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soUds Volume 4, Number 3, September 1984 bandlin8

Design of Lignite versus Coal Handling systems for Thermal power Stations

M. L. Narasiah and T. Satyanarayana, India

1. Introduction

India, with its seriously under-explored oil reserves, is mostly dependent on coal for power generation. A large proportion of the high grade coking quality coal is required by the steel industry and consequently the power sector is left with low grade coal (of about 3,500 kcallkg calorific value) for its utilization. In the last two decades, lignite has emerged as an alternative fuel in the country for power generation. 95 % of the country's total explored lignite reserves are found at Neyveli which is in southern India, and the remaining 5 % of lignite is available in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Kashmir. Because of its low calorific value, high moisture content and fragile nature while in a dry condition, lignite is not transported over long distances and hence lignite fired thermal stations are usually located near the mines, whereas coal fired thermal power stations are located in all parts of the country. The second lignite based thermal power station at Neyveli is being designed and engineered by Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE).

Due to the basic differences in the properties of coal and lignite, such as calorific value, moisture content, ash content etc., the coal handling and lignite handling systems have different criteria for their design. With the feedback from the first thermal power station at Neyveli, which was designed with conventional coal handling concepts, TCE in association with MIs Fichtner, Federal Republic of Germany, incorporated many special features for a lignite handling system in the second thermal power station to suit the properties of lignite.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the different approaches adopted for the design of coal and lignite handling systems with the help of two typical projects as examples. The selection of major equipment such as crushers, screens, bunkers etc. is also discussed with respect to the properties of materials, storing, stockpiling and reclaiming methods and the basis for adopting such methods is explained.

2. Design Criteria

The differences between the design of a coal handling system and a lignite handling system are basically due to the

Mr. M. L. Narasiah, is Senior Engineer and Mr. J. Satyanarayana is Engineer, both with Tata Consulting Engineers, Bangalore, India

differences in their material properties. Comparative values of some important characteristics of lignite and coal are furnished in Table 1.

Table 1: Comparative characteristics of lignite and coal

Characteristics Lignite Coal
Moisture content 44-55% 5-15%
Ash content 3-12% 20-40%
Hardgrove 160 (max.)
grindability index 125 (mean) 40-60
100 (min.)
Bulk density for
design of equipment 0.8 t/m3 0.7 t/rn'
Bulk density for
design of structures,
supports & drives 1.12 tlm3 0.98 tlm3
Gross calorific
value 2,500-3,500 3,500-5,000
kcal/kg kcal/kg It may be noted from Table 1 that lignite is characterised by its low calorific value, low ash content, high moisture content and fragile nature. On the other hand, coal is relatively hard, with a higher calorific value, lower moisture content and higher ash content.

In India, lignite fired power stations as mentioned earlier are located nearer the mines to minimise the cost of power generation. On the other hand, coal fired power stations, which are usually located near load centres, receive coal by rail using conventional cars. However, at present some large coal fired pit-head power stations are also being established in the country.

For both coal and lignite handling systems, the conveying system capacities are arrived at by considering the net calorific value and MCR (Maximum Continuous Rating) coal requirement of steam generators. However, in the case of coal, the system capacity is also linked to the rate of wagon tippling, especially during the rainy season when the coal flow problems are severe, while for lignite the system capacity should also be based on the bunker storage capacity to ensure availability of lignite for mills without running out of supplies. Because of low storage capacities provided in lignite bunkers, lignite handling systems operate almost con-

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554 tinuously during all three shifts, while coal handling systems are generally designed to operate for two shifts, each of 8 hours' duration only.

3. System Description

To highlight the differences in the design of coal and lignite handling systems, two thermal power projects, one using coal and the other lignite, are discussed briefly in the following paragraphs with the help of flow diagrams and system description.

Wanakbori Thermal Power Station (6 x 21 0 MW) is designed for a coal handling system capacity of 2,000 tlh. The coal received in wagons will be unloaded by wagon tipplers (4 operating and 2 standby). The coal thus unloaded into hoppers will be fed into the boiler bunkers by a series of belt conveyors through primary and secondary crushers as shown in the flow diagram (Fig. 1). Whenever coal is not required to be fed into the bunkers, the crushed coal is stocked with the help of stacker / reclaimers (one operating and one standby). When coal is not received through wagons, coal stocked in the stockyard is reclaimed and fed to the boiler bunkers.

A thermal power station using lignite is located at Neyveli where 95% of the country's total explored lignite reserves are located. Lignite is transported from the mine to the power station directly by belt conveyors. The flow diagram (Fig. 2) shows the lignite handling system for the 3 x 21 0 MW (Stage I) thermal power station. The lignite handling system capacity of 2,800 tl h has been fixed based on the station's ultimate capacity of 7x210 MW units. Lignite received from the mine is conveyed to the bunkers through belt conveyors, belt feeders, crushers and belt diverters in dry seasons. On rainy. days, lignite is not fed directly into bunkers. Instead, lignite from the mine is sent to the covered storage area and air dried lignite from the covered yard which was stocked on earlier days is reclaimed and fed to boiler bunkers. To achieve this, separate stackers and reclaimers are envisaged. A stockyard having a storage capacity to serve the steam generators for one week is provided at the power station to meet any ernerqencles, such as failure of the conveyor (single conveyor without standby) from the mine to the power station or flooding of the mine, etc.

