The pulverized coal boiler is the most common type of coal-burning furnace in the electric utility industry. After the pulverized coal is burned in a dry, bottom boiler, approximately 80 % of the unburned material or ash, gets captured and recovered as fly ash. The remaining 20% of ash is categorized as bottom ash that is collected in a water-filled hopper at the bottom of the furnace. When a sufficient amount of bottom ash is collected in the hopper, it is purged by high pressure water jets into sluiceways or other conveyances for further processing.
The high pressure water (approx. 400 PSI) is actually recycled ash water and is very abrasive. The valves and control systems used to move the bottom ash slurry are typically 3” to 12” double offset, high-performance butterfly valves. Rotary vane actuators provide “hysteresis-free” seating due to their single moving part and one piece vane and shaft design. When mounted to the butterfly valves with a no-play coupler, the valve disc is guaranteed to close tightly, without degradation over time. Additional benefits of using the vane actuator is that it is smooth, controlled closing to reduce the possibility of water hammer and the greater ability work in poor quality atmospheres, both of which are considerations for this application.