PPE - Coal & Ash Handling Systems: Mechanical Engineering Department SSAS Institute of Technology, Surat

PPE – Coal & Ash
Handling Systems
Mechanical Engineering Department
SSAS Institute of Technology, Surat.
Steps in Coal Handling
www.joshikandarp.webs.com
Coal Delivery : The coal from supply points is delivered by
 ships or boats to PP if near to sea or river
 rail or trucks to the power stations which are

situated away from sea or river.
 trucks is used if railway facilities are not available.
Unloading: The type of equipment to be used for unloading

the coal received at power station depends on how coal is
received at the power station.
 If coal is delivered by trucks, there is no need of unloading
device as the trucks may dump the coal to the outdoor
storage.
 In case the coal is brought by railway wagons, ships or
boats, the unloading may be done by car shakes, rotary car
dumpers, cranes, grab buckets and coal accelerators.
Rotary car dumpers although costly, are quite efficient for
unloading closed wagons.
This thing shaks
the rail car to
move the coal @
bottom
This mechanism
tilts the rail car
to move the
coal @ side
Preparation:
 When the coal delivered is in the form of
big lumps and it is not of proper sire, the
preparation (sizing) of coal can be
achieved by crushers, breakers, sizers
driers and magnetic separators.
Transfer:
 After preparation coal is to the dead

storage by means of the following systems:
transferred
1. Belt conveyors. 2. Screw conveyors.

3. Bucket elevators. 4. Grab bucket elevators.
5. Skip hoists. 6. Flight conveyor.
BELTT CONVEYOR:
It consists of an endless belt, moving over a pair of end drums
(rollers). The belt is made, up of rubber or canvas.
Belt conveyor is suitable for the transfer of coal over long distances.
It is used in medium and large power plants. The initial cost of the system is
not high and power consumption is also low.
The inclination at which coal can be successfully elevated by belt
conveyor is about 20°. Average speed of belt conveyors varies between 200-300
R.P.M.
Advantages of belt conveyor
1. Its operation is smooth and clean.
2. It requires less power as compared to other types of systems.
3. Large quantities of coal can be discharged quickly and continuously.
4. Material can be transported on moderates inclines.
SCREW CONVEYOR:
It consists of an endless helicoids screw fitted to a shaft. The screw

while rotating in a trough transfers the coal from feeding end to the discharge
end.
This system is suitable, where coal is to be transferred over shorter
distance and space limitations exist. The initial cost of the system is low. It
suffers from the drawbacks that the power consumption is high and there is
considerable wear of screw.
Rotation of screw varies between 75-125 R.P.M.

A. Conveyor Screw
B. Self-Locking Coupling Bolts
C. Hangers and Bearings
D. Trough Ends
E.Troughs, Covers, Clamps and Shrouds
F. Flange
G. Feed and Discharge Spouts
H. Supporting Feet and Saddles
BUCKET ELEVATOR:
It consists of buckets fixed to a

chain. The chain moves over two
wheels. The coal is carried by the
buckets from bottom and discharged at
the top.
GRAB BUCKET ELEVATOR:
It lifts and transfers coal on a single rail or track from one point
to the other. The coal lifted by grab buckets is transferred to overhead
bunker or storage.
This system requires less power for operation and requires
minimum maintenance.
The grab bucket conveyor can be used with crane or tower as
shown in Fig. Although the initial cost of this system is high but operating
cost is less.
SKIP HOISTS
It consists of a vertical or inclined

hoist way. A bucket or a car guided
by a frame and a cable for hoisting
the bucket.
The bucket is held in up right

position. It is simple and compact
method of elevating coal or ash.
FLIGHT CONVEYOR:
It consists of one or two strands of
chain to which steel scraper or flights are
attached, which scrap the coal through a
depression having identical shape.
It is used to drag or push pulverized
or granulated solid materials. This coal is
discharged in the bottom of trough.
It is low in first cost but has large
energy consumption. There is considerable
wear.
It may be used for coal as
well as
ash.
Skip hoist - bucket elevators lift coal vertically while
Belts - flight conveyors move coal horizontally or on inclines.
COAL STROAGE: COAL STROAGE
Why storage ??
It gives protection against the interruption/delay of
coal supplies.
Also when the prices are low, the coal can be purchased and
stored for future use.
How much ??
The amount of coal to be stored depends on the availability of
space for storage, transportation facilities, the amount of coal that will
whether away and nearness to coal mines of the power station.
Usually coal required for one month operation of power plant

