Coal Handling & Storage 2014

St. Louis readies for two-day conference and exhibition spotlighting transport products, technology

By Donna Schmidt, Field Editor

The handling of material, as well as storage technologies, is integral to the grand infrastructure that makes up the coal and overall mining markets – and keeping tabs on the tomorrows of the industry is top priority.

Taking its place at the center of that is Coal Handling and Storage 2014, returning for its fourth year to the St. Louis Union Station Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, October 20-22. Appropriately themed “Eyeing the Future,” the event has grown from a coal-focused conference and exhibition to include lime/limestone, biomass, coal ash, and pet coke, and expanded topics such as safety, emergency response and environmental considerations.

At the core of this important annual conference is its impressive, diverse educational program for professionals focused on the handling of coal from mine to market. Revised to meet the broadened scope of the event, attendees will have the opportunity to listen to more comprehensive content that will provide a deeper understanding of bulk material handling in the coal industry and beyond.

Beginning on Monday, October 20, attendees can attend workshops on a variety of topics, from a full-day seminar entitled NIBA: Track, Train and Troubleshoot, offered by representatives of Shaw Almex Industries, Richwood and Flexco, to half-day sessions by Martin Engineering on its Foundations operations and maintenance training, or emergency response, an afternoon session being hosted by Hazard Control Technology.

A keynote session has been planned for the following day; Lessons Learned from the Heavy Demand of the Past Winter will be offered by invited panelists including Warren Wood, vice president of external affairs and communications for Ameren; Dan Thompson, vice president of coal for Dynegy; and individuals from Westar Energy and Kinder Morgan.

The remainder of the conference portion of Coal Handling and Storage has been organized into two tracks. Each 60- to 90-minute group of presentations allows attendees to move from session to session, to whatever piques their interest, and sessions are held throughout the day on October 21 and 22, concurrent with exhibit floor hours (for show floor times, see Conference Agenda on the coming pages).

A few of the many highly anticipated papers offered on October 21: The Use of Chemical Compounds to Control Dust In-Transit, Maintain Coal Quality and Fight Spontaneous Combustion by Trey Cranfill of AKJ Industries, part of the Environmental Considerations (1A) track; A Story of Success – Posimetric Feeders Drastically Reducing Coal Dust Spillage by Bob Chase of Terrasource and Ingo Wiedenhuesof CCC Group under the Conveyor Systems II track (1C); and Coal Reclaim Feeder Design Considerations by Dustin Doerr and Mike Stock from CDG Engineers, scheduled to lead off the Stockpile Management track (2C).

On the second day of the two-day conference portion, SABIA Operations Director Nichelle Worthington will present Understanding the Use of PGNA Analyzers at Coal Mines and Loadout Facilities in the Fuel Quality, Characteristics and Blending track (1D); and Improving Your Organization’s Ability to Prevent Life-altering Injuries and Other Catastrophic Events by Michael Hajaistron of BST will kick off the Safety First I track (2D). The Fugitive Dust track (1E) will include Dust Suppression Best Practices by Bruce Dantoin of Wisconsin Public Service, Mike McBride of NIPSCO and Jon Krasnowski of Benetech, and Unique Approach to Coal Mill Protection will be presented by Geoff Greene from Westar Energy and Michael Shared from MillPro during the Safety First II track (2E).

The last two session tracks, Inland and Blue Water Ports and Terminals (3E) and Coal Ash (3D) will include, respectively, Inland Ports and Terminals by Aimee Andres of Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals and Ash Systems: Wet-to-Dry Conversions, A Case Study by Kevin McDonough and Gerald Cone of United Conveyor Corp.

For a complete list of the paper presentations, check out the conference agenda on page 29. More information on the presenters is available at www.coalhandlingshow.com. 

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Air-Cure-Booth 514

Air-Cure engineers, manufactures, and provides turnkey solutions for combustible and fugitive dust control, RCD’s, achieving low PM 2.5 emissions, dust treatment and disposal, with more than 40 years of industry experience.

ASGCO-Booth 112

ASGCO has used engineered products and services for provide its customers with the best solutions to their conveyor material handling applications by eliminating carry-back, material spillage and dust in the transfer points, and ensuring proper conveyor belt tracking throughout the conveyor system. Combined with a national network of distributors, they provide custom engineering and design to meet specific conveyor needs, along with installation and maintenance programs that will streamline operations by increasing production uptime and lowering costs.

