TABLE I

FEEDER COMPARISON

ITEM LOCKHOPPER FULLER KINYON FOSTER MILLER

COST
- -
Capital Cost $300-350 K $70-90 K $2,000,000 for
two 50 TPH
Annual Operating Cost $150-250 K $75-85 K units. Operat-
ing cost not
established.

DEVELOPMENT/TEST STATUS Batch feeders Well developed for 5 TPH develop-

such as Lurgi conveying into low ment machine
well developed. back pressures only.
Continuous feed- (~35 psig). 250 cummulative
ers such as Syn- Occasional use to hours. Good
thane are recent 60 psi. progress being
development. made.

COAL FEED EXPERIENCE Preferred system Not generally used 5 TPH test
for most coal for coa 1 feed. machine only.
process plants. Considerable ex-
perience with coal
dust at low (< 35
psig) pressures.

INDUSTRIAL EXPERIENCE Used in Lurgi Widely used for None

Gasifiers for past 50 years in
past 30 years. granular materials
Used in blast conveying systems,
furnace feeders. mostly at pressure
under 35 psig.

POWER REQUIREMENTS - 30 KW for - 150 KW for - 75 KW for

gas re-compres- screw drive. pressurization,
sion for single chain drive
stage hopper. and drying.
- 20 KW for
dual feed hopper.

1-2
 TABLE I (Continued)

I
ITEM · LOCKHOPPER FULLER KINYON FOSTER MILLER

CONTROL
Number of Feedback and
25 - 30 7 - 10 12 - 18
Command Signals Required
to Control Feeder

MAINTENANCE
I
Replace/Repair Feeder valves Screw - once o Piston seals -
every 2 Mos. @ every 6 to 12 12 Mos. (Est.)
7000 cycle life Mos. o Seal tubes -
12 Mos. (Est.)
o Chain links -
not yet
defined

POSSIBLE DESIGN OR Valve cycling Validation of Although seal e-

tests should scale-up from up is conceptu-
SCALING PROBLEMS probably be run tests on 6 test11
ally simple, no
on 10 valves
11
machine to full actual scale-up
(Existing test scale 10 machine.
11
experience
data is for 6 11
exists.
valves)

MAJOR ADVANTAGES o Proven Design o Low cost Ability to feed

Concept into high - 500
o Rugged, simple, psi back press-
o No problem relatively ures at coritrol-
-
with pressure easily main- led rates.
level. tained.
o Continuous
o Heavily sup- o Continuous operation
ported by R&D operation

MAJOR DISADVANTAGES o Limited valve o Upper limit on · o 5 TPH machine

1i fe. back pressure only.
may be near
o Complex control 50 psi. o No industrial
oHigh cost. experience.
o Intermittent o Possible excess-
feed unless in- i ve coal o High cost
jection hopper attrition.
used_

1-3