Coal Bin Design for an EFM

 
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coalkirk
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Post by coalkirk » Wed. Jan. 31, 2018 7:29 pm

The wind shifted overnight to the north so the heat plume from Stokerdons boiler farm went the other way and allowed the ground here to freeze. 😜


 
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Wed. Jan. 31, 2018 8:54 pm

coalkirk wrote:
Wed. Jan. 31, 2018 7:29 pm
The wind shifted overnight to the north so the heat plume from Stokerdons boiler farm went the other way and allowed the ground here to freeze. 😜
The wind did actually shift from the normal ,which is WNW... it shifted to the WSW...

That sure answers the question as to why it was the same temp there as it was here this AM. :)

 
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Post by coalkirk » Mon. Sep. 23, 2019 10:05 am

I'm reviving this thread and updating it with a problem I just encountered. Long story short, I went to get coal the other day and my local dealer that sells bulk Lehigh was almost out of rice. In hind sight I should have just waited until he got a new load but I had taken the day off from work to do it so I took what they had, 3.5 tons. The bins have nice concrete floors but apparently there were rocks in the bottom too. While unloading the coal as it was sliding out the back of my trailer into the grain auger hopper I saw a few rocks. I was able to grab several but at least one made it past and into the auger and bin. Now I've got a time bomb that will break a shear pin and bring me to a standstill. I've come up with a way to run the coal through a screen for NEXT year but I've got to play the hand I was dealt this year. So I'm not going to put anymore coal in the bin until I can empty it. The plan for this year is wait until the rock breaks the shear pin, then I will disconnect the bin auger and use the 55 gallon drum I started with using only the small auger. I will rig a vacuum system to load the drum. At least I'll be warm.

 
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Post by McGiever » Mon. Sep. 23, 2019 10:24 am

Must be prettyvdifficult to replace that shear pin, then???

 
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Post by coalkirk » Mon. Sep. 23, 2019 10:55 am

No It's very easy and I've got a whole pack of them but I imagine once the rock gets into the EFM bin worm it will keep breaking them. I'm in uncharted territory for me on this so I'll just have to see what happens.

 
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Post by Pacowy » Mon. Sep. 23, 2019 11:35 am

Remember the additional possibility that foreign objects can interfere with the flow of coal to the auger without breaking the shear pin. Given the likelihood that whatever bad things are going to happen will occur during the portion of the heating season when you are burning the most coal (it's not paranoia if it's a mathematical fact :clap: ), would it make sense to bite the bullet and set up the drum w/small auger now so that you can screen this year's load before a breakdown occurs?

Mike

 
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Post by CoalJockey » Mon. Sep. 23, 2019 5:40 pm

CK I’m sure you already are figuring on finding a new dealer. This is in no way an advertisement for myself, as I am nowhere near you, but I would close the doors here before I would try to load coal off a gravel parking lot. It probably has a boatload if fines in it too as a result.

I used to think that my dad was too fussy and particular around here by constantly sweeping the fines off the blacktop as we load. Every so often I get a stern reminder of why we do things the way we do here.


 
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Post by CapeCoaler » Mon. Sep. 23, 2019 10:17 pm

Concrete bottoms on the bin I get coal from...
I'll burn the dregs of the bin because I have a hand fed with a hopper...
I hate it when people bust up the nut coal by walking or driving up on it...

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Tue. Sep. 24, 2019 5:30 am

Guys he said it had a concrete floor, so idk how or why the stones in it? Tracked in on the tires of the equipment maybe?

 
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Post by CoalJockey » Tue. Sep. 24, 2019 6:28 am

On re-reading it you are right, HB. My apologies for the misunderstanding.

With that being said, rocks and prepared coal are still words that should never be in the same sentence together.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Tue. Sep. 24, 2019 6:40 am

coalkirk wrote:
Mon. Sep. 23, 2019 10:05 am
I'm reviving this thread and updating it with a problem I just encountered. Long story short, I went to get coal the other day and my local dealer that sells bulk Lehigh was almost out of rice. In hind sight I should have just waited until he got a new load but I had taken the day off from work to do it so I took what they had, 3.5 tons. The bins have nice concrete floors but apparently there were rocks in the bottom too. While unloading the coal as it was sliding out the back of my trailer into the grain auger hopper I saw a few rocks. I was able to grab several but at least one made it past and into the auger and bin. Now I've got a time bomb that will break a shear pin and bring me to a standstill. I've come up with a way to run the coal through a screen for NEXT year but I've got to play the hand I was dealt this year. So I'm not going to put anymore coal in the bin until I can empty it. The plan for this year is wait until the rock breaks the shear pin, then I will disconnect the bin auger and use the 55 gallon drum I started with using only the small auger. I will rig a vacuum system to load the drum. At least I'll be warm.
I take it that your bin does not have an access door at the bottom?

depending on the size and shape or the rock it may or may not get grabbed by the auger. Most of the oversize stuff I have found in my coal just collects around the mouth of the auger and stays there.

 
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Post by coalkirk » Tue. Sep. 24, 2019 8:41 am

Correct, my bin does not have an access door at the bottom. Yes I suppose its possible that this rock will not be picked up by the auger. Only time will tell. I just don't want to dump another 3 tons on top of what is in there incase it does get picked up. I screwed up and now I'll just have to wait to see what it costs me. I will probably get another 3 tons and park the trailer by my bin feed over the winter. Once I get to the bottom of the bin, one way or the other, I'll be ready to reload. My wife will hate it but she likes being warm. This will be in the view out of her women cave windows.
I'm going to experiment screening rice coal with various size materials. I suspect hardware cloth will be too small. Poultry fence is probably too big. I need something that will not slow the flow too much when unloading.

 
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Post by McGiever » Tue. Sep. 24, 2019 1:06 pm

Hardware cloth comes in many sizes, rice can surely pass thru a couple sizes of it...the real question is, what size rock can the auger tolerate?

 
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Post by Pacowy » Tue. Sep. 24, 2019 1:37 pm

I'm guessing 1/2" cloth would let the rice through while catching stuff that the auger wouldn't like.

Mike

 
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Post by CapeCoaler » Fri. Sep. 27, 2019 11:46 pm

Make a funnel...
Large area of screen with a high 3 sides...
Pitch screen on a 45* angle to the open side...
Open side 90* to flow...
Funnel below back to desired chute size...


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