CA1134398A - Method of peathandling - Google Patents
Method of peathandlingInfo
- Publication number
- CA1134398A CA1134398A CA000326121A CA326121A CA1134398A CA 1134398 A CA1134398 A CA 1134398A CA 000326121 A CA000326121 A CA 000326121A CA 326121 A CA326121 A CA 326121A CA 1134398 A CA1134398 A CA 1134398A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- peat
- digging
- peatland
- stack
- area
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
- E21C—MINING OR QUARRYING
- E21C49/00—Obtaining peat; Machines therefor
- E21C49/02—Obtaining peat; Machines therefor by excavating
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A method of handling peat from preferably drained peatland by using a machine for digging the peat out of the peatland. This method is characterized in that the peat thus digged by the machine is disintegrated and graded for removing from it at least such accompanying material, which is not combustible, as for example stones, in direct connection to the machine, and the disintegrated material not having been removed is transported from the digging area and stored in stacks.
A method of handling peat from preferably drained peatland by using a machine for digging the peat out of the peatland. This method is characterized in that the peat thus digged by the machine is disintegrated and graded for removing from it at least such accompanying material, which is not combustible, as for example stones, in direct connection to the machine, and the disintegrated material not having been removed is transported from the digging area and stored in stacks.
Description
l343~
This lnvention relates to a method of peat harvesting from peatland.
Peat has been and still is used as fuel in many countries, but only to a very limited extent in relation to the large peat deposits found all over the world. According to certain preli.minary investigations, the deposi-ts in Sweden alone have a heat value corresponding to about 3 billion tons of oil.
The reason of the limited utilization of peat as fuel is, -that the digging and handling methods known so far do not render peat competitive with conventional fuels, especially with oil.
If, however:, -the oil continues to rise, peat in the ~elief of many will become competi.ti.ve wit~ oi.l even when peat is harvestad in the way as to-dav ~racticed predominatly in peat-digging ~:
countr.ies.
lhe said known method briefly comprises the steps of draining by ditching the peatland and grading its surface, removing stumps and trees, tilling the peatland across the entire graded area with a rotarv -t-i.ller to a depth of some centimeters, whereafter the tilled Peat laver is left to dry in the sun and, ` .
, 9~3~3~
This lnvention relates to a method of peat harvesting from peatland.
Peat has been and still is used as fuel in many countries, but only to a very limited extent in relation to the large peat deposits found all over the world. According to certain preli.minary investigations, the deposi-ts in Sweden alone have a heat value corresponding to about 3 billion tons of oil.
The reason of the limited utilization of peat as fuel is, -that the digging and handling methods known so far do not render peat competitive with conventional fuels, especially with oil.
If, however:, -the oil continues to rise, peat in the ~elief of many will become competi.ti.ve wit~ oi.l even when peat is harvestad in the way as to-dav ~racticed predominatly in peat-digging ~:
countr.ies.
lhe said known method briefly comprises the steps of draining by ditching the peatland and grading its surface, removing stumps and trees, tilling the peatland across the entire graded area with a rotarv -t-i.ller to a depth of some centimeters, whereafter the tilled Peat laver is left to dry in the sun and, ` .
, 9~3~3~
2--for accelerating the drying, is turned several times. After drvina, the tilled peat is scraped together to windrows and loaded on trac]ced dumpers or rail-bound carriages, which carry the peat onto fi.rm ~round where the peat is reloaded on trucks or railroad-~agons for transport to the Z?lace of consumption.
These steps~ viz. in due order tilling, drving and turning, scraving and transporting from the dig~ing area, are under favourable weather conditions repeated ten to fifteen times per year. Thus, at a mean peat depth of 2 m for the entire di~ging area, it takes at least ten years until the peatland is fully utilized. First thereafter the restoring work can be started for preparing the peatland for another production, for example to plant so-called energy-production forest thereon.
For bein~, applied efficientlv~ the known peat-digging method, which generally is called till-peat method, requires firstly a) very large coherent plane areas of peatland b) un;form carrvin~ capacity across the entire planned digging area c) absence of stumps, stones and the like, and d) a peat de~th of at least 1.5 m across the enti~e digging area.
The numher of peatlands suitable to be harvested is substanti-all~J reduced by these requirements. When these peatlands, besides, are reauired to be located near the consumption place, not manv nZeatlands of the suitable ones are left. As an example can be ment;oned, that for harvesting lS0 000 tons of peat with a . .