is stored in case of power stations situated at longer distance from the
collieries whereas coal need for about 15 days is stored in case of
power station situated near to collieries.
Any disadvantage??
Storage of coal for longer periods is not advantageous because
it blocks the capital and results in deterioration of the quality of coal.
Dead storage or Outdoor storage
The coal stored has the tendency to whether (to combine with
oxygen of air). Due to low oxidation the coal may ignite
spontaneously. This is avoided by storing coal in the form of piles
so that air cannot pass through the coal piles.
The coal is stored by the following methods:
Stocking the coal in heats. The coal is piled on the ground

up to 10-12 m height. The pile top should be given a slope in the
direction in which the rain may be drained off.
The sealing of stored pile is desirable in order to avoid the
oxidation of coal after packing an air tight layer of coal. Asphalt,
fine coal dust and bituminous coating are the materials
commonly used for this purpose.
 Under water storage. The possibility of slow

oxidation and spontaneous combustion can be completely
eliminated by storing the coal under water.
Live storage or Active storage
Live coal storage implies the reclaiming and combustion of coal

that has been stored for only a relatively short time, usually less
than a week.
Coal from a live coal (storage pile is usually supplied to

combustion equipment without the use of mobile equipment.
The coal is usually stored in the vertical cylinder bunkers or
coal bins or silo. Coal from silos is transferred to the boiler grate.
In plant handling
It is referred to transferring coal from dead or live storage to the boiler

furnace. For inplant handling, the same equipments are used as used for
coal transfer like belt conveyors, screw conveyors, bucket elevators etc.
Coal Weighting
The commonly used methods to weigh the coal

are as follows:
(i) Mechanical (ii) Pneumatic (iii) Electronic.
The Mechanical method works on a suitable

lever system - mounted on knife edges and
bearings - connected to a resistance in the
form of a spring of pendulum.
The Pneumatic weighters use a pneumatic

transmitter weight head - the corresponding
air pressure determined by the load applied.
The Electronic weighing machines make use
of load cells that produce voltage signals
proportional to the load applied.
Dewatering of Coal
Excessive surface moisture of coal reduces heating

value of coal and creates handling problems. The coal
should therefore be dewatered to produce clean coal.
Cleaning of coal has the following advantages:

 Improved heating value.
 Easier crushing and pulverizing
 Easy handling and transportation
 Improve boiler performance
 Reduce amount of ash handling
Fuel Firing
Fuel is burnt in a confined space called furnace. In the

furnace: Burners are used to burn powdered (Pulverized) coal and
liquid or gaseous fuels ; Grate with stoker require for solid fuels.
How to select proper type and size of furnace..??
It depends upon the following factors:

 Type of fuel to be burnt.
 Type of firing to be used.
 Amount of heat to be recovered.
 Amount of steam to be produced
 Pressure and temperature desired.
 Grate area required.
 Ash fusion temperature.
 Flame length.
 Amount of excess air to be used.
TYPES OF FURNACES
According to the method of firing fuel furnaces are classified into

two categories: 1. Grate fired furnaces & 2 Chamber fired
furnaces
1.Grate fired furnaces: They are used to burn solid fuels. They
may have a stationary or a movable bed of fuel.
These furnaces are classified as under depending upon the method
used to fire the fuel and remove ash and slag.
1. Hand fired and Semi-mechanized 2. Stocker fired.

