ASH HANDLING SYSTEM

Indian coal contains >30% of ash. The hourly

consumption of coal of a 200 MW unit is about 110 tons.
With this, the hourly production of ash will be 33 tons. Ash which was a
major environmental concern is fast becoming a useful resource,
promoting technological advancements in ash collection and storage
systems with in built facilities for bulk utilization applications as well as
meeting stricter environmental norms.

Method of Collection
Conveying
Pneumatic
Mechanical
Interim storage
Disposal of various types of ash residue

Bottom ash
Crushed in clinker grinder
Bed ash
Fly ash
Dust Collectors (Baghouse)
ESP
Ash Clinkers

Two types of AHP

• Dry ash system
From ESP hopper, etc to silos
• Ash slurry system
Ash from furnace bottom
Water impoundment at bottom
Scaper & Chain Conveyor
Clinker Grinder produces ash slurry

System Components
1.Air Intake
2. Fully Enclosed, Quick Acting, Swing Disc valve
3. Pipe Fittings with Replaceable, Reversible, Interchangeable
Wearbacks (550 BHN)
4. Paddle Type Ash Conditioning Unit
5.Abrasion Resistant centrifugally Cast
Conveyor Pipe
6. Silo Vent Filter
7.Centrifugal Receiver/Separator
8. Pulse Jet Bag Type Dust Collector
9.Continuous Ash Collecting Double Dump
Gates
10. Silo Relief Valve
11. Ash Storage Silo
12. Air Pipe
13. Fugitive Dust Filter
14. Telescopic Dry Unloader
15. Vacuum Breaker
16. Guard Filter
17. Mechanical Exhausters

Pressure Pneumatic Ash Handling Systems

For long distance conveyance

Upstream mechanical blower
Rotarty airlock feeders or double dump gate airlock valves
Abrasion resistant silo mounted target box

Advantages of Silo System

i) Commercial utilisation of ash in :
– Cement additives.
– Brick plants.
– Road making, etc.
ii) Saving of water – a precious commodity.
iii) Energy Efficient
iv) High reliability
v) Long Plant Life
vi) Least maintenance
vii) Environment concern:
When environmental protection and awareness is a major industrial
and social concern, Dense Phase pneumatic conveying, by totally
enclosed handling system, is particularly preferable
– All conventional problems of spillage, dust, contamination
and storage are efficiently and successfully eradicated.
– Plant housekeeping is greatly improved.

Case Study – Dadri

• STATION CAPACITY : 840 MW
• COAL CONSUMPTION : 3.66 Million T / Year
• ASH GENERATION : 1.5 Million T / Year
• ASH DISPOSAL : Dry Ash System
• DRY ASH SYSTEM : Vac. Extraction & Pr. Transportation
• WATER REQMT. FOR ASH CONDITIONING : 20 % by Weight
• ASH MOUND AREA : 375 acre

DRY ASH HANDLING SYSTEM AND ITS ADVANTAGES

1. LESS REQUIREMENT OF LAND

2. LESS WATER REQUIREMENT
3. ELIMINATES UNDERGROUND WATER AND SURROUNDING
WATER WAYS POLLUTION
4. FACILITATE LARGE SCALE UTILIZATION OF ASH
5. PROGRESSIVE RESTORATION OF ASH DISPOSAL SITE AS
USEFUL LAND

SALIENT FEATURES OF INSTALLED SYSTEM:

• Extraction & transportation of fly ash in complete dry form.
• System having provision to store selected grade of ash in separate
Silo (Silo-3).
• Complete re-circulation of water for Bottom Ash Handling System.
• Unloading & Transportation of conditioned ash from Silo’s &
decanted bottom ash from Hydrobins on to belt conveyor’s.
• Construction of Ash Mound in a systematic manner.

Two types of AHS

1 Dry Ash System - From ESP/APH hoppers to Silos through

Dry Ash Handling System

2 Bottom Ash Hoppers/Economizer Hoppers to Hydrobins

through Wet Ash Handling System – Finally sent to Ash Mound

THE ASH MOUND:

Out of 500 acres of land for the dry ash disposal system, ash mound
will spread over an area of 375 acres which will go up to a height of 55
meters with top most flat area of 140 acres. The maximum side slope
of ash mound will be 1:4 it will hold 53 million cubic meters of ash. Ash
mound system is designed for 25 years ash output of four 210 MW
units & one 500 MW unit.

The mound design covers stability, erosion and environmental

considerations of noise dust and waterborne pollution.

