The Mechanical Handling and Storing of Material

COAL, COKE, AND ASH HANDLING PLANTS 637 Zimmer Conveyor for Feeding Boiler-Houses.—Fig. 891 shows a boiler- house installation in which a Zimmer patent conveyor is used for bringing the coal to the boiler-house, whilst a similar conveyor is used in a tunnel underneath for conveying away the ashes. Very frequently this conveyor is used in conjunction with automatic stokers. An interesting installation for feeding boiler-houses with small coal is shown in Fig. 892. The conveyor employed is the Zimmer conveyor, which receives its load from another conveyor of the same type running at right angles to it at the far end. The conveyor is fixed on the boiler-house roof, and the coal is delivered by shoots to the boiler-house floor. This installation is in use at the Shipley Collieries, Derby. A Typical Babcock & Wilcox Equipment of an Installation of Coal and Ash Bunkers and Stock Yard.—Fig. 893 represents an arrangement of outside coal storage with delivery into, and discharge from, the same, by means of a gravity Fig. 889. Coal-handling Plant at the United Tramway Power Station, Dublin. bucket conveyor, the discharge from the silo being into the overhead bunkers. This arrangement requires very little description, the drawing being self-explanatory. Briefly, however, it is as follows :— Coal is delivered from the trucks into a receiving hopper, fed into the conveyor by means of a rotary filler, and either delivered into the coal storage outside, or carried inwards and delivered into the overhead bunkers. Ashes can be taken from the basement under the boilers, and delivered into the ash bunker shown midway in the conveyor system. In discharging coal from the store, a series of valves are operated by levers, and allow the coal to flow by gravity into a travelling rotary filler, which serves all the openings. This filler supplies and regulates the coal to the conveyor, which rises, and passing horizontally, delivers into the overhead bunkers. A little study of the illustration will show the process clearly. Coal-handling Plant at the Avonbank Power Station, Bristol.—Figs. 894 and 895 show the general arrangement of this installation of the Bristol Corporation.