~3~3~8 moisture content of 50%, an area of 500 to 1500 hectares is required, depending on ~eat-her and peat depth.
The sai.d kno~n method, secondly~ reauires above a:ll very favour- :
able weather conditions during the short period free o.~ snow at which the peat-digging method can be appli.ed at al:L. As the weather cannot be influenced~ i.t is easily understood that this method has a great disadvantage in being dependent on the -weather and permitting digging only during a very limited period of the vear,.and even this period being interrupted by longer or shorter periods of rain.
The tilling of a new layer, practicall~.~, can be started first after the tilled peat has dried and been removed from the digging area.
The present invention, therefore, has the object to provide a method of handling or digging peat from peatland which permits substantially all existing peatlands exceeding, for example, 20 hec-tares to be harvested economically, which further permits harvesting to take place substantiallv all the year, independ-ently of weather,so that investments iTI machines are better utilized and vari.ations in labour demand are reduced, and which, ~inally, nermits peat to be harvested to a great depth all at one -time, irrespective of variations in the peat layer thickness, -~
therebv rendering possible harvesting also in cavities and depressions in the ground, so that a greater proportion of the peatland can be harvested and quicklv be restored for preparing another productlon, for example thP planting of energy-producing forest.
~:
- - - . , - - . , . . -:
:, - ~ :-L343~8 A method in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of digging the peat from a digging area of the peatland to a maximum depth of the peatland at one time with a mobile digging machine, discharging the dug peat directly from the digging machine to a disintegrating and separating apparatus which is connected to the digging machine for following -the movement of the latter, continu-ously disintegrating the peat and separating at least some of the inherently present non combustible material from the peat, as it is dug, in said apparatus, discharging the disintegrated peat from the separating step continuously to an endless conveyor system which is adjustable as to its length, and continuously conveying the peat with the conveyor system to a storage area outside of the drained peatland and depositing the peat at the storage area in at least one stack.
The invention is described in greater detail in the following, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a schematic key view of a peat-digging area prepared for applying the method according to the invention' Fig. 2 shows in greater detail devices and machines re~uired for carryin~ out an embodiment of the method according to the invention' FigO 3 is a schematic later,l view of a means for :;
, ~.i ' ..: !. . . ~
,, ' ,,, ~'~3~L3~ ~
- 4a -transporting peat from the place of digging to a place of stacking, Fig. 4 is a schematic lateral view of a peat stacker, and Fig. 5 is a section through a stack of raw peat.
In Fig. 1 a peatland Located adjacent a road 1 is prepared for digging after a digging plan established after a survey of the peatland with respect to draining possibilities, peat depth and extension. According to this plan, the preparatory w~rk for the digging proper is carried out which comprises cleaning of the area from possible forest within the indicated cleaning boundary 2.
Long stems nct utilized for timber, and pulp wood are cross~
cut to lengths of at maximum 3 m and, when desired, can be left on the mire within the digging boundary 3 indicated in said plan. The peatland is drained by ditches 4, which are connected to one or several trunk drains 5 with such slope, that the ground water level by self-drainage can lower itself ~'': , .:
I~9 ' i: ,: ~ - ; " , ,.~ . . , . ~, . :: ., .... . ;. : - : - ~:
~ ~3~
somewhat below the lowest level, to wh.ich the peat can be excav-ated. The peatland thus prepared then is leEt for selE-drainage until the ground water level has reach-d the level desired.
Lhis may go on ~or one to three vears, dependin~ on weather and wi.nd and other ci.rcumstan.ces. Th1s preparatory work can be carri.ed out with any conventional equipment.
For carrvlng out the method according to the invention, it is further nec~ssary to prepare a stacking place 6 on firm ground in connection to the dig~ing area, on which ground excavated peat can be stacked, and further a peat excavator, for example a conventional tracked excavator 7 with a bucket of extra great width 8 (Flg. 2), ~hich preferably perm;ts water to flow out therefrom, lor excavatine~ peat, a means g for conveying excav-ated peat from the excavator 7 to the stack;ng place 6, a stacker 10~ an apparatus 11 disposed between the excavator 7 arld the stacker 10 for cutting-up the raw peat, and a certain eguipment 12 for brea~ing-up the stacks, possibly by layers.
