Don’t Let the Cold Weather Freeze Your Power Plant Productivity

Coal Bunker Flow Problems

As the weather begins to change from the cool temperatures of fall to the freezing temperatures of winter, so too changes the challenges of keeping coal bunkers flowing. It is around this time of year that coal plants begin to notice a slowdown in production and loss of power plant productivity.

The coal in the bunkers isn’t moving quite as freely as it did in the warmer months, and the sidewalls of the bunker are beginning to be covered with coal build-up. With this restriction in flow, the need to help the coal move increases dramatically. Using sledgehammers and compressed air to break up these trouble spots or performing burndowns to clear the bunker of buildup cause a great cost to production.

Get the Coal Moving

When our customers come to us with reduced flow rate or sticking issues in their bunkers, our go-to solution is the pneumatic piston vibrator, such as the BH Vibrator from our partner NAVCO. The large size of most coal bunkers, some up to 40 ft high, 30 ft wide, and 150 ft long, holding 500 tons, calls for a heavy-duty vibratory solution to create the bin response necessary to get material moving. To generate this response, we utilize a BH 8 Vibrator. This is a large vibrator measuring 22 in tall and weighing around 650 lb that packs a large punch.

The vibrator is installed directly to the sidewall of the bunker and then tied into a timer that runs the vibrator at pre-determined intervals. This combination of hard-hitting and timed vibration removes any bridging or ratholing issues slowing down the flow, as well as helping keep the sidewalls free of buildup. The vibrator can run continually ensuring the material is always flowing. By utilizing a pneumatic vibrator, you can eliminate all the material flow issues associated with the colder weather and keep your plant running without interruption.

Wm. Neundorfer has been helping our customers with their material flow issues for over 60 years. If you are experiencing a slowdown in your coal bunkers contact us here and we can help get you back to running at full speed. Contact Us Here to discuss your material flow issues.