Thar Block II 2X330MW Coal-fired Power Project

Ash Handling Systems

Instructor: Peter Fu
 Part I General Information
1. Introduction

A boiler fires coal to heat water and steam,

while producing a large quantity of bottom ash
and fly ash. The ash handling and storage
systems continuously remove ash from the
furnace bottom, air heater hoppers,
economizer hoppers, and the ESP ash hoppers.
2. Ash Analysis of Design Coal

Ash Data of Design Coal

3. System Description

The 2x330MW units are equipped with 2x1105t/h

CFB subcritical boiler. Each boiler is provided
with 4 bottom ash coolers and a flue gas
desulfurization (FGD) system and without
deNOx provision. The ESP is provided with 20
hoppers and the economizer with 4 hoppers. A
bottom ash handling system is provided for each
boiler to remove bottom ash. A pneumatic
conveying system is provided for fly ash，
limestone powder and bed material.
3. System Description

Two bucket chain conveyors and two bucket

elevators are designed with a capacity of
60t/h, which is 250% the bottom ash
production at BMCR for design coal and
200% for check coal. The bottom ash silos are
designed to accommodate the bottom ash
production within 72 hours at BMCR for
design coal.
3. System Description

A positive dense phase pneumatic conveying

system is designed with a capacity of 61t/h,
which is 150% fly ash production at BMCR
for Design coal and 120% for check coal.
Three fly ash silos are provided to
accommodate the fly as production within 72
hours at BMCR for design coal.
3. System Description

The limestone power system is provided with

a positive dense phase pneumatic conveying
system as the first stage and a positive dilute
dense phase pneumatic conveying system as
the second stage. Each boiler is provided with
a limestone power silo to accommodate
limestone powder for 24h operation at
BMCR.
3. System Description

Bed material is conveyed with a positive dense

phase pneumatic conveying system with a
capacity of 0.65〜6.5t/h.
3. System Description
Furnace bottom ash is removed using two
bucket chain conveyors and two bucket
elevators. Ash is transported from the chain
bucket conveyor discharge to the bucket
elevator and then to an exterior partly enclosed
ash storage bin. This ash is periodically
removed from the storage bin by loaders,
loaded into trucks, and transported to the ash
disposal area. The bottom ash system includes
a chain bucket conveyor, a transfer conveyor
and storage bins.
3. System Description

Ash from the economizer, air heater, and ESP

hoppers is transported to a common storage
silo using a positive pressure dense phase
pneumatic conveying system. Pressure feeders
complete with airlocks and hopper level
indicators are provided at all collection
hopper locations.
3. System Description

The capacity of each feeder is dependent on

the quantity of ash collected in the hopper.
Transport air for the fly ash is provided by
positive displacement rotary blowers mounted
in parallel and installed. The steel silo is sized
to store up to the specified production of ash.
Ash discharged from the silo is conditioned to
control dusting, loaded onto trucks, and
transported to the disposal area.
3. System Description
The silo has a fluidizing bottom designed to
ensure an even flow to the unloading
equipment and is equipped with level
indicators, pressure relief devices and a vent
filter sized to receive air from all transport
pipes operating simultaneously. The fly ash
system include receiving hoppers, a fly ash
conveying system, a compressed transport air
system, a storage silo fluidizing air system, a
vent filter, ash conditioners, dry unloaders, and
a ventilation system.
4. Flow Paths
Fly Ash:
ESP (Economizer) → vessel → silo → ash
unloader → truck → destination
…silo → dual-axle mixer → truck → destination
Bottom Ash:
Ash cooler → chain bucket conveyor → bucket
elevator → silo → Ash unloader → truck
→Destination
…silo → dual-axle mixer → truck → destination
 Part II Bottom Ash Handling Systems
1. Bottom Ash Handling System