 ALTERNATIVES

 BOTTOM ASH SYSTEM

 FLY ASH SYSTEM

 SLURRY DISPOSAL AND ASH WATER RECOVERY SYSTEM

BOTTOM ASH HANDLING SYSTEM

Scrapper Chain and Belt Conveyor

FLY ASH HANDLING SYSTEM

Dense Phase Pressure type

ASH DISPOSAL SYSTEM

Lean Slurry Disposal System

Typ Bottom Ash System

Bottom Ash Hopper
Typ 4hr storage capacity
Scrapper Conveyor
Clinker Grinder
Single/Double roll
Crush <25mm
Rolls in Cast Chrome Vanadium-Molybdenum
Wear resistant steel
Belt Conveyor
Troughing angle typ 35deg
Speed 1m/sec
Bottom Ash Silo (12hr capacity)
Vibrating Feeder consists of vibrating frame, spring, vibrator,
motor vibrating device and motor
 Truck

Typ Fly Ash System

APH/ECO/ESP Hopper
Intermediate Surge Hopper
Vent Filter to discharge clean air
Transmitter Vessel
Pressure created
Fluidisation with air blower
Fly Ash Silo (~14 hr capacity)
Spout/Ash Conditioner
Ash feed rate from the ash storage silo is precisely
controlled
Water spray feed rate is adjusted by control valves.
Conveying action provided by the rotating paddles
provides continuous flow of uniformly mixed ash with no
excess water or dusting.
Closed/Open Truck
Telescope into inlet of container trucks thus reducing dust
nuisance
Fitted with level probe

Slurry Disposal & Ash Water Recovery

Silo
Slurry Pump
Settling Pond
Stilling Pond
HDPE Lining
70% water recovery
Slurry settles
Partial clear water to stilling pond
Stilling Pond
Remaining ash settles
Vertical Turbine Pump
Clariflocculator
Suspended particle limited to 20 ppm
Clear water to Ash Water Tank
Ash Water Tank

Ash Handling System

What is Ash?

• Ash is the residue remaining after the coal is incinerated.

Composition of ash handling system?

• SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO , MgO.

Why Ash Handling System is required?

• In Thermal Power Plant’s coal is generally used as fuel and hence the ash is
produced as the byproduct of Combustion. Ash generated in power plant is about
30-40% of total coal consumption and hence the system is required to handle Ash
for its proper utilization or disposal.

Ash terminology in power plants?

• Fly Ash ( Around 80% is the value of fly ash generated)

• Bottom ash (Bottom ash is 20% of the ash generated in coal based power stations.

What is fly ash?

• Ash generated in the ESP which got carried out with the flue gas is generally
called Fly ash. It also consists of Air pre heater ash & Economiser ash (it is about
2 % of the total ash content).

What is bottom ash?

• Ash generated below furnace of the steam generator is called the bottom ash.

Volume of ash and properties

System Description

The ash handling system handles the ash by bottom ash handling system, coarse ash
handling system, fly ash handling system, ash disposal system up to the ash disposal area
and water recovery system from ash pond and Bottom ash overflow. Description is as
follows:

1. A. Bottom Ash Handling System

Bottom ash resulting from the combustion of coal in the boiler shall fall into the over
ground, refractory lined, water impounded, maintained level, double V-Section type/ W
type steel- fabricated bottom ash hopper having a hold up volume to store bottom ash and
economizer ash of maximum allowable condition with the rate specified. The slurry
formed shall be transported to slurry sump through pipes.

1. B. Coarse Ash (Economizer Ash) handling System

Ash generated in Economizer hoppers shall be evacuated continuously through flushing

boxes. Continuous generated Economizer slurry shall be fed by gravity into respective
bottom ash hopper pipes with necessary slope.

1. C. Air Pre Heater ash handling system

Ash generated from APH hoppers shall be evacuated once in a shift by vacuum
conveying system connected with the ESP hopper vacuum conveying system.
 1. D. Fly Ash Handling System

Fly ash is considered to be collected in ESP Hoppers. Fly ash from ESP hoppers
extracted by Vacuum Pumps up to Intermediate Surge Hopper cum Bag Filter for further
Dry Conveying to fly ash silo.

Under each surge hopper ash vessels shall be connected with Oil free screw compressor
for conveying the fly ash from Intermediate Surge Hopper to silo. Total fly ash generated
from each unit will be conveyed through streams operating simultaneously and in
parallel.

1. E. Ash Slurry Disposal System

Bottom Ash slurry, Fly ash slurry and the Coarse Ash slurry shall be pumped from the
common ash slurry sump up to the dyke area which is located at a distance from Slurry
pump house.

