Dominion Virginia Power’s Mt. Storm Station in West Virginia uses a wide range of belt conveyors to transport coal throughout the million kilowatt producing installation. The bulk handling system installed by Jervis B. Webb Company handles 8,000 tons of coal per day or 3,000,000 tons per year. The capacity of this system might seem amazing when it comes to coal handling but the information provided is 100% true. The bulk handling system begins at the coal car weighing and dumping station where the car moves onto the weigh scale. After weighing, the train car discharges its load by means of a rotary coal dumper, which inverts the car over a two compartment, 225-ton capacity hopper. This hopper feeds onto a 48-inch, dual speed underground belt conveyor. The conveyor carries the coal into a nearby structure for crushing, iron separation, and sampling. The coal is then deposited on a 54-inch belt conveyor, moved to the stackout tower, and then onto the ready pile. Loads of coal delivered by trucks are weighed and then unloaded into one of the double compartment hoppers, each having a capacity of over 100 tons. The two double compartment hoppers release coal at a rate of 700 tons per hour over vibrating feeders onto the 48-inch belt. Coal is then transported to a crusher located adjacent to the crushers used for rail delivery. After crushing, the coal is conveyed to the stackout boom and deposited onto the ready pile. The key to efficient coal handling at Mt. Storm station is the 54-inch stackout boom. Webb engineers incorporated sensing devices on the boom, which cause it to swivel automatically to clear piled coal or shut down if it approached coal piled at a higher level than expected. A tie up mast is provided to park the boom during severe storms. It can be operated while secured to the tie up mast, thus permitting the unloading of coal at all times. The entire unit is rail mounted, which makes the whole bulk handling operation even more amazing. At the time of its construction, the Mt. Storm station was designed to turn out twice the electrical power of any other generating plant in operation in the United States.
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