Bucket Chain Conveyor and Bucket Elevator

 Part II Bottom Ash Handling Systems
2. Limestone Conveying System

Lime stone conveying system

 Part II Bottom Ash Handling Systems
3. Bed Material Feeding System

Bed material feeding system

 Part II Bottom Ash Handling Systems
4. Submerged Scraper Conveyor

Submerged scraper conveyors (SSC) are

generally used for ash removal below the coal
fired boilers of large power plants. They
generally use a two chain conveying system,
with a driving station using sprockets and the
chain guided by intermediate and reverse
wheels following the path required for
conveying the bulk material.
Advantages of the SSC include the following:
low power requirements, no conveying
water usage, smaller space requirements,
lower headroom requirements (steel
savings), elimination of the need for
dewatering bins (although these may be
replaced by storage bins), and lower capital
cost.
A rectangular water-filled tank is placed
beneath the boiler. Clinker fallen off the furnace
drops through a transition chute into the trough
and is immediately quenched by water to form
the bottom ash. Seal plates attached to the
boiler-tube headers extend downward into the
water-filled tank. They provide a seal against
changes in boiler pressure and a means to
accommodate the downward expansion of the
boiler outlet as the plant heats from shutdown to
operating temperature. The discharge end of the
tank (beyond the seal plates) rises at an incline.
Through a series of sprockets and idlers on each
side of the tank and incline, a pair of chains is
driven continuously along the length of the tank.
Flights, usually in the form of steel angles, are
connected to the driven chains on each side.
They sweep across the bottom of the tank, up
the incline, and return through a "false bottom"
on the tank. This false bottom is usually referred
to as the lower trough while the water-
impounded tank is called the upper trough.
The chain and flights (drag bars) are driven by
a variable speed drive unit through the head
sprockets at the top of this incline. Chain
tension and adjustment are made by tail shaft
takeup units at the back end of the tank.
Dewatering of the ash is accomplished by
draining as it is pushed up the incline by the
conveyor flights. The water runs through the
interstitial spaces and back to the tank, so that
ash contains approximately 15–25% moisture
by weight when it is discharged at the end of the
incline. This discharge can travel either through
a grid, a vibrating grizzly, a crusher to size the
larger chunks of ash, or directly to the removal
equipment.
The removal equipment is usually a belt
conveyor. Although on small installations, it can
be a dump truck parked under the discharge
until it is filled. The belt conveyors discharge the
collected ash through bucket elevators into bins,
from which the ash is periodically removed for
ultimate disposal.
To guard the chain and sprockets, protective
structural steel is welded to the tank sides and
extends over the chain to protect it from direct
impact by ash and slag. At the top of the incline,
water-jetting nozzles are oriented to wash the
chain and remove any ash before it is engaged
by the drive sprockets. A variable speed drive
train with a turnover of approximately 6:1 is to
be used in the SSC to allow dewatering and
volume control.
To guard the chain and sprockets, protective
structural steel is welded to the tank sides and
extends over the chain to protect it from direct
impact by ash and slag. At the top of the incline,
water-jetting nozzles are oriented to wash the
chain and remove any ash before it is engaged
by the drive sprockets. A variable speed drive
train with a turnover of approximately 6:1 is to
be used in the SSC to allow dewatering and
volume control.
5. Operation Checklist
The following checklist of periodic inspections
summarizes the SSC inspections that should be
performed during plant operations. Please refer
to the operator’s manual for details.
Checklist of Periodic Inspections
Ash tank overflows/temperature
Ash tank refractory cooling water supply
Ash tank seal trough overflow temperature
Conveyor
Conveyor drives
Conveyor idlers
Conveyor shafts
Conveyor wear surfaces
Chain wash-water flow
Compressed-air system filters, traps
Control valves/leakage
Crusher rolls
Crusher drive chain/sprockets
Crusher housing/wear plates
Crusher seals/leakage
Heat exchanger/fouling
Mechanical pump drives
Mechanical pumps
Plate clarifier/fouling
 Part III Fly Ash Handling Systems
1. Principles of Pneumatic Conveying

Pneumatic conveying is nothing more than

creating a pressure differential along a
pipeline and moving a bulk material along
with the air as the air moves towards the area
of lower pressure. The conveying air is moved
through an enclosed pipework system, either
by positive pressure or by vacuum (negative
pressure). Material is carried along with the
air and is moved between locations.
Vacuum Pneumatic Conveying System
Pneumatic conveying offers a number of key
advantages over alternatives:

(1) Totally enclosed - Dust-free, spill-free and

impervious to environmental conditions or
contamination;
(2) Very few moving parts - Long operating life and
very-low maintenance;
(3) Low power consumption - Economic advantages
over many other conveying techniques;
(4) Single and multi-point pick-up and delivery -
Design flexibility;
(5) Clean and quiet - Can help with environmental
and health & safety issues.
Pneumatic conveying can be simplified into
three types (or phases) of conveying: lean
(dilute)-phase, medium-phase and dense-phase.

Lean phase pneumatic

conveying

Medium phase
pneumatic conveying

Dense phase pneumatic

conveying
Dilute Phase Conveying System
Dense Phase Conveying System
2. Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveying
By definition, dense phase pneumatic conveying
simply means using a small amount of air to
move a large amount of bulk material in closely-
associated slugs through a conveying line, much
like extruding. Unlike dilute phase conveying
systems that typically use larger amounts of air
to move relatively small amounts of material at
high velocities in suspension, dense phase offers
the enormous advantage of efficiently "pushing"
a much denser concentration of bulk solids at
relatively low velocities through a conveying line.
Designed to be a simple and effective
method of transferring material from a
single collection point to either a single or
multiple reception points and can be used
throughout industry to transfer all types of
bulk solid materials ranging from fine
cohesive powders to wet lump coal.
Movie Show of Dense Phase Conveying System
Multiple Reception Points Conveying System
A truck loading sprout is provided at the
discharge of the receiving bin to unload the
ash into a truck and transport it to disposal
areas.
 LOADING SPOUT

LOADING SPOUT WITH

PRODUCT SPREADER
 Part IV Electrostatic Precipitators
1. General Description
Of the major particulate collection devices
used today, electrostatic precipitators (ESPs)
are one of the more frequently used. They can
handle large gas volumes with a wide range of
inlet temperatures, pressures, dust volumes,
and acid gas conditions. They can collect a
wide range of particle sizes, and they can
collect particles in dry and wet states. For
many industries, the collection efficiency can
go as high as 99%.
The science and understanding of
electrostatic precipitation has in recent years
reached a high level. The physics of the
electric fields, the charging of particles within
the field, their migration velocity and
collection, and the effect of the charged
particles have become well understood.
2. Principles of Electrostatic Precipitators

The basic principle of electrostatic

precipitation is that gas-borne particles are
passed through an electric field where they
are initially charged by means of a corona
discharge. Charged particles are then
deflected across the electric field and
deposited on collecting electrodes. Therefore,
the process is considered to be comprised of
the following components:
• Production of an electric field to create
corona and ions;
• Charging of the particles by the ions;
• Effect of the electric field on the charged
particles;
• Migration of the charged particles through
the field;
• Collection and removal of the charged
particles.
3. Theory of Precipitation

The fundamental principle of operation of an

ESP is that the particles are passed through
an electrical field where they receive an
electrical charge. Charged particles are then
deflected across the field and collected on a
grounded plate. Most industrial ESPs are
based on a single stage approach in which
both charging and migration across the field
(precipitation) take place within the same set
of electrodes.
Basic Parallel Plate ESP Arrangement
(a) Particle Charging

