Remote submerged chain conveyor

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

• a tank forming a dewatering section, an ash holding section, a mixing section, and an ash settling section and configured for holding a water column extending across the dewatering section, the ash holding section, the mixing section, and the ash settling section,
• the ash holding section being 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 mixing section extending from a proximal end adjacent to the second end of the ash holding section to a distal end of the mixing section and including an agitator and a flocculant supply line configured for adding a flocculant promoting an agglomeration of particles into flocs;
• the ash settling section extending from an upstream end of the ash settling section at the distal end of the mixing section to a downstream end of the ash settling section and forming an elongated vessel with a discharge drain trough at near the downstream end, the dewatering section, the ash holding section, and the ash settling section being oriented in a generally linear arrangement with a net flow of water from the ash/water slurry occurring in a direction from the ash holding section, through the ash settling section, toward the downstream end, and out of the drain trough,
• a drag chain moving along the bottom of the ash settling section and of the ash holding section and along the incline of the dewatering section, in a direction from the ash settling section toward the dewatering section.