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COST OF HANDLING COAL
IN STEAM POWER STATIONS

A Thesis Submitted To The
Faculty of a
MICHIGAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE

By

W. H. Betts U. Utley
Jee
Candidates for the Degree of

Bachelor of Science

June, 1916,
THESIS
OBJECT OF THESIS,
The object of the investigations was to make a
careful study of the coal handling system
in each of three power plants and to deter
mine the cost of handling both coal and ashes
in each plant.
STATIONS INVESTIGATED,
The following stations were investigated;
Municipal Power Plant, Lansing, Michigan,
M. A. C. Power Plant, East Lansing, Michigan,

Consumers Power Co., Wealthy Ave. Station,
Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The following stations were visited but no investiu
gation made; |
Michigan Power Co., Lansing, Michigan,

Michigan Central Round House Coaling Station,
Grand Rapids, Michigan.

SCOPE OF THESIS.

The investigation was to include a study of the
apparatus, measurement of power consumed in
its operation, the determination of labor
costs, and a record of the time required for

the various steps of the transfer of the coal

and ashes.

94061
\

Cost of handling was to be divided as follows;
Cost of unloading cars,
Cost of conveying to bunkers,
Cost of feeding to furnaces,
Cost of removing ashes.
These costs were not to inolude wear and tear and
‘depreciation of machinery.
METHOD OF PROCEEDURE.

The first step in each case was to sceure permis=
sion from the proper authorities to carry on
the investigation in their plants. A half day
was then spent in looking over the plant, noting
the type of syetem used, its arrangement and
operation. Following this study a method of
running a test was devised.

Later, at a time when the plant was oarrying as
nearly as possible an average load, a 24 hour
test was made, In all cases the motive power
was electrical motors; henoe, the power con-
sumed was measured by cutting meters into the
motor circuits, The amount of coal fed to
the furnaces thre the 24 hours was considered
to be the amount handled by the system during
that period, In all cases the coal fed to
the furnaces was weighed by means of a weighing —
car before being passed to the furnace hoppers.

The weights were recorded and totaled,
The handling of the ashes in only one case allowed
of accurate weights being kept. In the other
two cases average weights per car or load were
obtained and account kept of total cars dumped.
Data as to the capacity of the plant, wages of fire=
men, operators, helpers, and laborers was ob= :
tained from the Chief Engineer of each plants
Sufficient measurements were made to enable a dia-
gramitio sketch of each plant to be made, .
Photographs of each plant, systen and objects of
interest were taken.
REMARKS, |
The writers feel that the value of the work done
cannot be adequately expressed in this report.
The data obtained, in itself, is of value only
as relating to the period of year and load
carried during the test day. The greatest
value was in the experience gained by coming
into actual contact with power plant operation;
by getting into overalls and jackets and thoroly
examining the various plants; by talking to the
operators, firemen, and laborers, thereby getting
first hand information as to the advantages and
disadvantages of the systems used; in fact, by
getting a knowledge of power plants such as can
be odtained only by practical experience,
The methods of running the tests were original with
the writers, altho the method of dividing the
costs was obtained from *Steam Power Plant En=
gimeering* by Gebhardt. :

Some difficulties were encountered but successfully
overcome. Trouble was experienced in two
cases due to difficulty in securing proper
sized meters. At the Municipal Plant, it was
required to keep the ash hopper locked during
the period of the test to prevent the public
hauling the ashes away. It was also required
that the ashes be hauled to the city scale to
be weighted ,

CONCLUSION.
The writers are indebted to Messrs. Mefford and
Keech, of the Consumers Power Company; Crane
and Childs of the Municipal Plant; Bissell and
Newell, of the College Plant, for courtesy
shown in allowing the investigations and kindness
in giving the required information during the

tests,
MUNICIPAL PLANT Lansing, Michigan.

APPARATUS:
34° apron elevator from hopper heneath track to crusher.
Coal crusher, |
24" bucket elevator,

1s* x 6* distributing conveyor with sliding wearing s
shoes.

