Remote submerged chain conveyor

A remote submerged chain conveyor for separating particles from a coal ash/water slurry conveyed from one or more remotely located boiler units, comprising;

• a tank forming an ash holding section, a dewatering section, and an ash settling section, the ash holding section adapted for receiving the slurry, and the defining first and second opposite ends,
• the dewatering section extending from the first end of the ash holding section and including an incline for dewatering the slurry,
• the ash settling section extending from the second end of the ash holding section, the ash settling section in the form of an elongated trough connected with the ash holding section at a proximal end and having a discharge discharge drain trough at near an opposite distal end, the ash holding section, the dewatering section, and the ash settling section being oriented in a generally linear arrangement wherein a net flow of water from the ash/water slurry is in a direction from the proximal end, through the ash settling section, toward the distal and out of the drain trough,
• a drag chain moving along the bottom of the ash settling section and the ash holding section and along the dewatering section and conveying particulates settling from the slurry to the dewatering section,
• at least one baffle positioned in the ash settling section extending across the width of the ash settling section and from a lower portion of the ash settling section within the water column retained in the ash settling section, the at least one baffle causing the flow of the slurry to move up and over an upper edge of the baffle, and
• the ash settling section including at least one array of stacked plates which generally overlie one another when viewed from the vertical direction.

A method of operating a power plant coal bottom ash transfer system having at least a first and a second boiler unit comprising the steps of:

• providing a remote submerged chain conveyor system located remotely from the first and the second boiler units and having a tank forming an ash holding section, a dewatering section, and an ash settling section, the ash holding section adapted for receiving the slurry and defining first and second opposite ends, the dewatering section extending from the first end of the ash holding section and including an incline for dewatering the slurry, the ash settling section extending from the second end of the ash holding section, the ash settling section in the form of an elongated trough connected with the ash holding section at a proximal end and having a discharge drain trough at near an opposite distal end, the ash holding section, the dewatering section, and the ash settling section being oriented in a generally linear arrangement wherein a net flow of water from the ash/water slurry is in a direction from the proximal end, through the ash settling section, toward the distal and, and out of the drain trough, and a drag chain moving along the bottom of the ash settling section and the ash holding section and along the dewatering section and conveying the particles settling from the slurry to the dewatering section,
• conveying bottom ash from the first boiler to the ash holding section,
• conveying bottom ash from the second boiler to the ash holding section, and
• operating the remote submerged chain conveyor to separate particulates from the slurry received from the first and the second boilers.