Stats

 Hourly consumption of ash is 33 tons.

 The most common types of ash include bottom ash (30-40% in
FBC) and fly ash (60-70% in FBC) resulting from the combustion
 Less than 1% of ash produced
 65% of fly ash produced is disposed of in landfills and ash ponds
 Area under ash in India: 160 km2
 Fly Ash reuse:
 Bricks, Portland cement, Embankments and structural
fill,Stabilization of soft soils, etc.

ASH HANDLING

 Method of collection, conveying, interim storage and load out of

various types of ash residue
 Ash handling can be of two types
  Dry
 Wet
 Fly ash handling can either be dry or wet
 Bottom ash handling is generally wet until recently because of its
higher particle size (around 25 mm )
 Fly ash can either be fine or course
 Fine fly ash has particle size form 50 – 200 micron whereas
coarse fly ash has particle size greater than 200 micron .

WATER IMPOUNDED HOPPER

 Old process
 Huge water consumption
 Receives, quenches, stores crushes and remove bottom ash
 Ash is discharged once in 6 to 8 hours
 Clinker grinder is situated below it

BOTTOM ASH HANDLING-SSC

 SSC is placed beneath the furnace
 Slurry is taken up to a de-watering slope before discharging
 Water serves as cooling medium
 Water also acts as airlock for ash hoppers to avoid air to enter
the furnace
 Reduced water usage
 Reduced power consumption
 Reduced operational and maintenance cost

Dry bottom ash handling

 Water is not used
 Increased boiler efficiency
 Reduced impurities in stack
 Low maintenance cost and no water required

ADVANTAGES OF DRY HANDLING OVER SSC

Dilute Phase
 Both vacuum & pressure pneumatic systems
 High velocity
 low ash - to - air ratio
 Dense phase
 Pneumatic pressure system conveying dense ash
 Low velocity
 High ash concentration
 Less energy due to its smaller amount of conveying air

GENERAL DESIGN ASPECTS

 Boiler design and configuration
 Disposal conditions
 Water availability
 Type of coal
 Design capacity

Ash Disposal

S.I ALTERNATIV MERIT DEMERIT

. NO E S S
1. Lean Slurry • Silo • Large
Disposal area quantity
System(LSDS) layout of water
is required
simple • Civil cost
• Cheape is high
r
2. High • Less Requires
Concentration water more space
Slurry Disposal consum near silo
System(HCSDS) ption
• Less
disposa
l area
is
require
d

Advantages
 Ash spreads in layers enabling vertical filling, hence land
requirement is reduced.
 Pumping at higher concentration, hence low water consumption.
 Slurry flow rate is drastically reduced.
  Literally no water releases out, hence no water retaining dams or
recovery system is required.
 Reduced leaches at the ash disposal area.
 Lower operating power consumption.
 Lower velocity, hence longer life for pipe line.

ADVANTAGES OF SILO SYSTEM

 Commercial utilization of ash in :
– Cement additives.
– Brick plants.
– Road making, etc.
 Saving of water – a precious commodity.
 High reliability
 Least maintenance
 Environment concern:
– In a period, when environmental protection and awareness is a
major industrial and social concern, Dense Phase pneumatic
conveying, by totally enclosed handling system, is particularly
amenable to the environment.

– All conventional problems of spillage, dust, contamination and

storage are efficiently and successfully eradicated.

ASH GATE & HOUSING

• The Ash Gate and Housing installed below the bottom ash
storage hopper.

• It controls the discharge from the storage hoppers.

• The gate operation is controlled hydraulically, providing a

smooth operation when opening and tight seating when closed.

CLINKER GRINDER
 Coarse bottom ash or other coarsely sized material
 Reduce size for pneumatic conveyance or other means of ash
handling

CYCLONES
 Centrifugal ash receiver
 Top of a silo or storage hopper
 The gases after reaching the end of the conical portion changes
its direction and moves upwards towards the outlet forming an
inner vertex.
 Control high concentration.

PULSE JET DUST COLLECTORS

 Receives the overflow airstream from the ash receiver
 Collects ash particulates on the surface of multiple fiber bags
 Clean (filtered) air overflows the top of the dust collector,
passing to the atmosphere or other processing.

ASH CONDITIONERS
 The ash conditioner is a totally enclosed, paddle type mixer
designed to condition fly ash, bottom ash, and other abrasive or
dusty materials.
 The unit (coupled with a rotary feeder) features the ability to
accurately control both the material feed rate and the water
supply flow rate, as well as ensure a complete and controlled
mixing prior to discharge

SLURRY PUMPS
 The slurry solution is pumped using it to land fill or transported
to a slurry to lagoon for storage/disposal.