Said cutting-up apparatus 11, wlhich in Figs. 1 and 2 is shown tracked and coupled directly to the excavator 7 to accompany ~.
the same, i.5 provided with a feed bi.n and compr.i.ses, besides the means Eor cutting-up the peat, means capable to either d;si.nte~ra-te or separate stumps, underwood or other tree parts ::
and s~ones, and a means ~or delivering in portions the cut-up peat and, where appropriate, disintegrated tree parts to the conveving means 9.
lhe said convevor brieflv comprises an endless conveying belt ~L3~398 20, which extends between the excavator or the cutting-up means 11 coupled thereto and a terminal 17. The conveyor preferably is controlled via the excavator. The upper load-carrying strand of the belt is susp~nded ;.n a manller substanti.ally tube- and/or groove~shaped in pairs of support rol:Lers 13, which are carried by a suPport wire 14,and by pairs o~ support rollers 13a~ some of ~hich are suspended on poles 15 positioned in a spaced relation-ship of, for example, 100 m to each other. Said poles carry said supporti.ng wire and are mounted, pre~erably rotatably,, on movable sleds 16, while the lower strand of the conveying belt runs in spread state on support rolls located on`the poles 15. The conveyor is arranged to extend from the place where the excavation is to be started past the stacking place into a cleaned wire-routel~, when such is required, where the terminal 17 is located. The terminal is equipped with an autom-atic support wire and belt stretching device 19, the stroke length of which may be up to at least 20 to 30 m.
The excavation proper of the peat preferably is started from the mire parts located farthest away from the stacking place 6 and is carried out, as already mentioned, by the excavator to the maximum possible depth and in turns, which gradual:Ly approach the stacki.ng place 6. The excavated wet peat, possibly with wood material, is fed into the spaceous feed bin of the cutting-up apparatus and i.n cut-up state discharged in suitable amounts from the batching means onto the conveying belt 20.
The di.stance between the excavation place and the stacking place 6 decredses with continui.ng excavation, and accordingly also the length of the convevor 9 is shortened by the automatic ~.: : ~ . , .:
_7_ ~3~3~
stretching device l9, which also permits the excavator 7 to move within a relatively large area withou-t requiring poles 15 to be appreciably moved after~ When the distance to the pole loca-ted closest to the excavator becomes too short, this pole and possibly one more are moved a-fter and, if necessary, the entire conveyor 9 is moved a~ter and into the wire-route 18.
The Cllt-Up raw peat is transported by the conveyor 9 to the stackin~ place 6 where a movable unloading arrangement 21 ii provided alon~ the conveyor 9 to transfer the cut-up raw peat from the conveyor 9 to the stacker 10, which stacks the raw peat -to high stacks 22 with sloping sides for free drying.
The stacker used may be a conveyor of the same type as the feed conv yor shown and is supported at its end on a liftable and lowerable extension arm 24 mounted on a wheel-stand 23, ~ -which is mov,~ble in all directions. Depending on the distance to the stack, one or more poles can be arranged between the wheel-stand 23 and the unloadin~ arrangement 21 to carry the convevor, i.e. the support wire 25 and the conveyor belt 26, even over already existing peat stacks, when so is re~uired.
The stacker 10 also shall be equi~ped with a means ~or stretching the support wlre and belt, though such stre~cher is not shown in detail in the drawings.
The stacks are built-up in lavers to the shape and height desired.
Their width or diameter tapers toward their top for obtaining slopin~ si;de sur~aces. The stacks can be given any shape, in-, . ~ i i~ ; .: : ;
~343~8 ~3 , clusive of both conical and pyramidal shape, thou~h the st~cks shown in the clrawings have oblong" straight or arched shape.
Th;s shape is obtained when the discharge end of the stacker is offset laterally first in one direction for 'la~ing one layer and then i,n the opposite direction for laying the next layer, and so on until full height is obtained. Each stack of raw peat should be placed on a bed o~ ` sand or other material, which prevents moisture migration from the 90il to the stack, but Permits water to pass through in the opposite directiorl 9 if the soil per se has no such properties. Generally, the soil about and possibly beneath every stack should be drained, so that water from the stacked ~eat as well as surface water always ra~idly is conducted away from the stacking place 6, especially ;n the autumn and spring.
Every stack, as already mentioned, is built-up in layers with a thickness of one to three meters, for example two meters.
