James Proctor

Proctor
Chain Grate Stoker

Installation
Operating & Maintenance
Manual

James Proctor Ltd.

PO Box 19
Cow Lane
Burnley
BB11 1NN
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1282 453816
Fax: +44 (0)1282 416178
E-mail: info@jamesproctor.com
Web site: www.jamesproctor.com

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 Leaders in Solid Fuel Solutions Since 1875

Section I

Installation Instructions

Procedure of Installation
1. Marking off of flue and welding in position of the stoker and arch
supporting material to the details given.

2. Installation of the stoker arches.

3. Fitting of stokers.

4. Packing and bolting up of stoker.

5. Fitting of Forced Draught fan.

6. Connecting up of electrical equipment.

Installing Stoker
Care should be taken that the 460mm long stoker support ledges are correctly
positioned, and we suggest that the horizontal flue centre lines be marked off
first and the supporting ledges welded into position; they should be level both
along and across the flue, and these should be checked with a spirit level
prior to final welding.

With these supports in position, the 65mm x 13mm arch supports can be
correctly positioned 285mm above the first stoker supports and then the16mm
bolt blanks with washers can be welded into position.

Installation of Stoker Arches

One set of arch formers suitable for the particular stoker size are supplied.
This arch former should be assembled complete with the 267mm long
support. These will enable the arch former to be supported from the stoker, it
will then only be necessary to centralise the arch former with the vertical
centre line of the flue. The `plastic` refractory should be used just moist
enough to bind together, and should be packed between the wooden flats and
the flue itself. The `plastic` should be packed and rammed securely in place,
working each side of the arch from the 65mm x 13mm support plates. As the
arch is built up from these plates, the 25mm square wooden strips are added
round the former. The top few centimetres of the arch can be rammed
securely in place from each end, the outer edges then being smoothed off

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level with the front f the flue. The arch is then complete and should be left to
dry out with the formers in place, for a minimum period of 12 hours.

Alternatively, cast refractory cement fire bricks can be used to form the
ignition arch.

Fitting of Stokers
After the completion of the arches the boiler is ready for the installation of the
stoker. The stoker should be moved on the trolleys squarely to the front of the
flue, then raised up by means of the lifting screws on the trolleys until the
bottom of the air box is 6mm higher than the top of the ledges in the flue.
Block and tackle chains should then be wrapped round the front cross angle
of the stoker, and the rear chains attached to the shackles on the front stoker
supports in the flue; the stoker can then be drawn directly into the flue on the
trolleys until the rear trolley is as near to the boiler as possible. The stoker can
be lowered on to the ledges and the rear trolley removed; the stoker can then
be pulled onto the flue on the supporting ledges and the front trolley. The
stoker should then be pulled into the boiler within approx. 300mm of the boiler
flue projection. The 50mm dia. soft ceramic rope should then be packed
between the arch in the hopper and the arch in the boiler flue. Also between
the door bolted to the uptake duct and the flue, we suggest that the packing
be thin, say using 40mm x 3mm ladder tape. The hopper hook bolts can then
be fitted onto the clip and used to draw in the stoker and bolt it up securely.

Packing of the Stoker Sides

It is now necessary to pack the sides of the stoker i.e. between the side seal
bars and the flue with either one or two twisted strands of the 50mm dia.
ceramic rope. The rope should be securely rammed home and special care
should be taken to fill in the gaps local to any boiler hoops. Castable
refractory should then be laid over the ceramic rope to finish the sealing of the
stoker sides.

Fitting of Forced Draught Fans

The forced draught fans can be bolted in position, the joint with the ducting of
the stoker to be sealed with ladder tape.

Electric Wiring and Connections

Check all voltages on FD Fans etc. before connecting supply. Consideration
should be given to the use of plug and socket connections local to the stoker
for FD Fan, stoker motor, feeder motor and motorised damper modulating
motor as this will later assist facilities for maintenance and repair. A wiring
diagram is included with the stoker.

