Ontario Power Station

Details

Description

One of Flexco Engineered Systems Group's Engineered transfer installations was in March, 2004 at Ontario Power's Lambton facility in Courtright, Ontario across the border from Port Huron, Michigan. The Lambton facility is a four unit power generating facility with each unit capable of 500 megawatts. The power is delivered to the Ontario power grid. This grid supplies Ontario customers as well as, on demand, other areas such as in Michigan and New York. This facility has a total of 48 conveyors feeding coal.

The Flexco Engineered chute was installed in the gallery. The gallery has six (6) bunkers for each of the four (4) units. There are a total of 32 conveyors in the gallery feeding coal. 100% of the coal consumed in the facility is transferred through this new Engineered transfer.

Objective

According to Dave Cushing, Site Project technician-Mechanical, the main driver for the controlled flow transfer was their concern about the respirable dust levels. Even though the current dust levels are acceptable, Ontario Power was concerned that future mandated levels would be lowered and that coal available in the future would have characteristics that would create more dust during its handling. With the existing transfers in need of repair or replacement due to wear after 36 years of use, a decision needed to be made on what direction to go.

Rather than repair/replace the current transfer and increase baffling, skirt board sealing systems, and the dust collection system with more, larger, and expensive components, one of their existing transfers was replaced by a Flexco Engineered Systems transfer.

The conveyor was shut down in early March for one week while the replacement was installed. The commissioning of the new transfer occurred immediately with all of the anticipated benefits.

Due to the engineered transfer design, the coal is being handled smoothly without the material turbulence and impact in the transfer chute or on the receiving belt. This has eliminated the effects caused by the degradation of the material in the old transfer.

Specific results include

• The transfer was commissioned from day one with the skirt board mounted at the transfer/receiving belt juncture, but without any sealing rubber installed. It was not needed because there was no spillage of material or visible or respirable dust generated at the transfer.
• At this transfer location, there are two identical conveyor systems each capable of conveying the 19,000 tons of coal per day (1000 tons per hour). Since the commissioning of this new transfer, the other conveyor has been run only a few hours because of the dramatically reduced clean up of spillage. Prior to the transfer installation, the spillage would reach 2-3 feet around the tail pulley and require 15 hours of cleanup every 12 days. Since the new transfer installation, a minor amount of clean up has occurred once. Assuming 15 hours of labor saved twice per month, Ontario Power is saving approximately $23,000 annually in clean up costs at this one transfer point alone.
• Ontario Power had independent readings taken of the respirable dust levels taken in Oct., 2003. They are in the process of collecting new respirable dust measurements for the environment with the Engineered transfer. While the numbers are not available for comparison, the apparent reduction in respirable dust levels has greatly reduced the need for respiratory aids. It is hoped that the measurements will also obviate any need of regulatory intervention either now or in the foreseeable future. The cost savings is difficult to quantify since it is cost avoidance. Not only is expensive capital equipment and associated maintenance cost avoided, but employee health and environmental problems are avoided. What price can be put on peoples' health and welfare?
• The reduction in respirable dust levels was achieved with no skirt board sealing rubber, and also with the dust collection system disconnected. While the direct maintenance cost savings are not significant, the need for the ducting, fan, motor, filters, etc. are no longer required. This eliminates the need for these components to take up space and be in the way of other operational needs, eliminates the need for maintenance and component repair and replacement, and the associated efforts to support those activities. Again, since this is one of ten (10) transfer locations in the gallery even relatively low costs and man-power requirements at each transfer add up to be significant for the facility.
• Other savings that are not documented at the Ontario Power facility are self evident since if the turbulence, spillage, and dust creation is reduced or eliminated, then there should be a reduction in other needed maintenance due to wear and failure, clearing clogged transfer chutes, belt damage and top cover wear, and undue power consumption.