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Coal belt stone sorting process receives positive response for record power generation
Tekchandra Sanodia Shastri
New Delhi. Efforts are underway to maximize power generation from thermal power plants (TPS) operated by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), a central government subsidiary, and state government-owned power generation companies. This requires demand-appropriate coal, water, and other inputs, with coal playing a crucial role. South Indian companies like Chandy & Company, Prince Thermal Enterprises, Prince Group of Companies, and M/s Priya Tech have undertaken the task of stone sorting from imported coal. Most thermal power plants are achieving record power generation due to the availability of special coal through coal sorting.
Technological methods are used to separate stones from coal conveyor belts in power plants. Impurities such as stones and metals in coal can damage boilers, making their removal essential. In the simplest method, workers manually separate large stones by slowing the coal on a conveyor belt.
This method is effective as long as the stones are large.
This method is used to remove metal fragments from coal. Powerful electromagnets are installed above the conveyor belt.
When the coal and metal mixture passes under the magnet, the magnet attracts the metal fragments and drops them into a separate hopper. In this process, vibrating screens with different mesh sizes are used.
The coal passes through these screens from the conveyor belt. Smaller coal fragments fall through the mesh, while larger stones and coal fragments remain on top.
The larger fragments are sent to a crusher, where they are crushed to the correct size.
This method utilizes the difference in density between coal and stone.
A mixture of coal and stone is placed in a liquid (usually a mixture of finely ground magnetite in water) with a density higher than the coal and lower than the stone. In this process, lighter coal floats to the top and is removed, while heavier stones settle to the bottom.
Sensor technology is also used in modern power plants. Sensors are installed at the discharge points of conveyor belts, which can detect stones. When the sensor detects a stone, an automatic gate opens and the stone is dropped to a different location
