GB2203968A

GB2203968A - Coal handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2203968A
Application number: GB08709965A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Edmond Joseph Stack
Original assignee: PARABEMA Co Ltd
Current assignee: PARABEMA Co Ltd
Priority date: 1987-04-28
Filing date: 1987-04-28
Publication date: 1988-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 2007-04-28
Also published as: BE1000102A7; GB2203968B; IE59608B1; IE871103L; GB8709965D0

Abstract

A coal handling apparatus (1) for a bagging plant (2) comprising a vibrating screen (4) for separating coal of different size grades. Undersize coal is delivered by a reject conveyor (6) to a storage area (16), and oversize coal is delivered by a bagging plant conveyor (7) to the bagging plant. The main advantage is that undersize coal is separated at an early stage, thus preventing handling problems such as clogging of screens, and reducing handling capacity requirements. <IMAGE>

Description

COAL HANDLING APPARATUS The present invention relates to a coal handling apparatus and in particular to a coal handling apparatus used with a bagging plant.

The handling of bulk coal in collieries and other large storage areas has been efficiently mechanised over the years. However, problems arise when handling coal for bagging plants which supply coal for domestic use. The major problem is to separate the larger lumps of coal from the smaller finer coal which is often sold as "slack". In most bagging plants the fines or slack is separated from the lumps of coal immediately prior to bagging which means that the slack has to be handled by the whole plant up until the last and final operation, namely, the bagging operation. In addition to being costly, this greatly reduces the through-put of the plant.

The present invention is directed towards providing an improved apparatus for the handling of coal for bagging plants.

According to the invention there is provided a coal handling apparatus for a bagging plant comprising: an input hopper; a vibrating screen fed from the input hopper; a collecting chute beneath the screen for the screen through-put coal; a reject conveyor mounted beneath the collecting chute for delivery of the screen through-put coal to a storage area; and a bagging plant conveyor for reception of the oversize coal from the screen and delivery toa bagging plant.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a side partially diagrammatic view of a coal handling apparatus according to the invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of portion of the apparatus, and Fig. 3 is an end view of the portion illustrated in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings there is illustrated a coal handling apparatus, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1, feeding a coal bagging plant 2. The coal bagging plant 2 is only illustrated in outline as it is of conventional construction and it is thus not described further. The coal handling apparatus 1 comprises an input hopper 3 feeding a vibrating screen 4 mounted beneath it.

A collecting chute 5 is in turn beneath the screen 4 for delivery of screen through-put coal to a reject conveyor 6. The vibrating screen 4 feeds oversize coal to a bagging plant conveyor 7 which in turn feeds the bagging plant 2. The coal handling apparatus 1 is an integral structure having a framework 8 on which is mounted the input hopper 3, vibrating screen 4, collecting chute 5 and the tail of both the reject conveyor q and the bagging plant conveyor 7. This framework 8 is mounted by means of wheels 9 on a ground engaging lower rail 10 while the bagging plant conveyor 7 is mounted by wheels 11 on an upper rail 12. It will be noted that the upper rail 12 is mounted above and adjacent the bagging plant 2- on a support framework 13. The rails 10 and 11 are parallel in this embodiment, are straight rails but could just as easily be curved.The reject conveyor 6 delivers over a retaining wall 15 to a storage area indicated generally by the reference numeral 16. The retaining wall 15 it should be noted is spaced apart from, and is parallel to, the lower rail 10.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3 the vibrating screen 4 is suspended by pivot arms 20 from the support framework 8 and is vibrated by a crank arm 21 connected between the screen 4 and a flywheel 22 driven by a Vee belt 23 from an electric motor 24. It will be noted that the vibrating screen 4 is inclined downwardly from the hopper 3 converging with the bagging plant conveyor 7 which rises upwardly towards the bagging plant. It will also be noted from Fig. 2 that the reject conveyor 6 extends upwardly from the collecting chute 5 and away from the bagging plant 2.

In use, a loading shovel or any other mechanical handling apparatus, for example another conveyor, delivers coal to the input hopper 3 from whence the coal is delivered onto the vibrating screen 4. The screen through-put coal is then delivered into the collecting chute 5 for subsequent removal by the reject conveyor 6 over the retaining wall 15 into the storage area 16 for subsequent removal. The oversize coal is carried along the bagging plant conveyor and delivered into the bagging plant 2. The coal handling apparatus 1 may be moved laterally relative to the bagging plant 2 along the rails 10 and 12.

On the face of it this would appear to be a relatively simple invention. However, the advantages of separating the coal in good time before it is fed to the coal bagging plant are somewhat better than one would expect.

Firstly, by virtue of separating the coal earlier the difficulties of handling undersize coal in the bagging plant are eliminated. Additionally because the coal is separated well before the bagging plant any difficulties that normally arise due to adverse conditions and clogging of screens etc., are eliminated except in the case of the input hopper where they are much more easily handled by maintenance crew. The invention greatly increases the efficiency of the bagging plant and reduces maintenance costs.

Claims

1. A coal handling apparatus for a bagging plant comprising: an input hopper; a vibrating screen fed from the input hopper; a collecting chute beneath the screen for the screen through-put coal; a reject conveyor mounted beneath the collecting chute for delivery of the screen through-put coal to a storage area: and a bagging plant conveyor for reception of the oversize coal from the screen and delivery to a bagging plant.

2. A coal handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which is integrally mounted on a framework movable on a pair of laterally spaced-apart rails namely an upper rail mounted above and adjacent the bagging plant and a ground engaging lower rail adjacent the input hopper.

3. A coal handling apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the rails are parallel.

4. A coal handling apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the rails are curved in plan.

5. A coal handling apparatus as claimed in any of claims 2to 4 in which a retaining wall is provided spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the lower rail and in which the reject conveyor projects over the wall.

6. A coal handling apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the bagging plant conveyor is inclined upwardly towards the bagging plant and the vibrating screen is inclined downwardly from the hopper, converging with the bagging plant conveyor.

7. A coal handling apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the reject conveyor inclines upwardly from the collecting chute and away from the bagging plant.

8. A coal handling apparatus for a bagging plant substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

9. A coal handling and bagging plant incorporating a coal handling apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim.