Preparation Of Treated Coal For Market

5. Taff Merthyr Colliery - Preparation of treated coal for market
Raw and washed coal are blended, tested and loaded to rail transport.

Taff Merthyr Colliery preparation of treated coal for market

The principal product of the mine is stored in the raw coal and clean coal blending bunkers, which are large cylindrical steel containers with conical bottoms. Clean coal and raw coal are tipped in at the top from AA312 and AA313 and removed at the bottom on AA320 and AA319 respectively. An air blaster is used to free any blockage at the bunker outlets. The two output conveyors tip clean and raw coal onto AA321, thence to AA322 and into a transfer house. In this building are facilities to remove and crush samples of blended coal, then deliver them down a chute to ground level where there is a small testing laboratory  (plate 14). An hourly programme of monitoring the product quality, particularly for its ash and moisture content, is carried out, unsatisfactory results necessitating, for example, speed adjustments of the ro-pro screens or variation in the quantity of material recycled in the system before output to the blending bunkers. From the sampler house, AA401 carries coal to the rapid-loading bunker where it is transferred to AA402. This conveyor is mounted on a travelling tippler, running on rails, (plate 15) which allows coal to be dropped in each of the three glass-tile lined, 700tonnes capacity bunkers. Daily, a train of 28 hopper wagons is loaded with approximately 900t of coal for transport to Aberthaw power station, some 35km to the south.

Taff Merthyr Colliery preparation of treated coal for market diagram

Taff Merthyr Colliery Process Recording Links:
1. Raising coal and stone extraction
2. Preliminary coal grading
3. Raw coal treatment (washing)
4. Fines separation
5. Preparation of treated coal for market
6. Shale disposal and reclamation of surface water
7. Identification of principal surface features
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