Bedeschi America-Booth 301

Bedeschi is one of the oldest companies in Europe for heavy clay, bulk handling and crushing equipment manufacturing. For more than a century, the company has been supplying raw material handling equipment and services around the world. Bedeschi designs and manufactures industrial equipment to fit the specific needs of its clients. It’s line of products encompasses apron feeders, crushers, stackers (linear and circular), reclaimers (linear, circular and blending), ship loaders and ship unloaders; all equipped to handle a wide range of raw materials from extremely hard, dry materials to wet and sticky ones.

Belt Conveyor Guarding-Booth 309

Belt Conveyor Guarding specializes in the design and manufacture of safety guarding solutions. It provides customized products and services that have been engineered to eliminate workplace injuries while improving productivity. Its customers include some of the world’s largest users of bulk material handling equipment in the steel manufacturing, power generation, mining and cement/aggregate/ready mix industries. They benefit by eliminating workplace injuries; improving productivity; decreasing fines, citations and costly shutdowns; and ensuring compliance. In addition to site assessments and sales, Belt Conveyor Guarding also works with MSHA, OSHA and various Canadian Ministries of Labour to further the drive for safety in the workplace.

Belt Tech Industrial-Booth 211

For more than 20 years, Belt Tech Industrial has been recognized as an expert in conveyor system sales and service. It has established a reputation for maintaining a large inventory of conveyor belting and components to decrease costly downtime. Experts in all facets of conveyor systems, the company can provide solutions to improve productivity and performance. BTI’s service department is unparalleled in commitment to quality and safety. BTI’s factory-trained technicians are MSHA and OSHA certified, available to handle conveyor belt installation and vulcanizing needs. They provide pulley re-lagging, belt winding, component installation and any other conveyor maintenance.

Benetech-Booth 401

Bruks Rockwood-Booth 210

Brucks Rockwood is a global leader in designing, installing and maintaining bulk material handling systems for the paper, energy, port terminal and minerals industries. Its innovative designs help manufacturers move their bulk materials more efficiently with automated systems that reduce labor and equipment costs, reduce product waste/loss, improve the quality of the delivered material, and reduce ongoing maintenance costs in harsh environments.

CCC Group-Booth 110

CDG Engineers-Booth 607

CDG Engineers is a full-service engineering design firm with broad experience in coal handling and processing. CDG Engineers has designed extensive systems for conveying, overland transportation, unloading operations, rail spurs, crushing, dust control, barge operations, and other processes. For existing operations, CDG Engineers has provided civil engineering, infrastructure improvements, ARC flash studies, structural analysis, operational audits, and systems reviews.

Coal Handling Solutions-Booth 505

Coal Handling Solutions (CHS) owns and operates four coal-handling facilities in the mid-Atlantic region. The facilities unload, store, and deliver coal to day bins or bunkers for industrial coal consumers in the chemical, lime and paper industries. CHS is a joint venture owned and operated by Alpha Natural Resources and PVR Coal Operating, a subsidiary of Regency Energy Partners, with an objective to own and operate coal material handling and similar facilities.

Coalfield Connection (sponsor)

Coalfield Connection is direct mailed to mining, power generation plants, and supporting businesses six times per year. The user-friendly directory is arranged by product or category.

Cone Drive Gearing Solutions-Booth 206

Specializing in partial and complete rebuilds, extended service contracts, and on-site service, Cone Drive Gearing Solutions can rebuild it with the people who know it best. It doesn’t matter if a gearbox has been in service for five years or 25 years, they will rebuild it with Cone Drive approved parts and workmanship that miners have come to trust. The company’s services include remanufacturing and repair; preventative maintenance plans; vibration analysis; video scope inspection; inspection reports; oil analysis; technical assistance; spare parts sales; rebuilds with warranty; reverse engineering and manufacture; and field service.

Dalian SDA Heavy Indutries-Booth 306

Engart Global-Booth 504

Flexco – Booth 212

Flexco will be showcasing transfer chutes for the coal handling and storage industry, as well as products that work in conjunction with the chutes, such as belt cleaners, and their impact on dust generation, including Tasman Warajay Technology. The booth will be staffed by product experts who will identify ways to improve safety, efficiency and productivity at today’s coal-handling operations.

Ford Steel Co.-Booth 305

General Kinematics-Booth 307

For more than 50 years, General Kinematics has led the industry in vibratory and vibrating process equipment innovation. GK’s core strengths rest in its ability to create energy efficient, high-quality vibratory mining equipment to solve the toughest of process problems. General Kinematics’ proven track record can be found in its extensive vibratory installation base of more than 40,000 units in 35 countries. GK stands behind all of its vibratory process equipment, with unmatched after-sales service and support throughout its global network.