Connecting of Motorised Under Grate Damper

The under grate modulating motor needs to be bolted to the mounting bracket
on the uptake duct. The electrical connections then need to be wired from the
motor back to the panel and tested to confirm that the motor runs in the
correct direction which is clock wise to open the damper and anti-clockwise to
close the damper. This can be done by setting the steam controller to manual

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position and moving the firing rate between 0% and 100%. The limits of the
motor have to be set accordingly to suit the amount of travel of the damper
arm. There is a linkage provided which consists of a 10mm dia. rod and two
uniball linkages which provide a connection to the damper arm and the
modulating motor shaft. It is important that they are not connected until the
limits of travel between the motor and damper have been confirmed otherwise
damage may occur to the motor after connection to the damper. Once this has
been confirmed then the linkage can be connected to both the damper and
the motor.

SECTION II

GENERAL REMARKS

A. The clutch on the stoker should be set lightly, in accordance with our usual
instructions, so that any stoppage on the stoker chain will show up
immediately. Should any stoppage occur it is only necessary to slacken off the
clutch and allow the stoker motor to run in the usual way while the stoppage
on the stoker is investigated.
B. During normal operating conditions only approximately one-third of the
chain is in actual contact with the fuel bed at any particular time. The links
being of thin, deep section, this facilitates the cooling by the combustion air
resulting in low maintenance costs.
C. The coal hopper is designed that the fuel is fed to the grate surface without
packing, and in conjunction with the rotary feeder gives a level fuel bed with
minimum of resistance to air flow. This ability to carry thin fuel beds with low
under-grate air pressure gives the stoker a wide range of operating
conditions, and at normal burning rates the possibility of carry-over of grits
with the gas stream is reduced.
D. For best combustion conditions the fuel should be just burnt out as it
reaches the end of the grate. As an operational check if the ash coming off the
end of the stoker is viewed via the small sight hole in the ash door, and a
check made on the CO2, to ensure there is no undue excess air, it is possible
to gauge fairly accurately the C02 by the light reflected from the bridge wall at
the back of the stoker. The higher the C02 the brighter the bridge wall
appears, and experiments should be carried out to get the brightest reflection
from the bridge wall consistent with no unburned fuel passing over the rear of
the grate.
Dealing with the actual ignition on a chain grate it is interesting to note the
following ignition temperatures of the following fuels which are present in the
burning of coal.

Fuel Ignition Temperature °C

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Carbon-in bituminous coals 408°
Carbon—in anthracite coals 496°
Returning now to the combustion on the grate, the volatile gases in the fuel
are released under the ignition arch and with bituminous fuels the quantity
produced is sufficient to maintain the arch at the temperature necessary to
give satisfactory ignition. In addition, the moisture present in the fuel is dried
off by the radiation as the fuel enters the furnace. Once this volatile matter is
released the fuel left on the grate is mainly solid carbon which relies on actual
contact with the primary air for complete combustion. It will be seen therefore,
that the two main factors (excluding swelling and caking properties of the fuel)
which decide the burning rate are; (a) moisture content;(b) volatile content.
Moisture in a bituminous fuel, especially that containing a high percentage of
fines, helps to bind the fines together and thus results in reducing the fuel bed
resistance. This, in turn, reduces the amount of fines blown from the grate into
the gas stream, which is the case with dry fine fuels. For best results the
moistened fuel should ball together when squeezed in the hand, this being
roughly equivalent to 10 per cent. free moisture content.
Another point to be considered is that the moisture itself has to be evaporated
and as in all boiler installations the exit gas temperatures are considerably
above 100° C., this water is passed up the stack as steam and gives a loss,
the loss of heat due to water in flue being 587 kcal/kg of water.
With a normal bituminous fuel the loss due to the actual moisture and the
hydrogen in the fuel which combines with the oxygen to form water, is
between 222-278 kcal/kg. The gross calorific value assumes that all the heat
in the fuel is utilized in the boiler, whereas the nett calorific value makes
allowance for this loss due to moisture being lost in the flue gases as steam.
The “Proctor” chain grate stoker with a normal free burning bituminous slack
the maximum continuous burning rate is in the region of 171-220 kg/m2 of
grate area per hour. With the low volatile fuels this maximum burning rate is in
the region of 146-171 kg/m2. With anthracite (up to 9.5mm – 12.7mm
maximum size) the maximum burning rate 98-107 kg/m2, with coke breeze
(up to 60 per cent. through 3mm mesh, minimum volatile 2 per cent.) burning
rate approximately 98 kg/m2.
It will be noted from our usual specification that the maximum size of fuel
should be approximately 32mm, and another factor influencing this maximum
burning rate is the actual size of the fuel itself. We have already pointed out
that burning of the fuel on the grate is dependent upon the contact between
the air and the fuel, i.e., the greater the surface area the quicker it will burn.
Within limits the chain grate lends itself readily to this as the rotary feeder can
easily be adjusted to give a fire bed having a suitable resistance to the air flow
depending upon the size of the fuel. An example is that 25mm, graded nuts
would require a fuel bed in the region of 175mm, compared with a 100mm,
bed with 12mm, washed slack.
For bituminous fuels the general specification is that they should have free
burning or medium caking characteristics, the maximum size not exceeding
38mm. with not more than about 35 per cent. through 3mm mesh, the ash
content being not less than 7 -8 per cent.
Ash Content. With any type of firing equipment the grate surface should be
protected from the furnace gases after the combustible has burnt away. Thus
the percentage of ash in the fuel is most important as the ash gives this
protective layer. The continued use of coals containing a lower percentage of
ash than that recommended will inevitably result in overheating of the furnace
ironwork.