The fundamental principle of operation of an

ESP is that the particles are passed through
an electrical field where they receive an
electrical charge. Charged particles are then
deflected across the field and collected on a
grounded plate. Most industrial ESPs are
based on a single stage approach in which
both charging and migration across the field
(precipitation) take place within the same set
of electrodes.
Typical Dry Electrostatic Precipitator
A typical ESP has thin wires called discharge
electrodes, which are evenly spaced between
large plates called collection electrodes, which
are grounded. Think of an electrode as
something that can conduct or transmit
electricity. A negative, high-voltage, pulsating,
direct current is applied to the discharge
electrode creating a negative electric field.
ESP Electric Field
The field is strongest right next to the discharge
electrode, weaker in the areas between the dis-
charge and collection electrodes called the inter-
electrode region, and weakest near the collection
electrode. The region around the discharge
electrode is where the particle charging process
begins.
 (b) Corona Discharge: Free Electron Generation
Several things happen very rapidly in the small area
around the discharge electrode. The applied voltage
is increased until it produces a corona discharge,
which can be seen as a luminous blue glow around
the discharge electrode. The free electrons created
by the corona are rapidly fleeing the negative
electric field, which repulses them. They move
faster and faster away from the discharge electrode.
This acceleration causes them to literally crash into
gas molecules, bumping off electrons in the
molecules. As a result of losing an electron, the gas
molecules become positively charged, that is, they
become positive ions
Corona Generation
So, this is the first thing that happens - gas
molecules are ionized, and electrons are
liberated. All this activity occurs very close to
the discharge electrode. This process continues,
creating more and more free electrons and more
positive ions. The name for all this electron
generation activity is avalanche multiplication
Avalanche Multiplication of Gas Molecules
(c) Ionization of Gas Molecules
As the electrons leave the strong electrical
field area around the discharge electrode,
they start slowing down. Now they're in the
inter-electrode area where they are still
repulsed by the discharge electrode but to a
lesser extent. There are also gas molecules in
the inter-electrode region, but instead of
violently colliding with them, the electrons
kind of bump up to them and are captured.
Negative Gas Ions formed in Inter-electrode Region
(d) Charging of Particles
The particles are traveling along in the gas stream
and encounter negative ions moving across their
path. The particles get in the way of the negatively
charged gas ions. The gas ions stick to the particles,
imparting a negative charge to them. At first the
charge is fairly insignificant as most particles are
huge compared to a gas molecule. But many gas
ions can fit on a particle, and they do. Small
particles can absorb “tens” of ions. Large particles
can absorb "tens of thousands" of ions. Eventually,
there are so many ions stuck to the particles, the
particles emit their own negative electrical field.
Particle Charging
(g) Particle Collection

When a charged particle reaches the grounded

collection electrode, the charge on the particle
is only partially discharged. The charge is
slowly leaked to the grounded collection plate.
A portion of the charge is retained and
contributes to the inter-molecular adhesive
and cohesive forces that hold the particles onto
the plates.
Particle Collection at Collection Electrode
(h) Particle Removal
Dust that has accumulated to a certain
thickness on the collection electrode is
removed by one of two processes, depending
on the type of collection electrode. Collection
electrodes in precipitators can be either plates
or tubes, with plates being more common.
Tubes are usually cleaned by water sprays,
while plates can be cleaned either by water
sprays or a process called rapping.
4. Types of Electrostatic Precipitators
ESPs can be classified, according to a number of
distinguishing features in their design.
• The structural design and operation of the
discharge electrodes (rigid-frame, wires or
plate) and collection electrodes (tubular or
plate);
• The method of charging (single-filed or multi-
field);
• The temperature of operation (cold-side or hot-
side);
• The method of particle removal from collection
surfaces (wet or dry).
Gas Flow through a Tabular Precipitator
Gas Flow through a Plate Precipitator
An ESPP with Two Chambers Four Fields and Eight Cells
Cold-side ESP
Hot-side ESP
Wet and Dry ESPs
Any of the previously described ESPs can be
operated with a wet spray to remove collected
particles. Wet ESPs are used for industrial
applications where the potential for explosion
is high (such as collecting dust from a closed-
hood Basic Oxygen Furnace in the steel
industry), or when dust is very sticky,
corrosive, or has very high resistivity.
Most electrostatic precipitators are operated
dry and use rappers to remove the collected
particulate matter.
5. Operation and Maintenance
The areas in an ESP installation where typical
difficulties arise are shown in the following
figure.
5.1 Prestartup Checklist for ESPs
Complete checks shall be performed before
the initial startup of an ESP. The following
table shows a prestartup checklist for ESPs.
Collecting plates
1. Free of longitudinal and horizontal bows
2. Free of burrs and sharp edges
3. Support system square and level
4. Spacer bars and corner guides free
5. Free of excessive dust buildup
6. Gas leakage baffles in place and not
binding
Discharge electrodes
1. No breaks or slack wires
2. Wires free in guides and suspension weight
free on pin
3. Rigid frames square and level
4. Rigid electrodes plumb and straight
5. Free of excessive dust buildup and grounds
6. Alignment within design specifications
Hoppers
1. Scaffolding removed
2. Discharge throat and poke holes clear
3. Level detector unobstructed
4. Baffle door and access door closed
5. Heaters, vibrators, and alarms operational
Top housing or insulator compartments
1. Insulators and bushing clear and dry with
no carbon tracks
2. All grounding chains in storage brackets
3. Heaters intact, seal-air system controls,
alarms, dampers, and filters in place and
operational
4. Seal-air fan motor rotation correct, or vent
pipes free
5. All access doors closed
Rappers
1. All swing hammers or drop rods in place and free
2. Guide sleeves and bearings intact
3. Control and field wiring properly terminated
4. Indicating lights and instrumentation operational
5. All debris removed from precipitator
6. All personnel out of unit and off clearances
7. All interlocks operational and locked out
a. No broken or missing keys
b. Covers on all locks
Transformer-rectifier sets
1. Surge arrestor not cracked or chipped and
gap set
2. Liquid level satisfactory
3. High-voltage connections properly made
4. Grounds on: precipitator, output bushings,
bus ducts, conduits
Rectifier control units
1. Controls grounded
2. Power supply and alarm wiring properly
completed
3. Interlock key in transfer block
5.2 Typical Startup Procedures for ESPs