The two systems described above clearly bring out the differences that exist between coal and lignite handling systems .

The striking difference between the two systems is the absence of bifurcating chutes and flap gates in the case of I.ign.ite handling systems. In place of chutes, shuttle belt feeders of reversible/non-reversible type are employed. Shuttle belt feeders are used to avoid the choking and buildup problems encountered in chutes owing to the high moisture content (which is around 55%) and sticky nature of lignite. Also, with chutes, the height of the structures as well as the fall of material will increase. Lignite being very fragile, with chutes it will degrade at transfer points. Shuttle feeders will avoid this possibility .

In contrast to coal handling systems, the buffer hoppers in crusher houses are avoided in the lignite handling systems. Here, buffer hoppers are undesirable as they bring the associated problems of choking/build-up and consequently the stoppage of flow from the hoppers. It may be observed from the flow diagram of a lignite handling system (Fig. 2)

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solids Volume 4, Number 3, September 1984 handllnll

OF

12B-

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TO

4B-

SHED]

20A - ~========='" 21 A 2 -

WillJ WJJ] ITLWJ

UNIT -I

UNIT -2

UNIT -3

BUNKER BAY

NOTE

B STREAM OF CONVEYORS ON BUNKERS IS SIMILAR TO A STREAM. BUT NOT SHOWN FOR CLARITY.

{BUCKETWHEEL RECLAIMER (TVP)

UGNlTE SroCK YARO

Fig. 2: Schematic diagram of lignite handling system for the Neyveli Thermal Station (7 x 21 0 MW units)

that lignite is fed to crushers from belt conveyors directly avoiding the buffer hopper. To avoid build-up/choking at transfer points, interconnections between the two streams of the lignite handling system are provided only at limited points, i. e., one at the receiving I reclaiming point and one after the crushers.

4. Selection of Major Equipment 4.1 Crushers

The major differences in the properties of coal and lignite which are critical to the selection of crushers are: hardness, moisture content and lump size.

Generally, the maximum lump size of Indian coals is between 500 and 600 mm and that of lignite is about 400 mm. Coal, with its low hardgrove index (50) and with an output size requirement of minus 25 mm, generally requires two stage crushing. For primary crushing usually double roll crushers or Bradford crushers (rotary drum breakers) are employed and for secondary crushing, hammer mills or ring granulators are adopted.

Lignite, with its high hardgrove index (125) and fragile nature, does not require two stage crushing to obtain the output size of minus 80 mm required for its mills. Due to high moisture content, lignite is prone to build-up in the crushers.

Hence the primary requisite for any lignite crusher is that it should have minimum choking possibility even under the worst operating conditions. Conventional crushers mentioned above do not meet this requirement. In view of this, spiked double roller crushers are well suited for lignite crushing. An especially favourable feature of spiked double roller crushers is that with these crushers it is possible to adjust the gap between the rollers between 70 mm and 110 mm, thus facilitating the adjustment of output size as required. In lignite crushers, steam jacketing is employed to counter the moisture problems, whereas this feature is not necessary for coal crushers.

4.2 Screens

Screens, which are essentially bypassing units before crushers, also serve the important purpose of feeding the crushers uniformly throughout their width and minimise the build-up in crushers.

Screens used in coal handling systems should withstand wear and tear due to the impact of coal. To meet this requirement, mechanical vibrating screens are employed for coal screening because of their robust construction and lower capital cost.

Vibrating screens are not suitable for lign.ite as they get ehoked even in the dry season. Hence, eccentric/triangular disc screens are employed for lignite handling systems with

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special provrsrons such as steam heating and cleaning combs to minimise the build-up.

4.3 Bunkers

For any material storage, the bunkers should be such that they permit mass flow with minimum arching and material build-up possibilities. To achieve this, the lining material, size and shape of the bunker and its bottom opening should be given special consideration during the detailed engineering stage.

Coal bunkers are sized to store a minimum of 16 hours' MeR coal requirement to limit the coal handling system operation to two shifts. After studying in detail the bunker storage capacity vis-a-vis flow problems encountered in India and the Federal Republic of Germany, it was concluded that the effective storage capacity of lignite bunkers should be about 8 hours.

The shape of bunkers is usually rectangular at the top and circular or rectangular at the bottom, depending upon the shape of the feeder opening. With proper surface liners, the minimum slope of the side walls of coal bunkers should be 70° and 800 for lignite bunkers. Coal bunkers are usually lined with stainless steel, while lignite bunkers are lined with "Supralen".

