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Bucketwheel Reclaimer Automation

Problem

Manual reclaim control of bucketwheel reclaimers is challenging due to the changing pile conditions, which can result in machine overloading and shutdown. Aware of the consequences of a machine overload shutdown, operators are conservative in their loading approach, resulting in significant underloading of equipment.

The depth of the cut must be optimized to avoid undercutting, resulting in a low reclaim rate, or overcutting, resulting in overloads, shutdown and increased wear. The depth of the cut is determined by the advance, or traverse, of the machine along its track (see Figure). Operators must judge the traverse manually in order to achieve the best possible cut. There is typically wide variation amongst the operators in their ability to do this. Automation of the bucketwheel allows all operators to produce at levels close to that of the ideal operator.

The Solution

Universal Dynamics, working closely with terminal staff and operations personnel, has developed and implemented a system that allows the machine to reclaim, largely without operator intervention. The system automatically advances the machine, controls slew (reclaim) speed, optimizes turnarounds and deals automatically with difficult pile conditions such as hard pack coal and pile slides. The system maximizes the reclaim rate while controlling these aspects of the operation.

Result

With the system in place, the machine reclaims with little operator intervention. Coal is reclaimed at the maximum rate the machine can physically handle. The system recognized pile slumps quickly and adjusts to avoid overloads. It anticipates pile end conditions and accomplishes turnarounds with minimum time loss. Past experience has shown that machine efficiency can be more than doubled with automatic control. Additionally, smoother loading of the equipment ensures reduced maintenance costs.