 Agitator pumps deliver kinetic energy (energy of motion) to

slurry solids surrounding the pump intake, re-suspending them
into a fluid state.

 The slurry may be subsequently used for a number of

applications such as in the building industry, for Cement and
Block production

High Pressure Ash Jet Pumps

 High pressure ash jet pumps are used to remove the clinker
formed on the wall of furnace by supplying water jet.

 Jet pumps works on a venturi principle. High pressure water

delivered through the nozzle creates vacuum.
 ASH UNLOADERS
 Telescopic Unloading Chute
 A knife gate is fitted to the ash silo bottom
 Telescoping interlocking cones which are encapsulated by a
fabric/elastomeric dust annulus
 Induced air flow generated by a suction fan
 Bag type pulse jet dust collector

PIPELINE PRODUCTS
 Terminal Box : Used as a low profile conveying pipeline
termination to divert the material flow tangentially into the top
of a silo / hopper. Standard size range to accommodate 50mm to
400mm diameter pipelines.
 Dump Valves :
 Used as a silo / hopper feeding valve within the conveying
pipeline.
 Located on the silo / hopper roof it diverts the material flow into
the top of a storage hopper / silo or in it's by-pass position allows
the material flow to pass through to a second storage hopper /
silo.
 The sleeve design of Valves auto cleans with every cycle of
operation on the gate or valve port because the sleeve will flex
to allow grits and solids to pass through

Valves and Bends

 Switch Valve
 To connect pipelines together either in converging or diverging
configurations.
 The most commonly used for the Power Industry is the Dome
Switch Valve
 Bends
 Size range 50mm to 400mm diameter pipelines
 Cast Ni-hard, Grade 250 iron or basalt-lined mild steel bends
are used.
 For very abrasive slurries alumina ceramic-lined mild steel
bends are used

PIPES
 Pipe : Standard Size range 50mm to 400mm diameter pipelines.
  Conveying Pipeline : Seamed mild steel pipe work
(BS1387; BS3601; DIN2441/8; ANSI 836.1
standard pipe or equivalent) to construct the straight pipe
sections . For long straight sections the pipeline is usually
constructed by welded joints using 6-12 meter random pipe
lengths depending on availability.

Wet FA Handling System

 FA is collected from Air heater hopper, Eco hopper and ESP
hopper.
 In Flushing apparatus system ash is allowed to fall in flushing
apparatus under gravitation.
 Water jet in flushing apparatus carries away the ash to FA trench
 High pressure jets further carries it to FA sump.
 Series pumping carries the ash slurry to FA pond.

Pneumatic Conveying Technology

Pneumatic conveying systems are eminently suitable for
transport of powdered and granular materials in factory, site and plant
situations.

Modes of conveying:
a) Dilute phase: If the material is conveyed in suspension in the
air through the pipeline it is referred to as dilute phase conveying.
b) Dense phase: If the material is conveyed at low velocity in a
non suspension mode, through all or part of the pipeline, it is referred
to as dense phase conveying
In dense phase conveying two modes of flow are recognized.
 Moving Bed Flow: Moving bed flow is only possible in a
conventional conveying system if the material to be conveyed
has good air retention characteristics.
 Plug Type Flow: Plug type flow is only in a conventional
conveying system if the material has good permeability. This
type of flow is typically limited to the materials that are
essentially mono-sized, since these allow the air to pass readily
through the interstices between the particles.

Dry FA Handling System

 Vacuum pumps are use to convey ash from the ESP hoppers to
Bag Filter and CTT
 In Bag Filter Dry ash is separated out from the air
 Through Transfer Hopper ash is transferred to Buffer Hopper.
  Blower are connected to the bottom of buffer hopper for
fluidized air supply
 From buffer hopper, it is transferred to Transporter.
 From Transporter, Dry ash is conveyed through Pipe lines
(Pneumatic Conveying). For pass A & B the line is AB similarly for
pass C & D the line is CD.

TECHNOLOGY : Flyash Disposal and Utilization: The Indian Scenario

Thermal Power stations using pulverized coal or lignite as fuel generate large quantities
of ash as a by-product. There are about 82 power plants in India, which form the major
source of flyash in the country. With the commissioning of super thermal power plants
and with the increasing use of low grade coal of high ash content, the current production
of ash is about 85 million tonnes per year. This figure is likely to go upto 100 million
tonnes per year by the year 2000 AD and pose serious ecological problems.