Hand fired and semi-mechanized furnaces are designed
with stationary fire grates and stoker furnaces with traveling
grates or stokers.
2. Chamber fired furnaces: They are used to burn

pulverized fuel, liquid and gaseous fuels.
What may be the material of furnace ?
Simply furnace walls consists of…

an interior face of refractory material such as
fireclay, silica, alumina and kaolin,
an intermediate layer of insulating
materials such as magnesia with
the exterior casing made up of steel sheet.
Smaller boilers used solid refractory

walls but they are air cooled. In larger units,
bigger boilers use water cooled furnaces.
HAND FIRING
This is a simple method - less capital investment and used for

smaller plants. This method of fuel firing is discontinuous process,
and there is a limit to the size of furnace which can be efficiently
fired by this method.
While burning coal the total area of air openings varies from 30
to 50% of the total grate area.
Hand fired grates are
made up of cast iron.
Fig. shows a hand fire
grate furnace with a stationary fuel
bed.
The grate divides it into
the furnace space… in which
- antheash pitfired
fuel is through
and which the
necessary air required for
combustion is supplied.
 The grate is arranged horizontally

and supports a stationary bed of
burning fuel.
 The fuel is charged by hand through the fire door.
In a hand fired furnace the fad is periodically shovelled on to
grate, and is heated up by the burning fuel and hot masonry of
the furnace.
The various types of hand fired grates are shown in
Fig.
The heal liberation per unit of furnace volume
is given by the following expression:
h = (W X C) X V
where
H = Heat liberation per unit volume
W = Rate of fuel consumption (kg/sec)
C = Lower heating value of fuel (kcal/kg)
V = Volume of furnace (m3).
MECHANICAL FIRING (STOKERS)
Mechanical stokers are commonly used to feed solid fuels into

the furnace in medium and large size power plants.
The various advantages of stoker firing are as follows :

Large quantities of fuel can be fed into the furnace.
Thus greater combustion capacity is achieved,
 Poorer grades of fuel can be burnt easily.
 Stoker save labour of handling ash and are self-cleaning.
By using stokers better furnace conditions can be maintained
by feeding coal at a uniform rate.
 Stokers save coal and increase the efficiency of coal firing.
The main disadvantages of stokers are their more costs of
operation and repairing resulting from high furnace
temperatures.
Principles of Stokers. The working of various types
of stokers is based on the following two principles:
1. Overfeed Principle and 2. Under feed Principle
The selection of firing method adopted for a particular

power plant depends upon the following factors :
(1) The characteristics of the available coal.
(2) Capacity of the plant.
(3) Load factor of the power plant.
(4) Nature of load fluctuation, and
(5) Reliability and efficiency of the various
combustion equipments available.
Overfeed supply of coal:
In case of overfeed stoker, coal is fed on to the grate above

the point of air admission as shown in Fig.
The mechanics of combustion in overfeed stoker is described below :
(1) The pressurized air coming from F.D. fan enters under the bottom of the
grate. The air passing through the grate is heated by absorbing the heat
from the ash and grate itself, whereas the ash and grate are cooled.
The hot air then passes through a bed of incandescent coke. As the
hot air passes through incandescent coke, the O2 reacts with C to form C02.
Generally, for a fuel bed of 8 cm deep, all the O2 in the air

disappears in the incandescent region.
The gases leaving the incandescent region of fuel bed consist of N2,
CO2, CO, H2 and H2O.
(2) The raw coal is continuously supplied on the surface of the bed. Here it
loses its volatile matter by distillation.
(3) The gases leaving the upper surface of the fuel bed contain combustible
volatile matter formed from the raw fuel, N2, CO2, CO, H2 and H2O.
Additional secondary air is supplied at top of the bed to burn the
remaining combustible gases (volatile matter + CO + H2). The secondary
air is supplied at a very high speed to create turbulence which is required
for complete combustion of unburned gases.
(4) The burned gases entering boiler contain N2, CO2, 02 and H20 and
some CO if the burning is incomplete.
Under-feed supply of coal: In this type of stokers, the
fuel and air move in the same direction.
The mechanism of combustion in under-feed stoker is described below :
(1) Air after passing through the holes in the grate as shown in Fig.
meets the raw coal. The heat for distillation comes by conduction
from the mass of incandescent fuel bed which exists above the raw
coal.
The air mixes with the formed volatile matter and passes
through the ignition zone and then enters into the region of
incandescent coke.
(2) The reactions which take place in the incandescent zone of under-
feed stoker are very much similar as in the incandescent zone of over-
feed stoker.
(3) The gases coming out of raw fuel bed pass through a region of
incandescent ash on surface of the fuel and finally discharged to the
furnace with the constituents like over-feed stoker
(4) The supply of secondary air is required in this case as the gases
coming out of fuel bed also contain combustible matter.
 Under feed Vs Over feed
The under-feed method of fuel supply is best for semi-
bituminous and bituminous coals high in volatile matter.
The volatile matter gets heated to a high temperature as it