Reinforced concrete coal storage bin with down spouts tb
» Weighing car, and also to
Storage room.

Gu 400 HP. Wickes vertical boilers with Dutch oven
. furnaces.

Vacuum system for removing ashes.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

) The Municipal Plant is located on a spur of the L.S. &
M.S. Railroad having connection also with the Pere
Marquette and Michigan Central Railroads. MShis
assures good service in getting. the coal to the
plant. It is required that the coal be shipped
in hopper sottom cars,

The coal is dumped from the cars into a hopper below
the tracks from which it is fed to the crusher by
means of a 324" apron elevator. After leaving
the crusher, it drops into the buckets of an
elevator and is raised about 50feet to the dis-
tributing conveyor, by which it is carried to
the storage bin. It then passes thru down
spouts to the weighing car, and after being
weighed is dumped into the fhrnace hoppers.

The ashes drop from the grate into ash pite below

When

the furnaces from which they are hoed and dropped
into the suction pipe of the ash removing sydtem,
A suction of 6 to 8 oz. per square inch is ree
quired to move the ashes. The ashes pass thru
a mixing chamber where they are thoroly soaked
with water and then dropped into the storage
hopper. The ashes are placed at the disposal

of the public, wagons being driven under the

hopper and when the valve is opehed the ashes

fall into the wagon.

it is desired to place coal in storage, valves

in down spouts leading to the storage room from

the storage bin are opened and the coal allowed

to drop into the storage room. When required

for use, it is passed thru openings in the floor
onto the reclaiming conveyor which dumps it into

the bucket elevator for hoisting to the distributing

conveyorte

The services of two coal passers and two firemen are

required. The coal passers work a ten hour day.
There are three shifts of eight hours each for the

firemen.

The usual practice at this plant is to have the coal

shipped in such quantities that it may be put into
the storage bin and used directly from that,
Much time is required for unloading a car bex«
cause the opening in the bottom of the hopper
beneath the tracks is not of sufficient size
to keep the apron elevator loaded.
RESULTS OF 34 HOUR TEST,
Daten 11:30 A. M., April 13 to 11230 A.M., April 13, 1916.
Operating Conditions. -
| We selected Wednesday afternnon and Thursday morning
as the time for the tests because, in the opinion
of Mr. Childs, Chief Engineer, the plant was opere
ating under a most nearly average load, :
Data,
Total amount of coal fed to furnaces 47.3 Tons
‘Total amount of ashes removed | 8.36 «
COST OF UNLOADING CARS, COAL BEING PLACED IN STORAGE BIN.

Test on car #33398 C. & 0.
Weight of coal- 111000f= 55.5 Tons

Time required 3¢ hours.

Power coste

Crusher Elevator

Meter readings- Final 24.4 KWHr. 7108.9 KWHr.
Initial at 7094
eo KWHr. ef KWHr.
Total .
28.0 KWHr.

Estimated cost of power .75¢ per KWHr.- Mr. Childs
Power cost per ton of coal handled= Spies. = .35¢
Labor cost. -
Wages Chief helper 35¢ per hour
3 assistants 33,5¢ " * (each)
Total 70¢ * *
Labor cost per ton of coal Bandled-
TORE go9= 4.1¢
Total cost per ton of coal handled-—
4.1¢ + .35¢ = 4.45¢
Test on car f------ Wt. of coal- $34009= 41.7 Tons
Time required= 1 Hr. 11 Nin.= 1.18 Hr.
Power cost.

Crusher Elevator
Meter readings— Final 7083.0 KWHr. 5.4 KWHr.

Initial 7075.5 0,0
@ KWHr. @ KWHr.
Total 13.9 KWHr.