This layer-structure a.o. has the effect that the water bound lowermost ;n the stack of raw peat can escape before the next layer is la;d. It also ;s possible to place drainage strips 23 between each peat layer. These strips extend through the ent;re stack in the layer ;n question, e;ther horizontally or incl;ned downward to one and/or the o~ther stack s;de1 and they preferably ' are laid so that the strips in one layer are located between the strips in ad~acent layers. These drainage strips~ wh;ch should project sl;ghtly from the stack s;des, facilitate and accelerate efficiently the stack draina~e, i.e. the water flow from the inner parts of the stack by gravity, which increases wi,th the stack height. The dry;n~ is promoted substantially ..
~3~3~
g by great stack height~ not only because of their large exposed Peat surfaces, but also due to the speed of the ai.r stream arising along the stack sides and increasing with the stack height, whi.ch results in an efficient ~nd contlnuouo ventilation of the surface layer of the stack even at low wind velocities.
lhis also ensures forced drying of the peat in the surface layers of the stack during all times of the year when free drying is possible. At evaporation from the stack surfaces said air streams are directed downward due to temperature drop, and at strong sun radiation the air streams are directed upward due to the heating of the stack surfaces.
When one stack has been built-up to desired height~ the assembly of the next stack is started immediately at necessary distance from the completed stack, which remains undisturbed for some ti.me ;.n order to dry. Due to the fact, that according to the invention the raw peat is stacked directly after the excavation, the excavation can take place independently of the weather and all the year around, i.e. also in wintertime. At this time, besides, the peatland ha.s a higher bearing capacity due to frost, which normally does not reach down farther than to two to follr decimeters~ not even in the northern parts of the countrv, because of the insulating~ properties of the snow. For digging ~eat in wintertlme, the eauipment must be completed bv a snow 5 linger for removing snow as -the digging proceeds.
he method according to the present invention implies many advantages. It permits to harvest large and small peatlands ,: ,,, , : . ::: : . .. .~ , -10- ~3~3~38 all the vear around, irrespective of weather and wind, and to a great de?th a:L1 at one time, even at verying peat depths within the area. The diggin~ can be adjusted to profile of the Peat-moor bottom. The preparatory work before digging i9 reduced to a minimum, investments made in machines are better ut;lized and~ above, all the digging costs per unit are sub-stantiallv lower than at conventional digging miethods. Owing to the concentrated digging to great depth according to the inventîon, it also is possible to very quickly restore the diggin~ area and convert it into a productive ground, thereby reducing the nature conservancy problems possibly arising.
The present invention is not restricted to what is described above and shown in the drawings, but can be altered and modified in many different ways within the scope of the invention idea set forth in the attached claims.
.:............... . ::
These steps~ viz. in due order tilling, drving and turning, scraving and transporting from the dig~ing area, are under favourable weather conditions repeated ten to fifteen times per year. Thus, at a mean peat depth of 2 m for the entire di~ging area, it takes at least ten years until the peatland is fully utilized. First thereafter the restoring work can be started for preparing the peatland for another production, for example to plant so-called energy-production forest thereon.
For bein~, applied efficientlv~ the known peat-digging method, which generally is called till-peat method, requires firstly a) very large coherent plane areas of peatland b) un;form carrvin~ capacity across the entire planned digging area c) absence of stumps, stones and the like, and d) a peat de~th of at least 1.5 m across the enti~e digging area.
The numher of peatlands suitable to be harvested is substanti-all~J reduced by these requirements. When these peatlands, besides, are reauired to be located near the consumption place, not manv nZeatlands of the suitable ones are left. As an example can be ment;oned, that for harvesting lS0 000 tons of peat with a . .
~3~3~8 moisture content of 50%, an area of 500 to 1500 hectares is required, depending on ~eat-her and peat depth.
The sai.d kno~n method, secondly~ reauires above a:ll very favour- :
able weather conditions during the short period free o.~ snow at which the peat-digging method can be appli.ed at al:L. As the weather cannot be influenced~ i.t is easily understood that this method has a great disadvantage in being dependent on the -weather and permitting digging only during a very limited period of the vear,.and even this period being interrupted by longer or shorter periods of rain.
The tilling of a new layer, practicall~.~, can be started first after the tilled peat has dried and been removed from the digging area.