Heyl & Patterson-Booth 406

For 127 years, Heyl & Patterson has been trusted for high-volume coal handling worldwide. The company manufactures specialized bulk material unloading equipment, including rotary railcar dumpers, continuous bucket and grab bucket barge unloaders, railcar positioning systems and barge hauls, plus products that augment its machines, such as weigh scales, hammermills, railcar ejectors and train holding devices. It provides innovative, cost-effective solutions with built-in flexibility for safe, energy-efficient unloading. Heyl & Patterson also offers a complete line of replacement parts and upgrades, regardless of the original manufacturer.

ITW Polymers Adhesives-Booth 503

ITW Polymers Adhesives North America carries the Devcon product line for all tough wear and abrasion problems, including the Devcon R-Flex Belt Repair Kit. R-Flex is a unique self-leveling urethane with superior strength and adhesion that fully cures in just 90 minutes. R-Flex belt repair kit comes in two sizes, 4 lb and 1.5 lb. ITW also offers Devcon DFense Blok and Wear Guard beaded epoxy wearing compounds to protect pipe elbow, chutes, screw conveyors and more.

JVI Vibratory Equipment-Booth 508

JVI Vibratory Equipment manufactures heavy-duty electromechanical feeders, electromagnetic feeders, vibratory screens, vibratory grizzlies, and the Titan Railcar Unloading System – all designed specifically to meet the exact application requirements. JVI’s sister company, NAVCO, manufactures a broad range of complimentary pneumatic piston vibrators, railside car shakers, jolt tables, and overhead car shakers field proven in the coal industry.

Kinder Morgan Engineering & Conveying-Booth 310

Kinder Morgan Engineering & Conveying is an engineering, design and fabrication firm for bulk material handling systems. Those systems included in-plant conveyors, overland conveyors, floating conveyors, ship loaders, barge unloaders, radial stackers, portable conveyors, and other related bulk materials handling equipment.

Martin Engineering-Booth 102

Martin Engineering is actively taking precautions to prevent injuries and keep people from harm’s way while servicing belt cleaners. Martin’s new Safe-to-Service Belt Cleaner allows for all service to take place safely outside of the chute. The cleaner is designed to disengage from the tensioner, allowing the blade cartridge to be pulled outside of the conveyor. Once the blade is serviced, simply push the cartridge back into position and engage the tensioner. Martin offers a full line of transfer point solutions to aid in belt support, belt sealing, and tail pulley protection.

Midwest Industrial Supply-Booth 308

Stronger than other polymers on the market and more environmentally sound than other sealing methods, Midwest’s certified and proven coal sealants – Soil-Sement Engineered Formula and Soil-Sement – provide a solid seal that prevents coal-pile moisture content from increasing. They also eliminate other coal pile management issues including airflow, hot spots, and erosion so the calorific value of stored coal can be maintained.

Monday, October 20

8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

NIBA: Track, Train & Troubleshoot Workshop

Facilitators: Mike Cremeens, Shaw Almex Industries Ltd., George Houston, Richwood and Dick McConnell, Flexco

8 a.m. – noon

Martin Engineering Foundations, Operations and Maintenance Workshop

Facilitators: Jerad Heitzler, Martin Engineering

1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Emergency Response Workshop

Facilitator: Justin Clift, Hazard Control Technology

 

Tuesday, October 21

8:30 -10 a.m.

Keynote Session: Theme/Lessons Learned from the Heavy Demand of the Past Winter panelists invited include Warren Wood, VP external affairs and communications, Ameren, Dan Thompson, VP coal, Dynegy; Westar Energy; Kinder Morgan

Session Chair: Steve Fiscor, Editor and Chief, Coal Age magazine

10:30 a.m. – noon

Track I: Environmental Considerations (1A)

The Use of Chemical Compounds to Control Dust In-Transit, Maintain Coal Quality and Fight Spontaneous Combustion by Trey Cranfill of marketing and research & development, AKJ Industries

Power Plant Coal Handling Dust Control Improvements by Mark Rieske, PE, project manager, CDG Engineers

Minnesota Power Bio Mass/Wood Chips Session by invited speaker

Session Chair: George Houston, Richwood

Track II: Coal Loading & Unloading (2A)

Automation in High Capacity Bulk Materials Handling by Branco Lalik, product line manager of surface materials handling, Sandvik Mining Systems

Variety of Choice in Domestic River Barge Unloading by Alfred Midgley, VP, Heyl & Patterson Inc.

Fast Unloading of Coal and Other Fuels from Rail Cars by George Dumbaugh, PE, president, Kinergy

Session Chair: Jim Wikens, CCC Group Inc.