Appreciating the overall concern for the environment and the need for the safe disposal
and effective utilisation of flyash, Department of Science & Technology (DST) as the
nodal agency and Technology Information and Assessment Council (TIFAC) as the
implementing agency commissioned a Flyash Mission in 1994. Flyash Mission: a
Technology Project in Mission Mode (TPMM) is being implemented with participation of
Ministry of Environment & Forest, Ministry of Power, Thermal Power Stations, R&D
institutions and Industry. The focus is on demonstration of coal ash related technologies
for developing confidence and thus ensuring large scale adoption. A number of projects
taken up by the industry, R&D institutions and academia have shown encouraging
results. Some of these projects have been completed, multiplier effects have started and
other projects are heading towards meaningful completion. A judicious mix of select
thrust areas have been taken up for concerted efforts. These include Flyash
Characterisation, Hydraulic Structures, Handling and Transportation, Agriculture related
studies and Application, Ash Ponds and Dams, Reclamation of Ash Ponds for Human
Settlement, Roads and Embankments, Underground Mine Fills and related research
projects.

Although the scope for use of ash in concrete, brick making, soil-stabilization treatment
and other applications has been well recognized, only a small quantity of the total ash
produced in India is currently utilized in such applications. Most of the ash generated
from the power plants is disposed off in the vicinity of the plant as a waste material
covering several hectares of valuable land. The bulk utilization of ash is possible in two
areas, namely, ash dyke construction and filling of low-lying areas. Coal ash has been
successfully used as structural fills in many developed countries. However, this particular
bulk utilization of ash is yet to be implemented in India. Since most of the thermal power
plants in India are located in areas where natural materials are either scarce or expensive,
the availability of flyash is bound to provide an economic alternative to natural soils.

Flyash Characterization and Testing

The properties of ash are a function of several variables such as coal source, degree of
pulverization, design of boiler unit, loading and firing conditions, handling and storage
methods. Thus, it is not surprising that a higher degree of variation can occur in ash, not
only between power plants but within a single power plant also. A change in any of the
above factors can result in detectable changes in the properties of the ash produced. The
degree to which any change affects the utilization potential of ash is a function of the
nature and degree of the change and the particular application for which the ash might be
used. The physical, geotechnical and chemical parameters to characterize flyash are the
same as those for natural soils, e.g., specific gravity, grain size, Atterberg limits,
compaction characteristics, permeability coefficient, shear strength parameters and
consolidation parameters. The procedures for determination of these parameters are also
similar to those for soils.

Flyash Disposal in Ash Ponds

Primarily, the flyash is disposed off using either dry or wet disposal scheme. In dry
disposal, the flyash is transported by truck, chute or conveyor at the site and disposed off
by constructing a dry embankment (dyke). In wet disposal, the flyash is transported as
slurry through pipe and disposed off in impoundment called "ash pond". Most of the
power plants in India use wet disposal system, and when the lagoons are full, four basic
options are available: (a) constructing new lagoons using conventional constructional
material, (b) hauling of flyash from the existing lagoons to another disposal site, (c)
raising the existing dyke using conventional constructional material, and (d) raising the
dyke using flyash excavated from the lagoon ("ash dyke"). The option of raising the
existing dyke is very cost effective because any fly ash used for constructing dyke would,
in addition to saving the earth filling cost, enhance disposal capacity of the lagoon. The
constructional methods for an ash dyke can be grouped into three broad categories: (a)
Upstream method, (b) Downstream method and (c) Centerline method. Fig.1 shows
typical configurations of embankments constructed using the different methods. The
construction procedure of an ash dyke includes surface treatment of lagoon ash,
spreading and compaction, benching and soil cover.

Upstream Method
 Downstream Method

Centreline Method

Fig. 1 Typical ash dyke raising configurations

An important aspect of design of ash dykes is the internal drainage system. The seepage
discharge from internal surfaces must be controlled with filters that permit water to
escape freely and also to hold particles in place and the piezometric surface on the
downstream of the dyke. The internal drainage system consists of construction of rock
toe, 0.5m thick sand blanket and sand chimney. After completion of the final section
including earth cover the turfing is developed from sod on the downstream slope.

Flyash as Fill Material

Large scale use of ash as a fill material can be applied where (a) flyash replaces another
material and is therefore in direct competition with that material, (b) flyash itself is used
by the power generating company producing the flyash to improve the economics of the
overall disposal of surplus flyash; and (c) at some additional cost, flyash disposal is
combined with the rehabilitation and reclamation of land areas desecrated by other
operations.