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 SECTION III

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE

PROCTOR CHAIN GRATE STOKER

No. 1
Prior to starting up the boiler plant, it is, of course, essential to ensure that
all the preliminary cheeks have been carried out on the boiler plant.
The following points concerning actual stoker installation should be observed:
(A) That the arches inside the boiler do not protrude on the grate and that the
refractory is level inside.
(B) The sides of the grates are adequately sealed off by soft twisted ceramic
rope and sealed on top, with castable refractory.
(C) It is essential that the stoker grate is level in the flue and a check should
be carried out with a spirit level across the width of the grate to ascertain
that the stoker and supports have been correctly installed
(D) The clutch on the chain grate should be slacked off completely and the
grate turned by hand using the handle on the square of the worm shaft,
this ensures that the grate is quite free. At the same time the tension
screws fitted to the front shaft bearings should be checked to ascertain
that the tension on the grate is the minimum necessary, without bunching
up of the links at the front. Undue tension will result in increased load on
the driving gear and excessive wear on the links and the stoker chassis.
(E) A routine check should be made to ascertain that the oil level in the stoker
worm drive and the stoker motor gearbox is correct and that all the
lubricating points have had attention.
(F) The stoker drive clutch, comprises of a plate with a friction disc held in
position by a spring, and is situated on the front end of the worm shaft.
The compression on the spring should now be set so that the grate will
just drive, it should be possible to stop the grate, with the stoker motor
running, by applying the handle to the square end of the worm shaft. It
may be found that when the stoker has been operating some time under
load that both the grate tension and clutch spring need adjusting. Should
the grate stop for any reason it should be wound back slightly and re-
started, this will usually clear any slight obstruction.
NOTE—With the continuous A.C. drive it is necessary to slacken off the
safety clutch spring before moving the grate by hand.
(G) It is of the utmost importance that the grate should not be forced or undue
pressure put on the worm shaft handle in an attempt to clear an
obstruction, this will only cause added damage to the grate.

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No. 2. STARTING UP
(A) Ensure a fuel supply to the rotary feeder intake and raise the front
inspection door.
(B) Set control panel switches to following positions;
1. ID Fan On
2. FD Fan On
3. Grate Off
4. Feeder Off
5. ID Draught controller Auto
6. DPS Auto
(C) Switch Grate and feeder to `on` and allow to operate for sufficient time to
create a 100mm deep bed of fuel extending fully underneath the ignition
arch. Switch Grate and Feeder to `off`.
(D) Ignite the fire bed using suitable kindling materials and lower the front
inspection door.

(E) Switch Grate and Feeder to `on. Operate the stoker until the boiler arch
is thoroughly heated and ignition is well established.

The stoker will then follow load requirements i.e. maximum speed until pre-
determined pressure is reached, whereby the stoker will modulate. The boiler
DPS controls the speed at which the stoker modulates along with the speed of
the FD Fan motor and the rate of opening of the ID Fan damper. The
motorised under grate damper will modulate between open and closed
depending on the speed of the grate. If pressure reaches the high limit set in
the DPS the stoker and fans will shut down. The fire will sit on the grate with
natural draught taking the combustion gases up the chimney stack.