Power cost per ton of coal handiled-
13.95.7598 = .83¢
Labor cost.
Wages—- Chief helper 35¢ per hour
Assistant _23,5¢° *
Total 47.59" °*
Labor cost per ton of coal handled-
SDeGp RARE = 1.259
Total cost per ton of coal handled
1.35¢ + .32¢= 1.57¢
COST OF FEEDING COAL TO FURNACES. Sd
a firemen required 3 shifts of & hrs. per day
Estimating that 4/5 of the time spent in handling

coal and 1/5 in handling ashee.
Labor cost.
Wages— Chief fireman 38.8¢ per hour
| Second "= 234.7% * *
Total 53.5¢ "  *
Labor cost per ton of coal handled=

4/5 x PAF Pee = 21 ay

COST OF REMOVING ASHES.
Labor cost.
Per ton of ash handled- 1/5x ““¥°¥2°f- 30.74

Power cost.
Suction fan

Meter readings- Final 0012.0 KWHr.
Initial 0003.9
8.7 KWHr,

Per ton of ash handled= &,7x .7 0759

’
»

Total cost per ton of ash handled= 31.4¢

TABULATION OF COSTS= Per Ton,

Unloading cars 4.5¢
" " 1.69
Feeding furnaces 31.89

Removing ashes 31.49
 

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City Light and Water Plant

COAL TICKET

 

 

Date 191__
FIREMAN A.M. P.M.
COAL LBS. COAL LBS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
CONSUMERS POWER CO.,

Wealthy Avenue Station, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

APPARATUS?

Shaw electric traveling yard crane with single motor,

Clutch operated type trolley handling a two»
cubic yard Brownhoist clamshell bucket, ,

Linkbelt, 18*® four roller belt conveyor running above

& storage bins, each with a down spout controlled by

a simplex valve.

Weighing car, |
Sa600 HP. Stirling boilers, equipped with Foster

superheaters and Green chain grates.

Ash handling car.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

Coal is received at this plant over a spur from the

Coal

main line of the Michigan Central Railread, the
Cars being run directly beneath the crane run=
way. The coal is removed from the cars by means
of the clamehell bucket and either dropped into
the conveyor hopper or placed in storage. The
services of a helper are required for cleaning
up the oar,

from the conveyor hopper is carried by the belt
and discharged into the storage bins by means

Of a movable tripper actuated by power from the

belt.
From the storage bins, the coal is fed thru down
spouts to the weighing oar and after the
weight is registered it is spread along the
hopper arranged above the furnace, The correét
weight of each car of coal is registered on a
printed ticket whioh is punched by the movement
of a lever on the scale weight.

The ashes drop from the grates into a sheet metal
hopped from which they are allowed to drop into
the ash car below by the operator. The ashes,
while in the car, are soaked with water and then
dumped into the ash pit outside the building,
from which they are removed by the crane and
dropped into an ash hopper at the opposite
side of the runway. From here they are hauled
away as desired,

The pliant is coaled up ordinarily four times a day,
at 7230 and 10230 A.M, and at 1230 and 5¢30 P.M,

The capacity of the storage in the yard under the
Crane is about 15000 tons.

The one objection noted to the system is that the
speed of the bucket hoist is not sufficient for
the speeds of the bridge and trolley. This
necessitates a delay both in unloading cars and
in filling the hopper,
~
RESULTS OF 34 HOUR TEST.

Dates 3215 P,.M., April 37 to 2:15 P.M., April 328.
Operating Conditions.

Data.

This plant is one of a number of steam and hydro-
electric plants forming a chain about the
state. Due to high water in the rivers and
@ consequent carrying of the load by the
hydro=electric plants, this plant was running
at about one-half normal capacity.

Total amount of coal fed to furnacesg—-- 73.03 fons
Total amount of ashes removed" | 10,95 #

COST OF CONVEYING COAL 70 BUNKERS AND REMOVING ASHES.

Power=-
Crane Conveyor
Meter reading, Final 00038 KWHr. 33519 KWHr.
Initial 00000 #3815.
KWHr. . KWHr.
Total $3 KWHr.