The present invention, therefore, has the object to provide a method of handling or digging peat from peatland which permits substantially all existing peatlands exceeding, for example, 20 hec-tares to be harvested economically, which further permits harvesting to take place substantiallv all the year, independ-ently of weather,so that investments iTI machines are better utilized and vari.ations in labour demand are reduced, and which, ~inally, nermits peat to be harvested to a great depth all at one -time, irrespective of variations in the peat layer thickness, -~
therebv rendering possible harvesting also in cavities and depressions in the ground, so that a greater proportion of the peatland can be harvested and quicklv be restored for preparing another productlon, for example thP planting of energy-producing forest.
~:
- - - . , - - . , . . -:
:, - ~ :-L343~8 A method in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of digging the peat from a digging area of the peatland to a maximum depth of the peatland at one time with a mobile digging machine, discharging the dug peat directly from the digging machine to a disintegrating and separating apparatus which is connected to the digging machine for following -the movement of the latter, continu-ously disintegrating the peat and separating at least some of the inherently present non combustible material from the peat, as it is dug, in said apparatus, discharging the disintegrated peat from the separating step continuously to an endless conveyor system which is adjustable as to its length, and continuously conveying the peat with the conveyor system to a storage area outside of the drained peatland and depositing the peat at the storage area in at least one stack.
The invention is described in greater detail in the following, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a schematic key view of a peat-digging area prepared for applying the method according to the invention' Fig. 2 shows in greater detail devices and machines re~uired for carryin~ out an embodiment of the method according to the invention' FigO 3 is a schematic later,l view of a means for :;
, ~.i ' ..: !. . . ~
,, ' ,,, ~'~3~L3~ ~
- 4a -transporting peat from the place of digging to a place of stacking, Fig. 4 is a schematic lateral view of a peat stacker, and Fig. 5 is a section through a stack of raw peat.
In Fig. 1 a peatland Located adjacent a road 1 is prepared for digging after a digging plan established after a survey of the peatland with respect to draining possibilities, peat depth and extension. According to this plan, the preparatory w~rk for the digging proper is carried out which comprises cleaning of the area from possible forest within the indicated cleaning boundary 2.
Long stems nct utilized for timber, and pulp wood are cross~
cut to lengths of at maximum 3 m and, when desired, can be left on the mire within the digging boundary 3 indicated in said plan. The peatland is drained by ditches 4, which are connected to one or several trunk drains 5 with such slope, that the ground water level by self-drainage can lower itself ~'': , .:
I~9 ' i: ,: ~ - ; " , ,.~ . . , . ~, . :: ., .... . ;. : - : - ~:
~ ~3~
somewhat below the lowest level, to wh.ich the peat can be excav-ated. The peatland thus prepared then is leEt for selE-drainage until the ground water level has reach-d the level desired.
Lhis may go on ~or one to three vears, dependin~ on weather and wi.nd and other ci.rcumstan.ces. Th1s preparatory work can be carri.ed out with any conventional equipment.
For carrvlng out the method according to the invention, it is further nec~ssary to prepare a stacking place 6 on firm ground in connection to the dig~ing area, on which ground excavated peat can be stacked, and further a peat excavator, for example a conventional tracked excavator 7 with a bucket of extra great width 8 (Flg. 2), ~hich preferably perm;ts water to flow out therefrom, lor excavatine~ peat, a means g for conveying excav-ated peat from the excavator 7 to the stack;ng place 6, a stacker 10~ an apparatus 11 disposed between the excavator 7 arld the stacker 10 for cutting-up the raw peat, and a certain eguipment 12 for brea~ing-up the stacks, possibly by layers.
Said cutting-up apparatus 11, wlhich in Figs. 1 and 2 is shown tracked and coupled directly to the excavator 7 to accompany ~.
the same, i.5 provided with a feed bi.n and compr.i.ses, besides the means Eor cutting-up the peat, means capable to either d;si.nte~ra-te or separate stumps, underwood or other tree parts ::
and s~ones, and a means ~or delivering in portions the cut-up peat and, where appropriate, disintegrated tree parts to the conveving means 9.
lhe said convevor brieflv comprises an endless conveying belt ~L3~398 20, which extends between the excavator or the cutting-up means 11 coupled thereto and a terminal 17. The conveyor preferably is controlled via the excavator. The upper load-carrying strand of the belt is susp~nded ;.n a manller substanti.ally tube- and/or groove~shaped in pairs of support rol:Lers 13, which are carried by a suPport wire 14,and by pairs o~ support rollers 13a~ some of ~hich are suspended on poles 15 positioned in a spaced relation-ship of, for example, 100 m to each other. Said poles carry said supporti.ng wire and are mounted, pre~erably rotatably,, on movable sleds 16, while the lower strand of the conveying belt runs in spread state on support rolls located on`the poles 15. The conveyor is arranged to extend from the place where the excavation is to be started past the stacking place into a cleaned wire-routel~, when such is required, where the terminal 17 is located. The terminal is equipped with an autom-atic support wire and belt stretching device 19, the stroke length of which may be up to at least 20 to 30 m.
