Application of Long-distance Conveying and Curved Rail Ship Loading System for Fly Ash

For coastal and riverside thermal power plants with convenient water transportation resources, waterborne shipment has become an effective and economical approach to enhance the resource utilization of fly ash. However, conventional transportation and ship loading systems are often confronted with prominent challenges, including limited conveying distance, frequent pipe blockage over long distances, severe pipe wear, poor adaptability to multiple vessel types, high dust emission, material spillage, and fuel-related pollution. To address these engineering problems, this paper presents an integrated system that combines double-pipe dense-phase pneumatic conveying and curved rail ship loading technology, based on a practical project of a 2×660 MW coal-fired power plant in Southeast Asia. The system adopts a two-stage closed pneumatic conveying process to realize stable long-distance transportation of fly ash from dust collectors to intermediate silos and then to wharf buffer tanks; meanwhile, the curved rail ship loader is adopted to achieve full-hold distribution, high efficiency, and environmental protection during ship loading operations. Engineering application results show that the integrated system features stable operation, high automation level, low energy consumption, and excellent environmental performance, which effectively eliminates dust and spillage and establishes a dual-channel utilization mode of waterborne shipment combined with land transportation. The system provides a reliable, economical, and replicable solution for fly ash disposal in coastal and riverside thermal power plants, and can also serve as a valuable reference for long-distance conveying and environment-friendly ship loading of granular and powdery materials in other related industries.