Fills can be constructed as structural fills where the flyash is placed in thin lifts and
compacted. Structural flyash fills are relatively incompressible and are suitable for the
support of buildings and other structures. Non-structural flyash fill can be used for the
development of parks, parking lots, playgrounds and other similar lightly loaded
facilities. One of the most significant characteristics of flyash in its use as a fill material
is its strength. Well-compacted flyash has strength comparable to or greater than soils
normally used in earth fill operations. In addition, lignite flyash possesses self-hardening
properties which can result in the development of shear strengths. The addition of illite or
cement can induce hardening in bituminous flyash which may not self-harden alone.
Significant increases in shear strength can be realized in relatively short periods of time
and it can be very useful in the design of embankments.

Environmental Considerations

The environmental aspects of ash disposal aim at minimizing air and water pollution.
Directly related to these concerns is the additional environmental goal of aesthetically
enhancing ash disposal facilities. The ash produced in thermal power plants can cause all
three environmental risks - air, surface water and groundwater pollution. The pathways of
pollutant movement through all these modes are schematically represented in Fig.2.

Fig.2 Pathways of Pollutant Movement around Ash Disposal Facility

Air pollution is caused by direct emissions of toxic gases from the power plants as well as
wind-blown ash dust from ash mound/pond. The air-borne dust can fall in surface water
system or soil and may contaminate the water/soil system. The wet system of disposal in
most power plants causes discharge of particulate ash directly into the nearby surface
water system. The long storage of ash in ponds under wet condition and humid climate
can cause leaching of toxic metals from ash and contaminate the underlying soil and
ultimately the groundwater system. However, most of these environmental problems can
be minimised by incorporating engineering measures in the design of ash ponds and
continuous monitoring of surface and groundwater water systems.

Flyash Expertise at IIT Kanpur

IIT Kanpur has pioneered the development of the ash dyke design in India. A number of
ash disposal facilities across the country have been designed at this Institute. Currently, a
major technology demonstration project on Ash Dyke Design: Raising, Maintenance and
Monitoring sponsored by Flyash Mission with active support from NTPC is being
executed at the Department of Civil Engineering. As a part of this project, a detailed
manual on ash disposal practice has been prepared to standardize the procedures for ash
disposal across the country. Another Flyash Mission sponsored project involving detailed
geotechnical and environmental investigation of an ashfill site near Badarpur, New Delhi,
is nearing completion. Based on field and laboratory investigations, detailed guidelines
have been prepared for constructing ashfills and possibility of groundwater pollution
through leaching of toxic metals examined. A national conference, Flyash Disposal and
Deposition: Beyond 2000 AD, organised at the Institute in February 1999, looked into
areas such as design of ash disposal facility, reclamation of ash ponds, structural filling of
low-lying areas by flyash and the environmental aspects of ash disposal.

The problems related to flyash are complex and huge, requiring a national effort and
commitment. The expertise available at different institutions has to be fully harnessed to
develop technologies for large scale eco-friendly utilization of flyash.

Rajiv Sinha

Department of Civil Engineering

IIT Kanpur

e.mail: rsinha@iitk.ac.in

NTPC’s Pioneering Activities

in Ash Utilization
• Ash dyke raising
• Dry ash disposal system at NTPC Dadri
• Use of “only fly ash bricks” in all types of
building constructions.
• 6.7 million tonne ash of NTPC Unchahar
was used in Allahabad by-pass road by
NHAI (Largest ever use in single project in
India).
• Mine reclamation.
Coal Ash is typically used in the following
beneficial applications at coal mines:
Application in Mines

Neutralization of acid forming materials,

• Barriers to acid mine drainage (AMD)
formation/transport,
• Subsidence control in underground
mines,
• Soil reconstruction.
• Pit filling to reach Approximate Original
Contour (AOC) in surface mines

Show-Case Projects on Use of

Ash in Agriculture in Farmers
Fields at:
 Simhadri
 Unchahar
 Dadri
 Rihand
 Talcher –Thermal

Environmental Issues

Flyash
Flyash is categorised as high volume low effect
waste under Hazardous Wastes ( Management,
Handling & Transboundary movement ) Rules ,
2008
Chemically , flyash mainly consists of oxides of
silica, aluminium, Iron and calcium., besides
trace of elements like arsenic, beryllium, boron,
cadmium, chromium, chromium VI, cobalt, lead,
manganese, mercury, molybdenum etc.

