REAL CASE

Fly Ash Conveying System for a Biomass Cogeneration Project

 We would like to share one case for ash removal and fly ash conveying system for a biomass cogeneration plant of  Taiding New Material Technology Co., Ltd.

The system was designed to collect and pneumatically convey fly ash from different dust collection points to the ash storage silo. The total design conveying capacity was 10 t/h, including 7 t/h from the cyclone dust collector and 3 t/h from the baghouse.

The conveying route covered approximately 180–200 m, with a vertical lifting height of around 21 m. The system also included conveying vessels, pneumatic valves, conveying pipelines, isolation valves, silo-top exhaust filters, instruments, and automatic control components.

Rather than supplying a single conveying machine, the project required a coordinated system covering ash collection, pneumatic conveying, storage, dust filtration, and automatic control.

2. We met some Challenge

Long-Distance Conveying

The fly ash had to be transported over a relatively long pipeline route while also being lifted to the required elevation. The system therefore needed to maintain stable conveying performance under the specified capacity and conveying conditions.

Abrasive Material and Component Wear

Fly ash conveying can place significant wear on pipelines and valves. Key material-contact components therefore needed to withstand repeated impact and abrasion during continuous operation.

Dust Control

The system needed to handle not only the air used for pneumatic conveying but also the air displaced when dry ash was discharged into the silo. Effective exhaust filtration was therefore an important part of the overall system.

Automatic Operation and Maintenance

The plant required automatic operation and centralized monitoring through the control system. At the same time, individual conveying sections needed to be capable of isolation so that maintenance could be carried out without unnecessarily affecting the operation of other conveying units.

3. How Did We Solve These Challenges?

A System Designed Around the Actual Conveying Route

The conveying system was configured according to the project's actual ash generation, conveying capacity, pipeline arrangement, distance, and elevation. The system used different conveying capacities for the cyclone and baghouse ash sources, with the pipeline conveying velocity increasing from approximately 8 m/s at the beginning to 15 m/s at the end.

Wear-Resistant Valves and Pipelines

Wear-resistant ceramic materials were used on key valve sealing and impact surfaces. Tungsten steel strips were also applied to the outer ring of the double-gate outlet valves. The fly ash conveying pipeline used 20# seamless steel pipe with a minimum wall thickness of 7 mm.

These measures focused wear protection on the components directly exposed to the conveying material.

Integrated Exhaust Filtration

Each ash silo was equipped with a high-efficiency exhaust filter designed to process the air entering the silo during conveying and dry ash unloading. The filter used automatic pulse-air cleaning and was designed for an exhaust dust concentration of ≤10 mg/Nm³.

Automatic Control and Isolation

The conveying system was designed for automatic operation and could be centrally monitored through the plant's DCS. Automatic switching and isolation valves were installed at relevant pipeline branches, allowing individual conveying units to be isolated when necessary for inspection or maintenance.

Complete Engineering and Commissioning Support

The project included not only equipment supply but also engineering documents, equipment selection and pressure-loss calculations, installation drawings, control-system information, operating and maintenance documents, installation guidance, commissioning support, and operator training.

This approach allowed the conveying equipment to be considered as part of the complete ash-handling process, rather than as an isolated piece of machinery.

Project Takeaway

The key lesson from this project is that a reliable fly ash conveying system depends on more than conveying capacity alone. Material characteristics, conveying distance, elevation, wear, dust control, automation, and maintenance requirements all need to be considered together.

For biomass power and other industrial plants, Zhongyu can develop the conveying system around the customer's actual process conditions and site requirements rather than applying the same configuration to every project.

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