Basic Power Plant Training

Module 8 Pulverized coal firing

1995, 1996 British Columbia Institute of Technology

These materials were developed by the Learning Resources Unit at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Canada. All rights reserved. No part of the text or graphics may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without written permission from BCIT Learning Resources Unit.

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MODULE 8 CONTENTS

Pulverized coal firing

UNIT 2
Reclaim, handling, and storage systems for coal fuel

UNIT 3
Pulverized coal combustion

UNIT 4
Pulverized coal firing

UNIT 5
Boiler control systems

UNIT 6
Furnace explosions

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

Unit 2 Reclaim, handling, and storage systems for coal fuel

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

UNIT 2 CONTENTS

Reclaim, handling, and storage systems for coal fuel

TOPIC 1
Reclaim systems .................................................................................... 5

TOPIC 2
Conveyors ............................................................................................... 9

TOPIC 3
Outdoor storage .................................................................................. 18

TOPIC 4
In-plant, enclosed storage ................................................................. 21

TOPIC 5
Weighing .............................................................................................. 28

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

In-plant silos Surge bin Sampler Belt scale

Track hopper

Conveyors Crusher house Reclaim belts Stacker boom

Collecting belt

Belt scale

Coal sampler

Reclaim hoppers and feeder Live pile Permanent storage

Figure 1 Automatic reclaim system

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

TOPIC 1

Reclaim systems
Coal handling systems are usually flexible in design for two main reasons: to by-pass breakers or crushers when necessary so loads may be divided, sending part to storage and the balance to the boiler. Most reclaim systems are arranged so coal can be stacked out by conveyors, and spread and compacted by bulldozers or tractor carryall teams. It is reclaimed by the same equipment into a reclaim hopper, then passes through the preparation system and into the bunkers.

Automatic reclaim system

In a modern, automatic reclaim system, the coal is stacked out in storage piles, directly over one or more reclaim hoppers (see Figure 1 opposite). This coal is not moved away or compacted unless there is a surplus over and above boiler requirements. This pile is a large, immediately available supply, eliminating the need for large bunkers within the mill. By using silos with 4 to 5 hours capacity, instead of bunkers with 24 to 30 hours capacity, savings in mill space and materials requirements are realized. In this type of system, the equipment starts automatically as need arises and stops when the silo is filled. If necessary, bulldozers are used to service the reclaim hoppers, and usually at least one hopper is equipped with a crusher for frozen coal.

Coal breakers

The breaker is a large cylinder (size is dependent on capacity) made up of perforated steel plates on which are mounted rows of lifting shelves. The cylinder rotates at 12 to 20 rpm inside a steel casing with a hopper bottom which collects the coal that passes through the screen plates (see Figure 2 on the next page).

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

Receiving ring

Removable sections

Discharge ring

Raw coal feed

Oversize and trash discharge

14 ft (4.3 m)

Oversize and trash discharge

Figure 2 Cylindrical coal breaker

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MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

Coal passes into the breaker feed end, and the fines are immediately screened out. Larger lumps are lifted by the shelves and dropped down to the screen. These lumps of coal are broken down by gravity impact. The harder lumps are gradually fed toward the rear end of the breaker, where they are reduced by a hammer mill (Figure 3). Uncrushed stone and tramp iron are removed by hand. Some breakers are center-fed, and others are the reject-type, where tramp metal, wood, and stone are rejected to a refuse conveyor or hopper.

Coal feed

Tramp metal

Broken coal

Figure 3 Hammer mill

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

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British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

Either before or after the coal goes through the breaker, it passes over a magnetic pulley or separator which removes the tramp iron, dropping it into a tramp iron collector (Figure 4). After the coal passes through the breaker, it is delivered to the bunkers, to storage, or to the hammer mill crushers.

Conveyor belt

Magnetic pulley Non-magnetic material (coal)

Tramp iron

Figure 4 Magnetic pulley separator

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MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

TOPIC 2

Conveyors
Conveyors are the most common mechanical means of moving coal from the unloading points to the storage pile, or to the preparation and firing equipment.

Belt conveyors

The belt conveyor is commonly used to transport coal in amounts up to 800 tons per hour. It consists of a belt made up of layers of rubberized fabric, and is manufactured in widths capable of carrying a certain tonnage at speeds up to 550 feet per minute. Figure 5 shows the basic components of a belt conveyor system. The belt ends are spliced together, creating an endless loop which travels continuously between a head and tail pulley.
Drive motor Troughing idlers

Head pulley Returning idlers

Tail pulley

Take-up pulley

Troughing idlers (front view)

Counterweight

Figure 5 Belt conveyor components

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

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British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

The belt is supported on the top or carrying side by troughing rollers, and on the bottom by straight or return idlers. It is normally driven by a motor connected to the head pulley shaft through a speed reducer. Proper load carrying tension is maintained by adjusting screw take-ups, or by gravity take-up counterweights. A coal reclaiming conveyor system is shown in Figure 6. Coal is fed from a receiving hopper to the main conveyor by feeders, at a rate determined by the operator. In locations where frozen coal may be encountered, a lump crusher is installed between the receiving hopper and feeder. This reduces frozen lumps to a size that can be handled by the conveyor system. The coal can then be fed into a breaker to be sized as required.