passes through incandescent region of coal. The volatile matter
being at a higher temperature before entering the furnace burns
quickly when mixed with secondary air.
In case of over-feed burning, the volatile matter will be

somewhat cooler than the furnace gases and therefore it requires
longer time for complete burning. This may create a tendency to
form smoke.
OVER FEED STOKER
These types of stokers are used for large capacity boiler installations
where the coal is burned without pulverization.
The overfeed stokers are of mainly two types (a) Traveling

grate stoker, and (b) Spreader stoker.
Travelling Stoker.
The travelling stoker may be chain grate type or bar grate type.
These two differ only in the details of grate construction.
The grate surface of a chain grate stoker is made of a series of cast

iron links connected by pins to form an endless chain.
The grate surface of a bar grate stoker is made of a series of cast
iron sections mounted on carrier bars. The carrier bar rides on two
endless type drive chains.
The air required for combustion is supplied through the
air inlets situated below the grate. The secondary air is
supplied through the openings provided in the furnace
wall above the grate as shown in figure.
The advantages of chain grate stoker are listed below :
 It is simple in construction and its initial cost is low.
It is more reliable in service therefore maintenance charges are
low.
 It is self-cleaning stoker.
The heat release rates can be controlled just by controlling the
speed of chain.
 It gives high heat release rates per unit volume of the furnace.
Disadvantages:
 The amount of coal carried on the grate is small as the
increase in grate size creates additional problems. This
cannot be used for high capacity boilers 200 tons/hr or
more.
 The temperature of preheated air is limited to 180°C.
 The clinker troubles are very common.
 There is always some loss of coal in the form of fine
particles carried with the ashes.
These grates are suitable only when fuel burns before it
reaches the rear end of the furnace. The rate of burning with
this stoker is 200 to 300 kg per m2 per hour when forced
draught is used.
Another type of travelling stoker is vibrating grate stoker.

It operates in a manner similar to that of chain grate stoker
except that the fuel bed movement are accomplished by
vibration. The vibration and the inclination of the grate cause
the fuel bed to move through furnace towards ash pit.
 Chain grate stokers best suited for non-caking, high
are
volatile and high ash coals.

 The bar grate stokers burn lignite and small size anthracite
coals successfully.
Vibrating grate stokers are suitable for medium

volatile
bituminous coals and lignites but at reduced burning rates.
The travelling stokers are not suitable for caking coal at it
requires agitation during burning.

Spreader Type or Sprinkler Stoker:
This is a overfeed type stoker. The coal burns on this stoker
remains partly in suspension and partly on the grate.
The spreader stoker installation consists of variable
feeding device, a mechanism for throwing the coal
uniformly on the grate and with suitable openings for
admitting the air.
Air supplied by F.D. fan enters the furnace through
the openings provided in the grate. A portion of this air is
used to burn the fuel on the bed and remaining air is used to
burn volatile matter in suspension.
Secondary supply of air creates high turbulence and
complete the combustion of volatile matter and suspended
particles.
The advantages of spreader stoker are:
A wide variety of coal from lignite to semi anthracite as well as high ash
coal can be burn easily.
 Clinkering difficulty is reduced by spreading action.
The coking tendency of the coal is reduced before it reaches the grate by
the release of volatile gases which burn in suspension.
 The use of high temperature preheated air is possible.
It gives quick response to load change similar to pulverized fuel system
because there is only a small amount of fuel on the grate at any time and most
of heat is released during burning of the coal in suspension.
This form of fixing provides thin and even firebed and results in high rate
of combustion (350 kg/m2-hr). Therefore, it gives quick response to the load
change and with less sensitivity to the swelling characteristics of the fuel.
This fire bed gives equal pressure drop and proper air distribution so that
combustion can be completed with minimum quantity of excess air.
 Its operation cost is considerably low.
Disadvantages
It is always difficult to operate spreader with varying sizes of

a coal and with varying moisture content.
A natural result of suspension burning of fine fuel particles

