FLYASH REMOVAL SYSTEMS

Intermittent-removal systems
Vacuum (negative-pressure) pneumatic system
Pressure (positive-pressure) pneumatic system
Combinations of the two
Continuous-removal systems
Flight conveyors
Screw conveyors
Vacuum (negative-pressure) pneumatic system:
Vacuum system (Fig. 1) uses a Mechanical blower or Water/ steam
exhauster to create a vacuum which removes the flyash from the hoppers.

Fig. 1 Dry pneumatic vacuum flyash system

A flyash-intake valve located at each hopper regulates the flow of the

flyash.

Each flyash intake is actuated automatically by the system logic which

controls both the flow rate and quantity of flyash leaving the hopper to
avoid plugging the discharge line.

As each hopper is emptied of flyash, the system will step to the next
hopper in the same branch line. When all hoppers in a branch line have
been emptied, the system will step to the next branch line. The system
logic insures the proper sequence of events and positioning of valves.

When a mechanical blower produces the necessary vacuum, flyash is

taken to a silo where a cyclone separator and bag filter, in series,
separate the air-ash mixture. To protect the blower it is important to
collect most of the ash, which is then emptied from the silos into
enclosed trucks or railcars.

Water exhauster method:

The water exhauster is another method of transporting flyash through

the conveying
line. High-pressure water supplied to the water-exhauster inlet nozzles
creates the transport vacuum; flyash, air, and water are mixed in the
exhauster venturi. Water exhausters normally have hardened ductile
iron bodies, wear-resistant liners and stainless-steel nozzles. Diffusers
are hardened ductile iron.
Following the water exhausters, an air separator is provided to
separate and vent the air from the flyash-water-air mixture. Separators
are made of cast iron or carbon steel with an abrasion-resistant basalt
or ceramic liner. The separator discharge is elevated sufficiently to
allow the ash-water slurry to flow by gravity to a pond or disposal area.
Pressure (positive-pressure) pneumatic system:

In a pressure system an air-lock feeder transfers flyash from a hopper

at a low pressure to a pipeline conveyor at a higher pressure.

Compressors or blowers provide the airflow and pressure to convey the

flyash.

Fig. Dry pneumatic-pressure flyash system

COMPARISON OF VACUUM AND PRESSURE SYSTEMS
Selecting a vacuum or pressure flyash removal system for a given unit
depends on an evaluation of

conveying rate

Altitude

number of hoppers to be evacuated

distance to be conveyed

A vacuum conveying system is normally preferred over a dilute-phase

pressure system because less equipment is used under each hopper: one
flyash intake versus two flyash intakes and an air-lock tank.
Vacuum system uses the more positive means of suction to evacuate the
flyash from the hoppers whereas the pressure system uses gravity alone to
move the ash from the hopper to the feeders.
A vacuum system also has the advantage of being able to indicate, from the
conveying-line vacuum switches, whether' a given hopper is full, empty,
plugged.

This is not possible with a pressure system as multiple hoppers are being
evacuated simultaneously.
However, the practicality of a vacuum system is limited by the amount of
pressure differential that is available for conveying.
The actual pressure drop increases as the conveying rate increases; thus, if
all else is constant, higher conveying rates may require a pressure system.
(Theoretically, a vacuum system can almost always be used by installing
many vacuum-producing devices and pipe-lines in parallel.)
When plants are at high elevations, the available pressure decreases (at
7000 feet, approximately 5" Hg. are lost over that of sea level), thus limiting
theapplication of vacuum systems. In addition, the pressure will drop as
distance Increases making a pressure system the more feasible.
VACUUM/PRESSURE SYSTEM:
The combination vacuum to pressure transfer system combines the simplicity,
lower head room requirement, and lower cost of vacuum intakes at the collection
hoppers with the high capacity and long distance conveying capacity of a positive
pressure system.

Fig. Vacuum-to-pressure dry pneumatic flyash system.

Continuous-removal systems :
Two types of mechanical conveyors

screw conveyors

flight conveyors

Often prone to wear, screw conveyors are usually used for ash transport only
when conveying a relatively small quantity of material.

Flight conveyor:
Flight conveyors move the ash in a dust-tight casing using elements linked
by a single or double strand of chain..The units are sized either on a
volumetric basis or on an mass basis in which the material is conveyed in
bulk, without agitation.
Flight conveyors have been successfully operated for many decades on coalfired units.
When properly designed, they are relatively insensitive to problems such as
moisture in the flyash and flyash clinkers (which may force outages in other
types of systems).
With continuous conveying devices, the system can combine the mechanical
conveyor with a pneumatic pipeline. Mechanical devices have the ability to
move the ash "uphill" to the top of a storage silo.