The excavation proper of the peat preferably is started from the mire parts located farthest away from the stacking place 6 and is carried out, as already mentioned, by the excavator to the maximum possible depth and in turns, which gradual:Ly approach the stacki.ng place 6. The excavated wet peat, possibly with wood material, is fed into the spaceous feed bin of the cutting-up apparatus and i.n cut-up state discharged in suitable amounts from the batching means onto the conveying belt 20.
The di.stance between the excavation place and the stacking place 6 decredses with continui.ng excavation, and accordingly also the length of the convevor 9 is shortened by the automatic ~.: : ~ . , .:
_7_ ~3~3~
stretching device l9, which also permits the excavator 7 to move within a relatively large area withou-t requiring poles 15 to be appreciably moved after~ When the distance to the pole loca-ted closest to the excavator becomes too short, this pole and possibly one more are moved a-fter and, if necessary, the entire conveyor 9 is moved a~ter and into the wire-route 18.
The Cllt-Up raw peat is transported by the conveyor 9 to the stackin~ place 6 where a movable unloading arrangement 21 ii provided alon~ the conveyor 9 to transfer the cut-up raw peat from the conveyor 9 to the stacker 10, which stacks the raw peat -to high stacks 22 with sloping sides for free drying.
The stacker used may be a conveyor of the same type as the feed conv yor shown and is supported at its end on a liftable and lowerable extension arm 24 mounted on a wheel-stand 23, ~ -which is mov,~ble in all directions. Depending on the distance to the stack, one or more poles can be arranged between the wheel-stand 23 and the unloadin~ arrangement 21 to carry the convevor, i.e. the support wire 25 and the conveyor belt 26, even over already existing peat stacks, when so is re~uired.
The stacker 10 also shall be equi~ped with a means ~or stretching the support wlre and belt, though such stre~cher is not shown in detail in the drawings.
The stacks are built-up in lavers to the shape and height desired.
Their width or diameter tapers toward their top for obtaining slopin~ si;de sur~aces. The stacks can be given any shape, in-, . ~ i i~ ; .: : ;
~343~8 ~3 , clusive of both conical and pyramidal shape, thou~h the st~cks shown in the clrawings have oblong" straight or arched shape.
Th;s shape is obtained when the discharge end of the stacker is offset laterally first in one direction for 'la~ing one layer and then i,n the opposite direction for laying the next layer, and so on until full height is obtained. Each stack of raw peat should be placed on a bed o~ ` sand or other material, which prevents moisture migration from the 90il to the stack, but Permits water to pass through in the opposite directiorl 9 if the soil per se has no such properties. Generally, the soil about and possibly beneath every stack should be drained, so that water from the stacked ~eat as well as surface water always ra~idly is conducted away from the stacking place 6, especially ;n the autumn and spring.
Every stack, as already mentioned, is built-up in layers with a thickness of one to three meters, for example two meters.
This layer-structure a.o. has the effect that the water bound lowermost ;n the stack of raw peat can escape before the next layer is la;d. It also ;s possible to place drainage strips 23 between each peat layer. These strips extend through the ent;re stack in the layer ;n question, e;ther horizontally or incl;ned downward to one and/or the o~ther stack s;de1 and they preferably ' are laid so that the strips in one layer are located between the strips in ad~acent layers. These drainage strips~ wh;ch should project sl;ghtly from the stack s;des, facilitate and accelerate efficiently the stack draina~e, i.e. the water flow from the inner parts of the stack by gravity, which increases wi,th the stack height. The dry;n~ is promoted substantially ..
~3~3~
g by great stack height~ not only because of their large exposed Peat surfaces, but also due to the speed of the ai.r stream arising along the stack sides and increasing with the stack height, whi.ch results in an efficient ~nd contlnuouo ventilation of the surface layer of the stack even at low wind velocities.
lhis also ensures forced drying of the peat in the surface layers of the stack during all times of the year when free drying is possible. At evaporation from the stack surfaces said air streams are directed downward due to temperature drop, and at strong sun radiation the air streams are directed upward due to the heating of the stack surfaces.
