Bottom ash dewatering system using a remote submerged scraper conveyor

A bottom ash dewatering system for a boiler, comprising:

• a submerged scraper conveyor located remotely from the boiler, the submerged scraper conveyor comprising a horizontal section, a dewatering incline section, and a conveyor running through the horizontal and dewatering incline sections;
• a slurry processing system integrated with the horizontal section of the submerged scraper conveyor for receiving a bottom ash slurry discharge from a remotely located slurry outlet of the boiler, separating bottom ash and overflow water from the slurry discharge, delivering the separated ash onto the conveyor, and delivering the overflow water to an overflow water processing system;
• an ash hopper located under the boiler;
• a slurry discharge pipe adapted to deliver a wet ash slurry from the ash hopper into the horizontal section of the submerged scraper conveyor such that ash in the slurry can settle onto the conveyor;
• and
• a pump adapted to discharge the ash slurry through the slurry discharge pipe from the ash hopper to the horizontal section of the submerged scraper conveyor;
• wherein the slurry processing system comprises:
• an overflow trough system comprising a series of overflow troughs comprising a first overflow trough and a second overflow trough;
• and
• a weir system comprising a series of weirs comprising a first weir located in a first water flow direction between the horizontal section of the submerged scraper conveyor and the first overflow trough and a second weir located in a second water flow direction between the horizontal section of the submerged scraper conveyor and the second overflow trough;
• and
• wherein the horizontal section has a water line defining a level above which water in the horizontal section will flow through the weir system and into the overflow trough system, wherein the conveyor runs through the horizontal section at a level below the water line;
• wherein the slurry processing system further comprises an underflow baffle located over the conveyor within the horizontal section, wherein the underflow baffle is partially above the water line and extends downward to a position below the water line such that slurry received by the horizontal section is directed downwards by the underflow baffle toward the conveyor thereby allowing ash to settle out of the slurry by gravity while forcing water from the slurry to follow a tortuous path downward and then upward adjacent an outer surface of the underflow baffle and into the overflow water processing system.