BJD Hammermills pass the test for RWE

When RWE Power International’s Central Support Laboratories required a second coal crusher for its test lab near to Drax Power Station, North Yorkshire, they opted for a 15x8 Hammermill package from BJD Crushers Ltd.

The UKAS accredited laboratories provide RWE, and other power station operators throughout the UK, with an accurate assessment of the composition and quality of many fuel types including coal, biomass and fuel oils. Results are then used for determining power plant efficiencies, commercial settlements on fuel procurement and emissions monitoring. RWE laboratories also provide analysis of ash, water, transformer and lubrication oils.

The fuel analysis laboratory, which provides coal analysis and sample preparation for coal-fired plants, was already successfully operating a 15x8 BJD Hammermill for the reduction of 50mm dry coal down to 1.3mm. The latest machine, designed to process moist coal, is mounted as a portable package for ease of cleaning and maintenance whilst also enabling the crusher to be readily utilised in other areas of the laboratory.

Moist coal, manually fed from 40kg tubs into a hopper, is elevated by conveyor to the rigid hammer crusher that is fitted with a grinding path to achieve a less than 10mm product. Processing moist coal means that the feed system and the interior of the crusher have to be thoroughly cleaned between each batch to avoid any cross contamination. The BJD 15x8 has the advantage of its upper frame being hinged to the lower frame, so that it can be opened by hand in order to expose the rotor and internals of the machine. Additionally, the wheel-mounted crusher package can easily be manoeuvred into position and is fitted with interlocks to ensure that the unit can only be moved when the rotor has come to a complete stop.

Following reduction in the BJD Hammermill, the crushed coal is further reduced down to a particle size of 212microns in grinding mills. The sample is then bottled ready for chemical analysis which will determine properties such as ash content, CV, sulphur, moisture, volatiles and chemical constituents.