Once pressure falls to a pre-determined level set in the DPS the stoker,
feeder and FD Fan will automatically start and modulate as normal. The
provision of the Firebreak Feeder eliminates burn backs and allows a turn
down ratio of the stoker of 6:1.

No. 3. USE OF THE FORCED DRAUGHT

The function of the forced draught is to supply the necessary air for
combustion, and with the “Proctor” stoker an inverter Variable Speed Drive is
included. All variations in load should be met automatically by an increase or
decrease in the air supply to the grate, with equivalent variations to the fuel
feed so as to maintain the fire at the correct length. The suction draught
should also be adjusted so that a balance is maintained at the front stoker
inspection door. This is achieved by setting the two black pointers on the
photohelic draught controller mounted in the control panel door. The best
method of judging the length of the fire in a shell type boiler, is by the

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condition of the ash which falls over the stoker rear and the brightness of the
reflection on the bridge wall as seen through the small inspection hole of the
ash door under the stoker. A little experience is necessary to obtain the best
conditions, but it is most important that unburnt fuel should not be allowed to
pass over the end of the grate.

No. 4. AIR CONTROLS

Controls are provided to restrict the flow of air to those parts of the grate
where full air is not always required. Once the best setting of the controls has
been determined for a particular fuel there should be no need to alter them
except when starting up, as described. The controls should, however, be
operated periodically to keep them free from dust accumulation. The air
control beneath the stoker arch consists of a cast iron grid operating under the
front dead plate. This damper is of importance where the fuel contains a
relatively high degree of moisture, and it is necessary to increase the
temperature and intensity of the fire under the arch to maintain ignition. It
should be noted, however, that with most fuels it is preferable to operate the
stoker with this damper either totally or partially closed, as this will improve
the life of the arch. One other manually controlled damper is provided in the
stoker air box, this controls the air supply to the rear of the grate. For
installations which are very low rated this damper should be closed; this
restricts the active area of the grate and is suitable for long periods of low
load. When the plant is operating at its maximum this damper should be
opened to give the full grate area. The motorised under grate damper allows a
turn down ratio of the stoker of 6:1 with high efficiencies. It works
automatically and is in a fully open position when the stoker is at maximum
speed and a full length of fuel is on the bed, allowing the primary air to be
directed along the full length of the air box. When the firing rate of the stoker
is decreasing due to load conditions, the motorised under grate damper will
gradually close until it is in a fully closed position, only allowing primary air to
be directed to the first half of the air box. In a low firing rate state, it can be
seen that the fire bed will have shortened considerably .

No. 5. SECONDARY AIR

Secondary air is supplied through a duct tapped off the main air supply with
an independent control damper. Air is admitted to the furnace through ports in
the hopper arch and its purpose is to complete the combustion of the volatile
hydrocarbons and prevent smoke. As a general rule it has been found in shell
boilers that very little secondary air is necessary at this point, as the air which
passes through the thinner fire at the rear of the grate also fulfils this purpose.

No. 6. THICKNESS OF FIRE

The most suitable depth of fire bed for a particular fuel is found by
experience, in general it may be stated that fire thickness is governed by the
size of the fuel. With a large fuel such as singles or nuts it may be necessary
to run with fire thickness in the region of 175mm, but as the stokers are
especially made to burn fuels efficiently with a range of fines up to
approximately 35 per cent. through 3 mm mesh, it will be found that the most
used fire thickness with slack fuels is in the region of 75mm – 125mm. Having
established a suitable fire thickness for the fuel in use there should be no
need to vary this unless the load on the boiler is materially changed for a long
period. As far as possible it is advisable to operate so that full load can be
maintained with about 75 per cent. full speed, top speed being reserved for
sudden increases in load. The rate of firing can be varied much more rapidly
by changing speed than by altering fire thickness.

