Ash Handling Plant We can divide Ash Handling of modern day boilers into two major types i.e.

Mecha nical type and Pneumatic Type. Mechanical type ash handling again can be broadly divided into two types. They a re: 1.Use of Screw/Belt Conveyors and Bucket Elevators. Use of screw/belt conveyors and bucket elevators is mostly done in small capacit y plants with capacities not exceeding 2-3 TPH. Limitation of screw conveyors an d bucket elevators is that it cannot handle huge capacities and is maintenance p rone. 2. Use of Chain Conveyors. Use of chain conveyors is highly successful in higher capacity plants up to 7-8 TPH. The chain conveyors use forged link chains and can operate extreme conditio ns with high degree of reliability and very less power consumption. Chain convey ors with high temperature of the bank ash as the bottom of chain conveyors can b e lined with cast basalt. Pneumatic type ash handling is the most popular method used in medium level power plants. It uses dense phase conveying system for conveying ash is totally enclos ed without any leakage. Conveying material moves through the pipeline slowly as a coherent slug at a low velocity, which ensures minimum wear and tear. The system can convey materials up to a distance of around 200-250 mts. The general principle of operation for d ense phase pneumatic conveying is as below. General Principal Operation for Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveying 1. Conveying material is collected in hopper and is sensed by the permissive lev el probe provided in hopper and initiates conveying cycle. The system has dual o perability either through level probe or through an auto timer. In timer mode of operation the system goes on continuous cycle after a preset time interval. Mor eover the system has manual override facility. 2. The inlet valve on the top of vessel opens and allows material to gravitate i nto the vessel. The valve closes after the preset adjustable time delay. 3. Once the valve closing is ensured through a limit switch valve its circumfere ntial inflatable seal inflates and ensures complete leak proof. 4. Now, convey air is injected into the vessel after ensuring seal pressure. Thu s vessel is pressurised and material resistance leads to pressure build up which conveys material to destination point. 5. When conveying is complete, the pressure drops down to near atmospheric press ure and is sensed by control system. The conveying air supply to the system is t hen stopped. 6. Now the system is ready to accept next charge of material on command from lev el probe/auto timer. 7. Normally the destination side is also provided with high-level switch, which gives an alarm when filled up and prevents any further transfer of material into it. 8. The system is provided with various accessories like bag filters, ash conditi oner to make the system environmental friendly. In a typical ash handling plant, the ash storage silo is designed for 1-day storage. The ash in silo is discharg ed on a lorry through an ash conditioner, which sprays water in mist form and pr events the ash from escaping to the atmosphere.