to the boom
conveyor (Foerdertechnik, 2010).
3. Radial Stackers Stackers that are positioned on a fixed place and stockpile material in
a circular storage system by slewing the boom up to 360°. A radial stacker is a
conveyor that sits on a wheeled truck which runs on a railed track that forms a radius
semi-circle around the stacker. The advantage of the radial stacker is that it gives the
 operator the option to create many multiple stacks of material or one continuous
radial stack. The stacker pivots at one end with the other end able to be raised and
lowered (Wagner, 2019)

3.4.3.2 Reclaimer

The machine reclaims the material from the stockpile in layers by rotating bucket wheel
swing across the pile. The material picked up by the bucket is retained and guided by the ring
chute as the bucket moves up. When the bucket is about 45 deg above horizontal, the material
starts discharging it to the bucket wheel chute, which guides it to the boom conveyor (CHP,
2024). There are three (3) types of reclaimers:

1. Bucket Wheel Reclaimers- Reclaimers that remove material from the stockpile using
buckets. On a revolving wheel are the buckets mounted. A bridge or a boom can
support the bucket wheel. Whether designed as standalone reclaimers or as a hybrid
stacker/reclaimer, bucket wheel reclaimers are the most efficient way to handle and
move large volumes of bulk materials in the shortest amount of time. It is used for
handling huge volumes of coal, ores, and other materials in ports, power plants,
stockyards, or in steel plants. The scooped material falls on the receiving or
intermediate conveyor and the conveyor discharges the material on the yard conveyor
(Shah, 2019).
2. Scraper Reclaimers - Reclaimers that use a chain with gathering scrapers. These
scraper reclaimers are using the bridge, portal and side scraper constructions. In
scraper reclaimers, scraper blades are attached to two parallel strands of chain at
regular interval. The travel of chains along with the scraper blades, scrapes or drags
the material from the stockpile and it discharges it on the yard conveyor (Shah, 2019).
3. Drum-Type Reclaimers - Reclaimers that use a rotating drum fitted with a series of
buckets along its length. The drum spans the stockpile and is mounted on rails on
both sides of the stockpile. Drum reclaimers are a high-capacity reclaimer for
blending materials such as coal, limestone, ore, etc. They are working in one or two
reclaim directions. The bulk material is received via the rack of the rotating drum
 with buckets and is transferred onto the discharge conveyor belt that is mounted
within the drum (Foerdertechnik, 2010).

3.4.3.3 Stacker-Reclaimer Selection

As discussed previously, A stacker-reclaimer is used to stack the material in a stockyard

and to reclaim the material from a stockpile. This section will be the selection of the stacker-
reclaimer that will be used in coal handling of the proposed powerplant.

a. Trench Type Stacker-Reclaimer. The Trench type stacker reclaimer reclaims by

continuously traveling while the boom and rotating bucket wheel remain at 90 degrees (1.5
rad) to the track. The bucket wheel reclaims the material benches as the boom is lowered after
each travel distance. A typical trench type stacker reclaimer with a 50 ft. (15.24 m) boom can
reclaim 25 tons/ft. (74 metric tons/meter). The newer trenchers also slew the boom to 45
degrees (0.8 rad) from the track and increase the reclaim capacity to 30 tons/ft. (89 metric
tons/meter) by reclaiming additional coal next to the track. This reclaim rate of 25 to 30
tons/ft. (74 to 89 metric tons/meter) is from the total stockout capacity of 40 tons/ft. (119
metric tons/meter) (Black and Veatch, 1996).

Trench type stacker reclaimer is ideal for installations with low-volume, high-active
storage pile capacities between 30,000 and 60,000 tons, where reclaiming operations are
accomplished by a longitudinal pass through the pile. Reclaim rates usually vary from 2,000
to 4,500 tons per hour (Black and Veatch, 1996).

Source: Black & Veatch, 1996

 Figure 3.X Trench Type Bucket Wheel Stacker-Reclaimer

b. Slewing Type Stacker Reclaimer. The slewing type stacker reclaimer reclaims by
continuously slewing the boom from 90 to 30 degrees (1.5-0.5 rad) to the track and back
while traveling in short increments between each slew motion. The bucket wheel reclaims
the material in benches similar to the trencher. A small size slewing type stacker reclaimer
with a 95 ft. (29m) boom can reclaim 75 tons/ft. (223 metric tons/meter). A large size
slewing type stacker reclaimer with a 185 ft. (56.4 m) boom can reclaim 240 tons/ft. (714
metric tons/meter). These reclaim rates of 75 and 240 tons/ft. (223-714 metric tons/meter)
are from the total stock out capacity of 110 and 310 tons/ft. (327 and 923 metric tons/meter)
respectively (Black and Veatch, 1996).

Slewing type stacker reclaimers are typically used where large quantities must be
readily available, where the blending of grades of materials is required or where available
yard length is limited. These machines feature boom lengths up to 220 ft. (67 m) and
stacking and reclaiming rates up to 6,000 tons/hour for coal and 8,000 to 10,000 tons per
hour for iron ore. While offering maximum flexibility, slewing type machines also help
lower the unit costs involved in the handling of bulk materials. The slewing type stacker
reclaimer utilizes motion for operating in the pile during stacking and reclaimers (Black and
Veatch, 1996).

Source: Black & Veatch, 1996

Figure 3.X Slewing Type Stacker-Reclaimer

The comparison of the parameters of the two stacker-reclaimer is shown in the Table below.
 Table 3.X Stacker-Reclaimer Specifications Comparison

Specifications
Parameters
Trench Type [1] Slewing Type [2]
Bulk Weight 1.05t/m3 N/A
Stacking Rate 5400 tph 2500 tph
Reclaiming Rate 3600 tph 2000 tph
Belt Width 1829 mm 1400 mm
Boom Length 17.5 m 50 m
Travelling Speed 28 m/min 18.5 m/min
Belt Speed 5.1 m/s 2.2 m/s
Rail Gauge 6.1 m 10 m
Stacking Height 13 m 14 m
Specific Power Consumption 0.55 kWh / ton 0.48 kWh / ton
Source: [1] Krupp Robins; [2] Juli Engineering, 2004

Based on the data above, the slewing type stacker-reclaimer is more suitable for the power
plant. It has a boom length of 50 m compared to the trench type with only 17.5 m, this will be
easier to use for a large are of coal storage. The stacking height of the slewing type is 14 m
compared to the trench type with only 13 m. The selected stacker-reclaimer has a rail gauge of
10 m, while the trench type has 6.1 m.