Sampler Crusher house Reclaim belts In-line magnet Surge bin Feeder Conveyor belts

Reclaim hopper and feeder

Control line

Load cells Feeder

Load cells

Figure 6 Coal reclaim conveyor system

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MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

Belt conveyor safety ..........

Safety standards for conveyor operation are published in the American Standards Association manual, Section B.20.1 under Safety Standards for Conveyors and Related Equipment. However, when operating any type of conveyor it is important to observe the following basic safety precautions: Properly adjust the emergency trip wires around the conveyor. This helps protect personnel and equipment in case of trouble, yet avoids nuisance trips. The tension on the trip wire should be enough to keep the wire taut and trip the conveyor with an additional firm tug. Be aware of the nip points on the conveyor and avoid them. Keep long hair and loose clothing tucked in so it wont get caught in a nip point and pull you in. Stay clear of any moving parts and always shut the conveyor down and lock it out before working on it. Enclose the conveyor and any transfer points in dust-tight enclosures with large access doors to keep dust to a minimum in windy areas. Regularly sweep out these enclosures to reduce the risk of fire. Install and maintain belt cleaners at the head end of the belt to minimize housekeeping problems. Belt cleaners may also be needed on the inside of the belt downstream of the feed hopper. Thoroughly lubricate the belt rollers and adjust the belt tension and tracking to avoid misalignment and fraying.

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

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British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

Timer Flight counter Drive chain switch A B

Top trough C

Transfer conveyor chute

B C Bottom trough Boiler feed chutes Return conveyor feed chute

Top trough

Bottom trough

Section AA Fuel drops from top trough into bottom trough

Section BB Fuel carried in one direction in the top trough and in the opposite direction in the bottom trough

Section CC Fuel drops into the boiler feed chutes and excess fuel is carried to the fuel return conveyor chute

Figure 7 Flight conveyor details

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MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

Flight conveyors

This type of conveyor is equipped with strong, upright flights carried between two chains. To reduce friction, the bottom and sides of metal flight conveyor troughs are often lined with Teflon. Teflon and similar plastics have a very slippery surface. Sheets of these materials are usually bolted or screwed to the surface of conveyor troughs. Flight conveyors normally have two troughs (Figure 7 opposite). One trough is on the top, with the flights traveling in one direction, and another is directly below it, where the flights make their return pass. Fuel is often fed to the top trough from a transfer conveyor chute. At some point, usually near an end, the top trough has holes in the bottom. These holes allow the fuel to drop down into the bottom trough. When the fuel drops into the bottom trough, the flights carry it in the opposite direction. More holes along the bottom of the lower trough allow the fuel to drop into chutes supplying the boiler feeders. Each boiler feed chute is equipped with a gate for closing the chute off when the boiler is out of service. Enough fuel normally falls into the feed chutes to keep them full. The excess is dragged over the top of the opening and along the trough to the next chute. When all the chutes are full, any fuel remaining in the lower trough is usually dropped into a transfer chute supplying a fuel return conveyor. This excess fuel is returned to storage, or back to the beginning of the system.

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

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British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

Fuel out

Fuel out

Fuel out

Idler sprocket

Continuous loading Fuel in Fuel in Fuel in

Continuous

Mechanical

Centrifugal

Spaced loading

Figure 8 Bucket elevators

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MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

Bucket elevators

A bucket elevator is a special type of conveyor used for vertical lifts. The buckets are carried on a single chain, or between two chains (Figure 8 opposite). This type of conveyor moves the fuel in traveling compartments. It is protected by a shear pin torque limiting device and by bucket counters and timers. Bucket elevators can be continuously loaded by a regulated feed stream. The feed stream can also be unregulated, just flowing freely into the lower end of the elevator. In this case, the elevator acts as a hopper. The buckets then scoop up loads of material as they change direction at the bottom. This arrangement takes care of any spillage occurring at the top end where the buckets dump. The bucket elevator can discharge at the top end by flinging the fuel out into an outlet hopper. This is known as centrifugal discharge. The speed of the elevator must be fast enough to fling the material out into the hopper. This can result in dust problems if the elevator is not well-enclosed. Another discharge system uses idler sprockets to carry the bucket chain around the head sprocket more than 180. This causes the buckets to tilt over further, completely dumping their load. The idler sprockets prevent the buckets from contacting the lower lip of the discharge hopper located under the dumping buckets.

MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

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British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

Fuel out

Fuel in

Figure 9 Redler conveyor

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MODULE 8 PULVERIZED COAL FIRING

British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training

UNIT 2 COAL HANDLING

Redler conveyor

A special type of flight conveyor known as a Redler conveyor has the flights of the lower pass completely enclosed in a closefitting tube (Figure 9 opposite). By completely enclosing the flights, the conveyor can be adjusted from horizontal to vertical, or any angle in between. This allows great flexibility in design, and allows this type of conveyor to be used in locations with little available space. This type of conveyor is not open to routine inspection. If there is a problem in the enclosed tube, it is more difficult to detect and repair.

Shuttle conveyor

When the coal is delivered to the bunkers, it is distributed over the length of each bunker by a device called a tripper or shuttle conveyor. This may be motor-driven, cable-operated, or driven by conveyor pulley through a gear reduction arrangement. The shuttle conveyor travels over the bunker on rails, and unloads the coal from the conveyor belt over the side of the belt into the bunker below.

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British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBasic Power Plant Training