is the entrainment of ash in the products of combustion. To
avoid the nuisance of fly ash, a dust collector is almost a
necessary with this stoker.
Many fine unburnt carbon particles are also carried with the
exhaust gases and it is necessary to trap these and return to the
furnace for burning. Otherwise it would add as a loss to the
combustion system.
UNDERFEED STOKERS
In underfeed stokers, the fuel is fed from underneath the

fire and moves gradually upwards. The primary air is
supplied just below the level at which combustion takes
place.
The fuel releases the volatile matter as it passes through

the initial fuel bed from bottom. The released volatile matter
mixes with fresh air and enters into the combustion zone.
Therefore, the entire combustion process is highly efficient

and gives high rates of heat release.
The underfeed stokers fall into two main groups, the single
retort and multiple retort stokers.
Single Retort Stoker
 The fuel is placed in large hopper on the front of
the
furnace, and then it is further fed by reciprocating ram or
screw conveyor into the bottom of the horizontal trough.
 The air is supplied through the tuyeres provided alongthe

upper edge of the grate.
The ash and clinkers are collected the ash

plate
on provided with dumping arrangement.
 The coal feeding capacity of a single retort stoker varies
from 100 to 2000 kg per hour.

Multi retort stoker
The multi retort stoker consists of alternate retorts
for pushing coal and tuyere boxes for supplying air.
The coal falling from the hopper is push by reciprocating ram

during the inward stroke.
 The ash is collected at the another end as shown in figure.
The amount of coal and air pressure in main wind box

is varied to meet the variable load demand.
The number of retorts may vary from 2 to 20 with capacity
from 300 to 2000 kg per hr per retort.

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PPE – Coal & Ash

 rail or trucks to the power stations which are

Unloading: The type of equipment to be used for unloading

 After preparation coal is to the dead

1. Belt conveyors. 2. Screw conveyors.

It consists of an endless helicoids screw fitted to a shaft. The screw

Rotation of screw varies between 75-125 R.P.M.

It consists of buckets fixed to a

It consists of a vertical or inclined

The bucket is held in up right

Usually coal required for one month operation of power plant

The coal is stored by the following methods:

Stocking the coal in heats. The coal is piled on the ground

 Under water storage. The possibility of slow

Live coal storage implies the reclaiming and combustion of coal

Coal from a live coal (storage pile is usually supplied to

It is referred to transferring coal from dead or live storage to the boiler

The commonly used methods to weigh the coal

The Mechanical method works on a suitable

The Pneumatic weighters use a pneumatic

Excessive surface moisture of coal reduces heating

Cleaning of coal has the following advantages:

Fuel is burnt in a confined space called furnace. In the

How to select proper type and size of furnace..??

It depends upon the following factors:

According to the method of firing fuel furnaces are classified into

1. Hand fired and Semi-mechanized 2. Stocker fired.

2. Chamber fired furnaces: They are used to burn

Simply furnace walls consists of…

Smaller boilers used solid refractory

This is a simple method - less capital investment and used for

Hand fired grates are

 The grate is arranged horizontally

 The fuel is charged by hand through the fire door.

Mechanical stokers are commonly used to feed solid fuels into

The various advantages of stoker firing are as follows :

The selection of firing method adopted for a particular

In case of overfeed stoker, coal is fed on to the grate above

Generally, for a fuel bed of 8 cm deep, all the O2 in the air

The volatile matter gets heated to a high temperature as it

In case of over-feed burning, the volatile matter will be

The overfeed stokers are of mainly two types (a) Traveling

These two differ only in the details of grate construction.

The grate surface of a chain grate stoker is made of a series of cast

Another type of travelling stoker is vibrating grate stoker.

volatile and high ash coals.

Vibrating grate stokers are suitable for medium

bituminous coals and lignites but at reduced burning rates.

requires agitation during burning.

It is always difficult to operate spreader with varying sizes of

A natural result of suspension burning of fine fuel particles

In underfeed stokers, the fuel is fed from underneath the

The fuel releases the volatile matter as it passes through

Therefore, the entire combustion process is highly efficient

furnace, and then it is further fed by reciprocating ram or

screw conveyor into the bottom of the horizontal trough.

 The air is supplied through the tuyeres provided alongthe

The ash and clinkers are collected the ash

 The coal feeding capacity of a single retort stoker varies