When one stack has been built-up to desired height~ the assembly of the next stack is started immediately at necessary distance from the completed stack, which remains undisturbed for some ti.me ;.n order to dry. Due to the fact, that according to the invention the raw peat is stacked directly after the excavation, the excavation can take place independently of the weather and all the year around, i.e. also in wintertime. At this time, besides, the peatland ha.s a higher bearing capacity due to frost, which normally does not reach down farther than to two to follr decimeters~ not even in the northern parts of the countrv, because of the insulating~ properties of the snow. For digging ~eat in wintertlme, the eauipment must be completed bv a snow 5 linger for removing snow as -the digging proceeds.
he method according to the present invention implies many advantages. It permits to harvest large and small peatlands ,: ,,, , : . ::: : . .. .~ , -10- ~3~3~38 all the vear around, irrespective of weather and wind, and to a great de?th a:L1 at one time, even at verying peat depths within the area. The diggin~ can be adjusted to profile of the Peat-moor bottom. The preparatory work before digging i9 reduced to a minimum, investments made in machines are better ut;lized and~ above, all the digging costs per unit are sub-stantiallv lower than at conventional digging miethods. Owing to the concentrated digging to great depth according to the inventîon, it also is possible to very quickly restore the diggin~ area and convert it into a productive ground, thereby reducing the nature conservancy problems possibly arising.
The present invention is not restricted to what is described above and shown in the drawings, but can be altered and modified in many different ways within the scope of the invention idea set forth in the attached claims.
.:............... . ::
Claims (3)
1. A method of harvesting peat from drained peatland comprising:
digging peat from a digging area of the peatland to maximum depth of the peatland at one time with a mobile digging machine, discharging the dug peat directly from the digging machine to a disintegrating and separating apparatus which is connected to the digging machine for following the movement of the latter, continuously disintegrating the peat and separating at least some of the inherently present non-combustible material from the peat, as it is dug, in said apparatus, discharging the disintegrated peat from the separating step continuously to an endless conveyor system which is adjust-able as to its length, continuously conveying the peat with said conveyor system to a storage area outside of the drained peatland and depositing the peat at the storage area in at least one stack.
digging peat from a digging area of the peatland to maximum depth of the peatland at one time with a mobile digging machine, discharging the dug peat directly from the digging machine to a disintegrating and separating apparatus which is connected to the digging machine for following the movement of the latter, continuously disintegrating the peat and separating at least some of the inherently present non-combustible material from the peat, as it is dug, in said apparatus, discharging the disintegrated peat from the separating step continuously to an endless conveyor system which is adjust-able as to its length, continuously conveying the peat with said conveyor system to a storage area outside of the drained peatland and depositing the peat at the storage area in at least one stack.
2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the stacking operation includes stacking the peat in transverse layers and placing drainage strips between adjacent layers.
3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the drainage strips are laid across the entire width of the respective layer at the same time as the layer structure of the stack is being built-up.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE7804685A SE440814B (en) | 1978-04-24 | 1978-04-24 | PROCEDURE FOR PREVENTION OF Peat |
| SE7804685-1 | 1978-04-24 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1134398A true CA1134398A (en) | 1982-10-26 |
Family
ID=20334726
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000326121A Expired CA1134398A (en) | 1978-04-24 | 1979-04-23 | Method of peathandling |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1134398A (en) |
| FI (1) | FI791313A (en) |
| SE (1) | SE440814B (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4759773A (en) * | 1986-03-10 | 1988-07-26 | A. Jalander Oy | Method of preventing energy loss, self-heating and self-ignition in peat stacks |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FI20095056A0 (en) * | 2009-01-23 | 2009-01-23 | Vapo Oy | Procedure for the manufacture of firewood |
-
1978
- 1978-04-24 SE SE7804685A patent/SE440814B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
1979
- 1979-04-23 CA CA000326121A patent/CA1134398A/en not_active Expired
- 1979-04-23 FI FI791313A patent/FI791313A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4759773A (en) * | 1986-03-10 | 1988-07-26 | A. Jalander Oy | Method of preventing energy loss, self-heating and self-ignition in peat stacks |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| SE440814B (en) | 1985-08-19 |
| FI791313A (en) | 1979-10-25 |
| SE7804685L (en) | 1979-10-25 |
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| MKEX | Expiry |