Estimating the cost of power at .7¢ per KWHr.,
Power cost & 32 X .7¢ & 32.4¢ for 24 hourse
Estimating that 9/10 of the power was consumed in
handling coal and 1/16 in handling ashes,

Cost per ton of coal handleda 9/10x es, & 239
Power cost per ton of ash removedsl/10x 3304. w 03¢
Labor=
Wages Crane Operator 30¢ per hour
| Helpers | 24¢ per hour

Ash passer= Day man 23¢ per hour
. Night * 1g.5¢ * *

Handling coal,
Estimating that the orane operator spent 9/10
of the time handling coal and 1/10 of the time
handling ashes, Operator and helpers worked
10 hours per day.
Wage coste Operator 8/10x10x30 9x 270¢
" Helpers 3x 20 x atge 4806
Total | 7509
Cost per ton of coal band led=-yfGg7 10,49
Handling ashes.
Wage cost Operator 1/10xl0x30g = 30¢
Ash passers 1123392 aaa
Total “Bi
Cost per ton of ash handled= ose 46.59

Total cost of conveying coal to bunker and Fenoving

ashese

Coal Ashes
Power o5¢ ea
Labor 10,44 46.54

Total 10.0% 46.7¢
COST OF FEEDING COAL TO FURNACES.

COST
(1}

(3)

The exact wage rate of the firemen could not

be obtained. We estimate it to be 23¢ per hour,
There are two shifts; four men during a day of
eleven hours, and three men during a night of
thirteen hours,

Wagew= Day shift 4x 11 x 32¢ = 968¢

“Wight © 3x 13 x 229 = 858¢
, . Total -

Cost per ton of coal fed= »rS86_ = 35.3

OF UNLOADING CARS,

Test on car $#20393- Hocking Valley,
Weight of coal~ 107800#= 53.9 Tons

Time requited 40 minutes= 3/3 hours.

Power consumed 6.5 KWHr.

Power cost per Ton= $3 te =. o9¢
3x24 - 94

Se oe

 Potal 1.6¢

Test on car #18311 = 0, I. & 8.
Weight of coal 97100¢= 48.55 Tons

Time required 29 minutes= 048 hours -

Labor cost per Tone 3/3z 0

Power consumed 7 KWHr.

Power cost per fon= - ol¢

Labor cost per Ton= 48 x - sof agxee = 11s.

Total 1.3%
TABULATION OF COSTS Per Ton.
Unloading cars
e a
Filling bunkers
Feeding furnaces

Removing ashes

1.39
1.6¢
10.79
25.39
46.7¢
 

  

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A. CO. PLANT East Lansing, Michigan.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION.
The College Power Plant is located on a spur of the

This

Pere Marquette Railroad, this spur being joined
to the main line at Trowbridge, where the Port
Huron to Chicago division of the Grand Trunk
Railroad crosses the Grand Rapids to Detroit
division of the Pere Marquette. This affords
convenient facilities for transporting coal to
the plant.

plant furnishes heat, light, and water for all
buildings on the Campus. Both exhaust steam

and live steam are used for heating purposes.

The boiler equipment includes; 4 Scotch Marine Boilers,

150 H.P. each; 1 -350 HP. Freeman Combination
Boiler; and 1 150 HP. Horizontal Tubular
Boller, all equipped with Jones underfeed stokers.

The coal is shoveled by hand from the cars to a storage

shed, having a capacity of 1000 tons. When the
shed is full, the remaining coal is shoveled into
piles outside along the track wherever it is con-

v

venient.
An electrically driven elevator is located in the
middle of the storage shed, on the side oppo-
site the spur. It is driven by a 15 H.P.

D,. CO. Motor, and has a capacity of 3O000F~

The coal in the shed is shoveled by hand into a
chute which empties into a l-ton car standing
on tracks on the elevator. Provision was
made for using a crusher whéch would empty into
the chute, but it has never been installed.