Startup (preoperational checks -at least 2

hours prior to gas load):
1. Complete all maintenance/inspection items.
2. Remove all debris from ESP.
3. Safety interlocks should be operational and
all keys accounted for.
4. No personnel should be in ESP.
5. Lock out ESP and insert keys in transfer
blocks.
Prestart (at least one hour prior to gas load):
6. Check hoppers.
a. Level-indicating system should be
operational.
b. Ash-handling system operating and sequence
check -leave in operational mode.
c. Hopper heaters should be on.
7. Check top housing seal-air system.
a. Check operation of seal-air fan—leave
running.
b. Bushing heaters should be on.
8. Check rappers.
a. Energize control, run rapid sequence, ensure
that all rappers are operational.
b. Set cycle time and intensity adjustments,
using installed instrumentation — leave
rappers operating.
9. Check Transformer-Rectifier sets.
a. Check half-wave/full-wave operation (half-
wave operation is recommended for filtering
fly ash when lignite is burned and a cold-side
ESP is used.)
b. Keys should be in all breakers.
c. Test-energize all T-R sets and check local
control alarm functions.
d. Set power levels and de-energize all T-R
controls.
e. Lamp and function-test all local and remote
alarms.
 Part V Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems
1. Introduction

Approximately 98% to 99% of the SOx

emissions are in the form of SO2. More
than two-thirds of all man-made SOx
emissions result from fossil fuel
combustion in utility and industrial boilers.
Conversion of Fuel Sulfur
2. Sulfur Dioxide Control
Sulfur dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel-fired
combustion sources can be reduced by five
techniques:
• Low sulfur fuel firing;
• Flue gas desulfurization;
• Dry scrubbing;
• Fluidized bed combustion;
• Fuel treatment
Fuel treatment and flue gas desulfurization
are the most common techniques presently
being used.
3. Flue Gas Desulfurization

Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) is the most

common technology used for controlling sulfur
oxides emissions from combustion sources.
FGD technology is also used to reduce SO2
emissions from utility boilers. In this method,
SO2 gaseous emissions are usually removed by
a post-combustion absorption process. FGD
scrubbing processes can be either “wet” or
“dry.”
Wet scrubbing processes use a liquid absorbent
to absorb the SO2 gases. Wet scrubbing can be
further categorized into nonregenerative and
regenerative processes. Nonregenerative
processes produce a sludge that must be
disposed of properly. These are sometimes
referred to as throwaway FGD processes.
Regenerative processes generate a salable
product in addition to removing SOx.
Dry scrubbing processes use a dry or wet spray
to absorb SO2 gas and form dry particles that
are collected in a baghouse or electrostatic
precipitator.
An Example of A Venturi Scrubber Design
An example of a tower scrubber design
An Example of A Wet
Scrubbing System
Simplified Flowchart of Lime Scrubbing System
Dual Alkali Scrubber System
Simplified Flowchart of Magnesium Oxide Process
Simplified Flowchart of Spray Dryer-type Dry Scrubber
Dry Injection Dry Scrubber Flowchart
Flowchart of Dry Scrubber Using Both a Spray
Absorber Vessel and a Dry Injection Recycle Stream
 End
Thanks