2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Track I: Conveyor Systems I –

Operations Maintenance (1B)

Carryback Analysis at a PRB Coal Mine: Lessons Learned by Richard Shields, Martin Engineering

Specifying Belt Cleaners with CEMA Standard 576 by Paul Patton, senior manager, Richwood

Session Chair: Gerry Cohen, estimating manager, Dearborn Mid-West Conveyor Co.

Track II: Stockpile Management –

Strategic Issues (2B)

Panel Discussion – Invited panelists include: Kriss Miller, production manager, Hoosier Energy Merom Generating Station, and Steve Gartin, operations manager, Savage

Session Chair: John Fillion, principle, CDG Engineers

4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Track I: Conveyor Systems II –

Retrofits and New Facilities (1C)

A Story of Success – Posimetric Feeders Drastically Reducing Coal Dust Spillage by Bob Chase, engineer, Terrasource, and Ingo Wiedenhues, VP, western region, CCC Group Inc.

Best Practices for Coal Dust Control at Belt Conveyor Loading Zones by Greg Bierie, manager, project sales, Martin Engineering

Session Chair: Gary J. Griffin, PE, director of business development, east & south, material handling, Varo Engineers Inc.

Track II: Stockpile Management –

Operations & Maintenance (2C)

Coal Reclaim Feeder Design Considerations by Dustin Doerr, PE, Mike Stock, PE, CDG Engineers

Biomass Fuel Storage and Blending – Options for Quality by Randy L. Shepler, design build manager, CCC Group Inc.

Session Chair: Casey Danner, GM, Savage

 

Wednesday, October 22

8:30 -10 a.m.

Track I: Fuel Quality, Characteristics & Blending (1D)

Diversion Technology in Coal-Handling Applica-tions by Bruce McMurray, applications specialist, Flexco, and Mike Schimmelpfennig, Consulting Engineer, Ameren

Understanding the use of PGNA Analyzers at Coal Mines and Loadout Facilities by Nichelle Worthington, director of operations, SABIA

5000 Stockpile Measurements from the Field to the CFO in 24 Hours – with an iPhone? by David Boardman, CEO, Stockpile Reports

Track II: Safety First I (2D)

Improving Your Organization’s Ability to Prevent Life-Altering Injuries and Other Catastrophic Events by Michael Hajaistron, VP, BST

Protecting Prep Plant Control Rooms with Hybrid Inert Gas/Water Mist Fire Suppression Systems by Chris Yoder, director of products, Pillar Innovations, and Bob Ballard, senior project engineer – technical leader, Victaulic

Aftermarket to Safety and Profitability by Don Brogdon, equipment mech., Savage Services

Session Chair: Greg Bierie, Martin Engineering

10:30 a.m. – noon

Track I: Fugitive Dust (1E)

Hazards Associated with Coal Handling and Processing: Combustible Dust by Jay Juvenal, sales engineer, CV Technology

Dust Suppression in Coal Handling Applications by Mike Lewis, sales rep, Dust Control Technology

Dust Suppression Best Practices by Bruce, Dantoin, Wisconsin Public Service, and Mike McBride, NIPSCO, and Jon Krasnowski, director of sales, Benetech

Session Chairs: Lynn Martin, sales/marketing at Fine Circuits Inc. / Jon Krasnowski, director of sales, Benetech

Track II: Safety First II (2E)

Material Handling Emergency Response Preparedness: Bulk Storage Hazards, Best Practices, Incident Reviews and Lesson Learned by Justin Clift, HCT industrial ER consultant, Hazard Control Technologies

Guarding Equipment by Chris Allen, sales coordinator, Belt Conveyor Guarding

Unique Approach To Coal Mill Protection by Geoff Greene, operations superintendent, Westar Energy, and Michael Shared, director of operations, MillPro

Session Chair: Justin Clift, HCT industrial ER ronsultant, Hazard Control Technologies

1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Inland and Blue Water Ports and Terminals (3E)

Inland Ports and Terminals by Aimee Andres, administrative coordinator of Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals Inc.

Blue Water Port Development by invited speaker

Impact of Panama Canal Expansion by invited speaker

Session Chair: TBD

Coal Ash (3D)

Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) Handling and Transport Options by David Lodewyck, PE, project engineer, CDG Engineers, and Mike Schimmelpfennig, consulting engineer, Ameren

Pending CCR Regulations and Wet to Dry Ash Handling Equipment by Zachary Bahr, PE, senior mechanical engineer, Energy Global Practice, Burns & McDonnell

Ash Systems – Wet-to-Dry Conversions, Case Study by Kevin McDonough, vice president – sales and marketing, and Gerald Cone, North American sales manager, United Conveyor Corp.

Session Chair: Cory Hansen, Burns & McDonnell

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