• Air Pollution ( Dust emission from ash pond)

• Water Pollution ( Contamination of ground &
surface water
• Land degradation

Coal based plants contribute about 53% of total

capacity
 Consumed about 355 million tonnes of coal with ash
content 35-45% during 2008-09
Nearly 140 million tonnes per annum coal ash is
generated.
Occupied nearly 40,000 hectares of land for
conventional disposal of ash.
Require about 1040 million M3 water annually for
disposal of coal ash as in slurry form, if not utilized

Directions /Notification
Vide notification No.S.O.763(E), [14/9/1999]

New Power Plants

 30 % flyash utilisation within 3 year
 100 % flyash utilisation within 9 years
• Existing Power Plants
 20 % flyash utilisation within 3 year
 100 % flyash utilisation within 15 years

Background
 Ash disposal in thermal power plants, a highly
environmentally sensitive issue.
 India is currently producing in excess of 100 million tonnes
of Coal Ash.
 Currently, Fly ash and Bottom-ash are being mixed together
and transported hydraulically to ash ponds.
 The end uses of Bottom-ash and Fly ash are different, as
their properties are widely different.

Bottom-ash is relatively coarse as compared to Fly ash,

which is extremely fine.
 Mixing them during transportation would affect the end
uses of both forms of ash

Slurry Disposal - Current Trends:

Low Concentration Slurry Disposal (LCSD) (Cw ~ 10 - 20%)
Medium Concentration Slurry Disposal (MCSD) (Cw ~ 40- 50%)

Major drawbacks of LCSD/MCSD

 The particle size distribution of Bottom Ash and Fly Ash are
different, leading to a highly conservative design.
 The end uses of both Fly Ash and Bottom Ash are different and
therefore by mixing them, their utilization is being restricted.
 Solid transportation at low concentration is highly uneconomical.
 Water consumption is very high and water recovery systems are
needed.
 Excessive wear due to higher transportation velocity and skewed
concentration profile, thereby affecting the life of the pipeline.
 Due to excessive use of water, the threat of pollution of both
ground and surface water sources exists.

Bottom Ash
 Crushed bottom ash is evacuated from the hoppers using jet pumps
and disposed off in form of a slurry.
 Bottom ash is a very coarse material and is easy to handle.

Fly Ash
 Fly ash is evacuated from various locations either hydraulically or
pneumatically.
In the pneumatic method, ash is transported to a buffer silo from
where it can be given out for utilization.
 In the hydraulic method, ash is transported to a common sump.
 Centrifugal slurry pumps are used to transport the ash slurry to ash
pond.
 In most of the thermal power plants, the concentration of ash in the
slurry is very low and is of the order of 10 – 15% by weight.
 This method is known as low concentration slurry disposal. (LCSD)
 Typically same disposal system is used both for bottom ash as well
as fly ash.
 In one of the thermal power plants (NCPS, DADRI) ash is handled
in completely dry form and disposed in the form of ash mound.
However, this requires special equipment's.

High Concentration Slurry Disposal (HCSD)

The Ash Concentration is in the range 60% by weight or
above.
Special pumps like Reciprocating/ Diaphragm/
progressive cavity etc. are needed.
Experience with coal ash not available.

TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGY
 To dispose off large amount of ash efficiently
 (i) HYDRO-SLUICING:

 • Water impounded bottom ash hoppers with jet

pump systems followed by lean

phase slurry pump system upto ash dyke.
 • Dry type Bottom Ash Hopper with submerged

scraper chain conveyor system

followed by lean phase slurry pumps system upto ash
dyke.
 • Flushing Apparatus for Fly Ash

 (ii) PNEUMATIC HANDLING:

 • Negative pressure (Vacuum) type

 • Positive pressure type (by Air Compressor

Bottom ash is considered 20% of total

ash
 Coarse ash form Economizer is
considered as 5% of total
ash.
Fly ash for Air preheater is
considered as 5% of total ash.
Fly ash from ESP (Electro
staticprecipator) is considered as
85% of total ash.
�All bottom ash is stored / dumped in
ash dyke.
All fly ash is stored in Silos.

Bottom Ash :-
 The standard wet systems for bottom ash
conveying can generally be divided
into two categories:
 water impounded bottom ash hopper hopper

systems with Jet pumps :

 submerged chain conveyor (SCC) systems.