5. Stockpiling and Reclaiming

The coal storage capacity of a power station stockyard depends on the distance of coal mines from the power station .. If the power station is located more than about 500 km away, then the coal stock at the plant should be adequate to serve for 45 days at least, For stations nearer mines, 30 days' requirement should be stocked. Locating the coal storage area and the method of reclaiming are the major engineering decisions of economic consequence. The storage yard should be located in such a way that the conveying length is optimum. The area selected for coal stocking should be properly graded, with sufficient slopes given in both crosswire and longitudinal directions to facilitate the draining of rain water.

Employing a stacker/reclaimer or tractor dozers for stacking and reclaiming of coal depends mostly on economics and the station capacity. However, employing combined stacker/reclaimers or separate stackers and reclaimers depends on the duty requirement. In India, at present, dozer reclaiming is adopted up to about 400 MW installed capacity. Beyond 400 MW installed capacity, stacker/reclaimers are generally preferred.

In Wanakbori stacker/reclaimers are adopted for stacking and reclaiming, whereas at Neyveli separate stackers and reclaimers are provided for the same purpose. In lignite handling, stacking and reclaiming are required to be carried out simultaneously, especially during the rainy season. This is because, as the lignite arriving from mines has to be stored to enable surface moisture to drain off, the air dried lignite has to be reclaimed using a bucket wheel reclaimer. This eventuality does not arise in coal handling systems. Hence, either stacking or reclaiming is done one at a time using a stacker/reclaimer.

In the case of lignite, whose moisture content is high, the lignite flow problems will be aggravated during the rainy season due to additional surface moisture. To counter this

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problem a shed of 60 m span and suitable length is adopted for covering the lignite stockyard to store lignite for about 3 days' requirement. This is a special feature adopted for the Neyveli Lignite Thermal Station.

6. Dust Control

In a coal handling system, dust control includes both dust suppression and dust extraction which are essential to minimise the dust nuisance .. Generally, dust suppression is employed to control the dust nuisance at wagon tippler hoppers and stockyards.

Dust suppression at wagon tippler hoppers is done with a chemical solution spray or by providing dust trapping hoods over the wagon tippler hopper complex .. A typical wagon tippler hopper complex with a concrete dust trapping hood for a thermal power station engineered by TCE is shown in Fig. 3. Dust suppression at the stockyard is achieved by using. a water spray. At the wagon tippler the aim of dust suppression is to reduce further dust nuisance at subsequent transfer points. A dust extraction system is generally adopted at junction towers and transfer points.

Fig. 3: Typical wagon tippler installation with dust control structure for a coal handling system

For lignite, dust nuisance is not severe in view of its high inherent moisture content. In dry seasons, when the lignite is relatively dry, there may be dust nuisance in the stockyard due to the degradation of fragile lignite. To take care of this, a dust suppression system is provided.

In Wanakabori, extensive care is taken to control dust nuisance by adopting both dust suppression and dust extraction systems.

7. Comparative Technical Parameters

for Coal and lignite

Table 2 indicates the salient comparative technical parameters of major equipment provided for coal and lignite handling systems for two different thermal power stations with nearly equal total capacity.

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Table 2: Comparative technical parameters of major equipment used in coal and lignite handling systems

Particulars

I. Station Capacity

II. Conveyors

1. Capacity (t I h)

2. Belt width (mm)

3. Troughing angle (degree)

4. Belt speed (m/s)

III. Crushers 1. Type

2. Capacity (t/h)
3. Number provided
4. Input lump size
(mm)
5. Output size (mm) IV. Stockyard Equipment

1. Type

2. Capacity (tlh)

a) while stacking

b) while reclaiming

3. Effective length of travel (m)

4. Boom conveyor

a) length (m)

b) width (mm)

c) maximum slewing speed (m/s)

d) range of I uffi ng

V. Screens 1. Type

2. Capacity tI h

3. Screens to separate (mm)

4. Screen size (length in mm x width in mm)

VI. Wagon Tipplers

1. Type

2. Maximum weight of wagon handled (Ionnes)

3. Platform size (m x m)

4. Type of drive

Coal Handling lignite Han-
System dling System
(Wanakbori) (Neyveli)
6x210 MW 7x210 MW
2,000/1,500 2,800
1,400/1,200 1,800
35° 35°
3.4 3.5
double roll spiked double
crusher (primary roller crusher
crushing)
Ring granulator
(secondary
crushing)
1,100 2,800
4 (primary) 2
4 (Secondary)
-450 (primary) -400
-125 (secondary)
-125 (primary) - 80
-25 (secondary) stacker I stacker and
reclaimer reclaimer
2,000 2,800
1,500 1,000/2.000
700 (approx.) 480/360
30 19
1,400 1,800
0.53 0.15
+100 to + 18° 10
_110 _180
vibrating rotating tri-
screens angular or
eccentric disc
screens
1,100 2,800
0-100 0-80
4,750x2,400 Rotaside

105 19.2x3.05 Gear sector

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