DTEK Pavlohradska CPP coal processors repair Section No.1 equipment without stopping the production process on the second section. Major repairs have been conducted simultaneously on two sections. One section has got the elevator wheel of the separator replaced in the coal processing building. In parallel, the second one has got an automatic process control system put in place to operate the process equipment while coal concentrate is being loaded into railway cars. DTEK has allocated UAH 11.4 million for the purchase of new state-of-the-art equipment for Pavlohradska coal processors so that the plant can run smoothly and provide Ukrainian TPPs with high-quality coal concentrate.
An SKVP-32 heavy-media separator is a coal processing device separating coal from rock. The elevator wheel is its important element, which unloads the rock from the separator. Up to 200 tons of rock pass through it every hour. Having operated for almost three years, the elevator wheel got physically worn out and had to be replaced. This work was performed by the crew led by Yuriy Maidebura.
"The wheel has considerable dimensions: it is 5.5 meters in diameter and weighs 8.5 tons. That is why transporting it across the coal processing plant building up to the point of installation with the other equipment in operation proved to be quite a challenge. In some places, the clearances in the aisles were only two centimeters, so we had to work with maximum accuracy. Despite all the difficulties, our team accomplished this task efficiently and quickly. Instead of 32 hours scheduled for this repair, we managed to complete it much faster - in 24 hours. After all, it was clear to all the guys that the country needs our coal, so the factory must work at full capacity", said Yuriy Maidebura, main production system operator.
At the same time, work has been underway to integrate the company's new automatic control system with the equipment of the loading section where the plant's coal concentrate gets into the cars. This work is part of the MODUS project, a strategic initiative aimed at digitalising production processes, which is being implemented at DTEK's companies.
During the year, the plant installed: rangefinders and video cameras, which will automatically determine the carrying capacity of a car based on its number and check it against the Ukrzaliznytsia database; new control rooms and monitors to visualise the entire production process of loading coal concentrate into cars; computerised scales with two platforms. In order to operate shunting devices, feeders and other auxiliary equipment, new cabinets with programmable logic controllers manufactured by SIEMENS have been installed. During the repair, all power equipment was disconnected from the mains, then rewired to fit the modified scheme and connected to the new system. At first, all coal loading units will operate in the test mode under remote control. The system will be set up and switched to the automatic mode. All data on the number and weight of railway cars is computerized and will be automatically entered into a database as soon as available.
“As a socially responsible business, DTEK creates safer and more comfortable working conditions for our team, which is why it invests in the latest technologies. This project will enable us to load railway cars to full capacity quicker and reduce the impact of the human factor, help us utilise the rail transport system rationally, minimise the intervention of the weighers in the loading process, and eliminate the need to spend time entering data manually", said Maksym Izhboldin, Deputy Chief Automation Engineer.
Until the end of the year, Pavlohradska CPP plans to purchase two additional screens, more than ten pumps for the production processes, centrifuge rotors, more than 2.6 km of conveyor belt etc. In addition, routine maintenance of the equipment will be conducted to keep production capacities up and running and overhauls of buildings and structures will be carried out. The company will spend more than UAH 64 million on this.
Today, the plant processes an average of 18.3 thousand tons of coal per day and sends it to ten Ukrainian coal-fired power plants.