 All the plants where these systems are installed

complain about huge water

consumption, high maintenance costs due to
corrosion and clogging,
environmental issues due to leakages of
contaminated water and loss of boiler
efficiency, and negative effects on boiler operation
due to the low reliability and
poor maintainability of wet systems.
 Dry, MAC, system, has particularly high

dependability relative to standard wet

systems. To achieve this, the wet system design in
this case is in fact a hybrid
of water impounded hopper system (which
traditionally uses a sluice system)
and an SCC system, serving both bottom ash and
pyrites handling. In this
installation the high reliability of the wet system has
been achieved by incurring
a higher capital cost than that for a standard wet
system, necessary to provide
the redundancy required for much of the
equipment.

Advantage of Dry bottom Ash handling

System :-
Adoption of the dry system results in a water
saving of about 258000
[m.sup.3] per year, a significant quantity, not
least in terms of costs. In
the plant under consideration, each unit
employing wet handling has a
dedicated system for water circulation and
treatment. Then the waste
water from these units is sluiced into a
centralized sludge treatment
system. So the elimination of the wet systems
also eliminates the need
for the associated water circulation and
treatment systems.
Reduces demands on the centralized sludge
treatment system, lowers
maintenance costs arising from corrosion and
jamming along the
sluicing lines, creates a cleaner and safer
working environment due to
the reduction in the number of places that need
to be cleaned up.
Less power demand due to the elimination of
water circulation pumps,
and reduces the environmental impact of the
power station thanks to
the water savings and lower releases of
contaminants.

Dense Phase Pneumatic

conveying system
Using positive pressure they generally utilise a
blow tank to collect the
material before being transferred into the pipeline
in batches.
With dense phase systems, a controlled use of
both air pressure and volume
pushes the batch of material from the blow tank
and into the pipeline in a plug
flow form.

The Dense Phase Pressurized Pneumatic

Conveying Systems uses low
volume, medium pressure air stream and relies on
a continuously expanding
volume of air pushing cohesive slugs of material
along the pipe. This system
uses a transfer vessel/pump tank to feed the
material into the conveying line.
It is a batch system with plugs of material
separated by cushions of air.
Average conveying velocities are low between 2 to
5 m/sec. The material air
ratio is in the range of 20 - 100 to 1.
The Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveying system is
flexible enough and
compatible with all size and type of boilers.
– Whether Boiler is from 3 MW to 600 MW,
– Water tube or Fire tube,
– CFB, PFB, Stoker fired,
– Coal, Coke, Lignite, Rice Husk, Bagasse,
Multi fuel or Co-generation type

Fly Ash Conveying System

Vacuum systems offer a low-cost alternative for low-capacity fly

ash transport over short
conveying distances. Operating at vacuums up to 20 inches HG,
the system features
simplified controls, low headroom and a single swing-disc type
ash intake valve at each
collection hopper.

Pressure Conveying
System
Pressure systems offer high-capacity fly ash transport over long
conveying distances. Pressure
vessels required at each collection hopper are furnished with
rugged valving with hardened
seats and discs, internal aeration to provide positive ash flow,
and air flow control from the clean
side of the vessel to provide uniform, controlled ash flow to the
conveying line. Operating at
pressures up to 35 PSIG, pressure systems can satisfy
conveying capacities over 100 TPH.

HCSD (High Concentration

slurry disposal)
No ash retaining dams or bunds need to be built.
 Ash spreads in layers hence, ash mounds

requires minimum land.

 Higher concentration hence, low water

consumption.
 Lower line sizes.

 Very little release of water at the disposal area

through rapid drying.

 No appreciable leachate from the disposal

site.
Disposal System (HCSD). The advantages of HCSD
Systems are:
 In Lean phase slurry system, the concentration is

around 18-25%, increase

concentration to approx. 65 – 69% depending on
rheological studies.
 Pumping is energy efficient since less amount of

water is involved. The specific

energy consumption (Energy per tonne of ash
transported) is substantially
reduced.
 Substantial Saving of Water, etc.

 Since the slurry is in paste form, it slowly dissipates

in the ash pond as a pasty

 solution which dries within hours.

 There is no seepage of water to sub soil hence no

contamination.
 Much less area of ash pond is needed.

 HCSD plants running in India at

 – Khaperkheda Thermal Power Project of MSEB.

 – CESC Budge Budge

 – Balco Korba 5X135 MW

Ash Utilization
 Used as replacement of Silica in
cement industries.
 Its share in cement is about 30% only.
 Only few cement companies in this
region, carry fly ash from
silo at present.
 Farming on cultivable lands.

 Tiles, Blocks and other similar

construction materials.
 Land filling i.e. levelling land pitfalls for

urbanization, colony
development and increasing cultivation
hectares.
 Road construction.