How to Ensure Safety While Handling Coal?

Handling coal isn’t as easy as it sounds; there are a lot of intricacies involved. However, if you master the art of handling coal in a safe and efficient manner just like the industry experts such as KCT(Coal Sales) Ltd. do, the same can translate into huge cost-savings and a boosted bottom line for coal companies. For the purpose, selecting the right material-handling system is important. Let’s have a look at some of the important considerations that would help you create a safe environment while handling coal:

Choosing the right reclaim and handling systems is important- not just for moving products within the structure but also for loading and reclaiming too. Working with an efficient team that can handle the storage structure and material-handling systems result in a seamless facility! For highly combustible varieties of coal, usage of a stacker reclaimer is common. It not only gives increased control over the pile but also the portion that is reclaimed.  For other types of coal, a hopper system is ideal. It functions like funnels situated side by side and allows coal to flow through the structure under its own weight rather than by loader. Some types of coal require careful attention to detail to ensure safe handling and storage. 

Conveyors ensure proper function and have their own monitoring system in place. Here are some of the installations that help improve the efficiency of coal handling operations:

•Infrared Cameras- to check the temperature of coal while it is on the belt. This is useful in preventing the off-spec product from entering the dome. 

•Linear Heat Cables- to monitor fire on the belt and examine bearings for sparks. It detaches a fire traveling along the belt before the same reaches the thermal scanner. Conveyance is stopped by the system immediately and the management informed. The fire is then extinguished by the workers. 

•Specialized Admixtures -which are added to the water to assist in quick cooling and suppression. These admixtures when mixed with water systems are capable of extinguishing flames and cooling the system faster than water alone. They also absorb heat energy 10 times more than plain water. 

Dust collection too has its own set of risks. Precautionary measures include the usage of a wet scrubber that pulls dust through a water system. This ensures that the dust is being pulled out and not the bag. Since the dust is still wet, it is not as combustible. The dust tis then pulled through a duct until remove from the facility or destroyed. An automatic system can convey the dust in safe manner. Another option is to collect the dust in a bin or a super sack. According to industry experts such as Varun Thapar, KCT Group, it is also critical to have proper housekeeping in addition to the above-mentioned design measures to ensure safe operations at a coal facility.

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