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Lignite power plant

Rol e-chain for stackers with a travel of 615m - without failure for over 15 years

Plastic energy chain travels safely in lignite plant under extreme conditions

15 years later, this system is still robust and exciting, remaining ideal for long-term use. At Tušimice, Czech Republik, the coal is stored in a lengthy heap on the periphery of the power plant site, which would theoretically be sufficient for a week's worth of fuelling. A "stacker" automatically piles the coal on the heap. To ensure that this is reliably supplied with energy, data and media over a travel of 615m, the ČEZ Group opted for one of our plastic energy chain systems.

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Lignite power plant

The stacker piles the coal into a heap. This is supplied with energy, data and media via cables and hoses, which are safely guided by a plastic energy chain over 615m of travel.

Products used

Problem

At the lignite-fired power plant "Tušimice" in the Czech Republic, operated by the CEZ Group, coal is stored on a stockpile at the edge of the power plant site, which could theoretically be used to fire the power plant for an entire week. In order to automatically stack the coal on the stockpile, a "stacker" is required, which must be reliably supplied with energy, data and media. As the stacker is only used when regular coal production in the lignite-fired power plant is stopped, the energy supply system must also always work reliably, sometimes during 24/7 continuous operation and sometimes during a month of downtime. The extreme weather conditions in the cold Czech winter were also a particular challenge. The cables of the previously used cable drum froze repeatedly, which could result in repeated breakdowns and unplanned downtimes on the long travel when the system started up. The customer was therefore looking for an energy supply that was both resilient and fail-safe.

Solution

An energy chain of type 5050RHD has therefore ensured reliable operation at the lignite-fired power plant in Tušimice for more than 15 years. The "R" in the name stands for "rollers". Rollers in the chain links reduce the coefficient of friction enormously over long travels when the chain's upper run rests on the lower run. This reduces the coefficient of friction and saves up to 57% of the drive energy required to move the energy chain system.
In addition to the 615m travel, two other systems are moved with our rol e-chains, the lengths of which are also not exactly short at 400m and 150m. The systems supply the so-called "reclaimer", which ensures that the stockpiled coal is removed and transported to the power plant on the conveyor belt.

Rollers in the chain links reduce the coefficient of friction enormously over long travels. As a result, a saving of up to 57% of the drive energy required to move the energy chain system can be achieved.

Frank Schlögel

Head of Engineering Projects & Installation Service

Energy chain of the type 5050RHD

In over 15 years of operation, only a few plastic crossbars have had to be replaced.

Energy chain of the type 5050RHD

In addition to the motor, control and data cables, a water hose is routed in the energy chain of the 5050RHD series (here right in the chain), which can be heated.

chainflex cables and electronic monitoring round off the package

Various of our chainflex cables, which have been specially developed for use in energy chains, are guided inside the chains. In addition to chainflex motor and control cables, a fibre optic cable is also used for data transmission on the 615m-travel. "Bus cables are out of the question for these long distances, as the signal strength would not be sufficient," reports Frank Schlögel. In addition to the various cables, the chain also includes a water hose that can be optionally heated.
Since the commissioning, the energy chain systems in Tušimice have also been electronically monitored. This measures the push/pull forces of the chains and can switch off the system if the forces are too high, for example due to foreign objects in the system. In recent years, we have further developed this form of "condition monitoring" and now offer our customers a wide range of optional modules for monitoring and predictive maintenance as an additional safeguard.

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