When the car is filled with coal, it is raised
by means of the elevator to the level of an
overhead track, which extends from the elevator
shaft to the storage hoppers at the top of the
boiler room, The car is pushed by hand onto
scales set in this track. After being weighed
it is pushed to the hoppers and dumped. From
the hoppers it drops by gravity thru down spouts
to the stoker hoppers. After unloading the coal
into the storage hoppemthe car is pushed back
to the elevator and lowered to the level. of
another track, located directly beneath the first
track and pargllel to it and extending thru the
ash tunnel below the boiler room floor. Here
the car is loaded with ashes which drop down from
hoppers in front of the boilers. The car is
then pushed back, elevated, weighed, and dumped
into the ash hopper,
Coal from the outdoor piles is wheeled in barrows
or wagons to a reclaiming hopper above the
ash tunnel, It drops from here into the car
below. One man is required to handle the cars
of coal and ashes, At least two men are needed
in the storage shed. These men work ten hours
a day, seven days in the week.

The method of conducting the test was as follows;
A wattwhour meter was calibrated and cut into
the motor Cirbuit. Readings at the end of
each of two 34 hour pericds were taken. Total
weights of coal and ashes for the same 24 hour

periods were obtained from the scale records.
RESULTS OF 34 HOUR TESTS.
Dates 5:00 P.M., April 19 to 5:00 P.M., April 81, 1916.

Data—
Totalsamount of coal fed to furnaces-

lst 34 hours 48640¢

Bnd 34 hours 410204
“SO7608= 45.4 tons

Total amount of ashes removed=
lst 34 hours 7900¥

and 324 hours 6140
0408- 7 tons

COST OF CONVEYING COAL TO BUNHERS AND REMOVING ASHES.

Power=
. Elevator
Meter reading, Final 0274,9 KWHr
Initial avl
Se KWHr.

Calibration of meter with shunt

Formulas meter watts x Rev, x 3600
time in seconds |

10 revolutions of disk in 58 seo.
20 = 3500 = 631 meter watts
Testing circuit was held at 300 volts and 325 amps.
a00 x 25= 5000 true watts }
Correction Factor = Seer

sect x 3.7 5 39.8 KWHr. used in 48 hours.
Approximate cost of current at time of test-
75¢ per KWHr. -Mr, Newell
Power cost ” |
29.6 x .75¢ = 32.4¢
Estimating that 4/5 of the power is consumed
tn handling coal end 1/5 in handling ashes.
Cost per ton of coal handled- 4/5x er “49
Cost per ton of ash handled- 1/5 x 22s4- .7¢
Labor Cost,
Wages— Coal passer- Chief | 25¢ per hour
Assistants 23.59 . 8
Estimating that one assistant spent @ hours
per day handling coal and 3 hours handling ashes.
Wage cost- Chief SBx10x25¢ = 500¢
lst Assistant  2x10x22.5¢= 450¢

andi? 4/5x3x10x23.5¢=_360¢

Cost per ton of coal handled- 2=f = 28.8¢_
Cost per ton of ash handled- |

1/5x28x10x38,5¢ - 13%

COST OF FEEDING FURNACES.
Wage- Firemen 26¢ per hour
Estimating that 4/5 of the time is spent in
handling coal and 1/8 in handling ashes,

Cost per ton of coal fed- ‘ Sx8x84x25 - 21.2¢
Cost per ton of ash removed—2/522%54x8 = 34.29
COST OF REMOVING ASHES,

Power and labor «coal passers o7¢
— 13.0¢
Firemen 34,3¢
Total 47.09

TABULATION OF COSTS Per Ton

Conveying cozl to bunkers 13.4¢
Feeding coal to furnace 31.2¢
Removing ashes 47.99

COST OF UNLOADING CARS.
Data obtained from Mr. Newell
Result of test made April 14, 1906
263.3 tons of coal unloaded at cost of 9.74¢ per ton
Coal taken from car and carried to back of shed

Average cost from car to shed 7¢ = 74¢ per ton
Average cost from care to ground to storage-
25¢ = 30¢ per ton |
Average cost from car to shed= handling frozen coal
2a5¢ = 30¢ per ton
This latter figure is usually taken as the cost of
handling the coal during the months of December,
January and February.
 

 

 

 

  

 

 

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