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No. 7. BANKING
Due to the ease with which the fires can be started, particularly with the
use of a gas poker, banking for long periods is not necessary. If steam is not
required for a long period, as, for example, during the night, the fire should be
run off the grate and the ash pit cleared. The forced draught fans should be
stopped, and the boiler dampers, shut tight. The front inspection door should
be set to its lowest position to prevent the ingress of cold air. With a well-
lagged boiler and well-fitting dampers the pressure will be held for some hours
and a saving of fuel will result. The same procedure as described in “Starting
Up” should be adopted for re-starting the fires.
We would like to draw attention to the fact that in all cases of banking, the
actual fuel used for banking does not produce any steam whatsoever, and
can, therefore, be regarded as fuel wasted. In addition, the smoke and fumes
emitted from a banked fire bed can cause, over long periods, serious damage
to cold surfaces in the boiler system, such as economisers, due to sulphur
attack, and these points should be kept in mind.

No. 8. CONDITIONING OF SMALL FUELS

The combustion of small fuels is greatly improved in most cases by the
addition of moisture. The amount of moisture required is about 10 per cent.,
but this varies somewhat with different fuels. As a rough guide, the fuel should
just bind together when squeezed into a ball in the hand, the moisture
preferably should be added sometime before the fuel is required in order that
it may be evenly distributed.
The effect of this moisture is to reduce the fuel bed resistance and to retard
the rates of distillation of volatiles, which result in a more friable ash. In some
cases where overhead bunkers are provided, steam conditioning can be
applied, this accelerates the rate at which the fuel absorbs the moisture.
in cases where water and/or steam conditioning is used, either for the
overhead bunkers or chutes, care should be taken to ascertain that the fuel is
not over wetted, otherwise free moisture may find its way on to the grate,
causing undue corrosion, and, in conjunction with certain constituents in the
coal and ash, corrosive attack. Particularly when the plant is closed down it
must be ensured that no free moisture be allowed to drop on to the grate from
this type of equipment.

No. 9. CLINKER ON SIDE WALLS

With some fuels there is a tendency for clinker to build out over the edges
of the grate; this is due to slag running down the arch and being chilled at the
bottom. This clinker should be removed during operation by passing the short
slice down each side of the grate The slice should be entered flat under the
front hinge plate and then turned edge on and passed along each side of the
grate in turn. The frequency with which the grate is sliced depends upon the
class of fuel, but it is usual to slice once per shift. Failure to remove this
clinker will result in the fuel being ploughed up at the side of the grate and will
cause uneven burning, and in some cases undue overheating of the side
driving links.

No. 10. GRATE DRIVING GEAR

This drive consists of a variable speed AC geared motor unit with a variable

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speed drive built into the main control panel. The arrangement comprises a
chain drive from the motor to the worm shaft, the drive is lubricated by an oil
bath and should not require adjustment over a fairly long period. Any undue
slack can, however, be taken up by adjusting the shims under the motor feet.

No. 11. RENEWING LINKS

Should it be necessary to renew a damaged link the following procedure
should be adopted. Run the grate until the broken link is at the front of the
stoker, immediately above the driving sprockets, remove the cover plate over
the inside of the gear case and the worm wheel cover. The stoker chassis is
constructed to provide a continuous tract and the link rods themselves are
centred by means of guide pads local to the top of the sprockets.
The removal of the covers and guide pads will render the link rod easily
accessible. insert a drift through the appropriate hole provided in the worm
wheel and tap the rod until it protrudes through the worm wheel, when it can
be pulled out using a twisting motion. If there is only one link to be changed
the rod need not be drawn out beyond the position of the link, and it will he
easier to deal with one end at a time. If a link has been broken it is important
to ensure that none of the broken pieces are left inside the chain, as they may
fall into the sprocket recesses of the driving links and cause further
breakages. A 75mm x 35mm channel is bolted in behind the driving shaft
bearing and this can be removed to facilitate the inspection of the inside of the
grate local to the sprockets; there is an inspection door in the outside air duct
which gives a clear view of the inside of the gate, enabling any broken pieces
of links to be removed.
When replacing the guide pads it is necessary to ensure that the correct
clearance is maintained, this should be a 1.5mm, each side from the end of
the link rod to the high point on the guide pad, if these have worn they should
be renewed.
Should it be necessary to remove the chain entirely for inspection purposes, it
is preferable to withdraw the stoker from the flue and uncouple the chain on
the top of the grate in the manner described above. It will be necessary to
remove the side sealing bars to obtain access to the link rod ends.

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