| This Master of Engineering Thesis documents the history, economic justification, design and technical aspects of a project on the Cane Run Power Station's Unit 6 Ash System. The project automates the labor-intensive process of ash conveying from the economizer and duct hoppers. The project additionally provided the programming and general support for another ash project to install a dry fly ash bag house and mechanical exhauster for saving ash for sale. The result of the overall project was a reduction in the loading of the capacity-constrained ash systems of Cane Run Station, thereby improving summertime availability of the generating units, while at the same time reducing labor to complete the task of ash removal.; The economizer and duct hopper ash had to be segregated from the fly ash collected in the electrostatic precipitator, because of high Loss of Ignition levels in the ash of the boiler convection pass areas. This ash is transported directly to the landfill pond, via jet pump.; The design and project management portions of the thesis include comments on all design and installation of mechanical and electrical hardware. Additionally, the project includes extensive revisions to a Programmable Logic Controller's ladder program for automation of the system.; The project accomplished its stated objectives of reducing operating labor, maintenance materials and labor, and mitigating the impact of the ash system bottleneck. By expending capital dollars, these operating and maintenance expenses were permanently reduced for the station, providing an excellent return on the investment. |
