SHIPS

Field of the Invention

[1] The present invention relates to sea and river shipping of dry cargo and can be applied for the mechanization of cargo discharge in sea and river ports for the delivery of coal as a fuel for thermoelectric power stations. Background of the Invention

[2] Among the known methods of coal discharge from sea vessels is its batched scooping out of bulk coal loaded in their cargo compartments by grab cranes (see, e.g., 'Cargo Shipping' by V.I. Snopkov, Reference book, 2 ^nd ed., Moscow: Transport, 1986, 312 pp.).

[3] This method of bulk cargo discharge widely used at present in all sea ports around the world is highly cyclical and, as a result, is characterized by a rather low productivity. It leads to a significant idle time of dry-cargo ships in ports in the course of discharge and, thus, to a decrease in the cost-effectiveness of their exploitation on seaways. Besides, in the course of scooping with a grab, transfer to the shore and pouring out each batch of such bulk material, a considerable part of the coal is blown by the wind, which leads to the environment pollution with coal dust, not to mention irreversible loss of a significant part of such cargo.

[4] Another known method is a straight- line method of coal discharge from bulk coal consisting in a continuous grabbing of said bulk material by a series of buckets of a chain-bucket loader moving uniformly along a closed path with its subsequent transfer to an intermediate belt conveyor delivering coal along a stationary conveyor tract to its destination (see 'Young Technician's Encyclopedia' compiled by B. V. Zubkov and S. V. Chumakov, 2 ^nd ed., Moscow: Pedagogika, 1988, 264 pp.).

[5] Despite a significant increase in the discharge productivity, the attained intensification of the transportation process leads to additional refinement of coal pieces and to enhanced dust formation. As a result, the quality grade of said fuel is decreased, and its loss considerably grows, especially that of fine fractions, which is accompanied by intense environment pollution with coal dust. Disclosure of Invention Summary of the invention

[6] The object of the present invention is to reduce the idle time of ships to be discharged in the port, to maintain the original size of coal pieces, to eliminate coal loss and to prevent harmful effect of port services on the natural environment. [7] This object is achieved by flooding bulk coal on shipboard with aqueous liquid whose density exceeds that of coal, subsequent discharge of the floating coal into an underground storehouse on the shore and its continuous delivery in the flow of said liquid to a thermoelectric power station, where the coal is hydro - mechanically separated from the liquid, washed with fresh water and fed to combustion, wherein the effluent washing water is evaporated by heat released at the condensation of the working medium of the thermodynamic cycle of the thermoelectric power station with a subsequent return of the evaporated solution together with the liquid preliminarily separated from the coal to the bulk coal flooding on the next ship that has arrived to the port.

[8] Aqueous solutions of both various individual mineral salts and their various mixtures notable for their high water solubility and forming, therefore, aqueous liquids with the density sufficient for coal floating and characterized by an acceptable set of rhe- ological, thermodynamic, sanitary and hygienic and ecological properties, such as, for instance, calcium chloride, zinc chloride, calcium nitrate, potassium carbonate, etc., can be used as the aqueous liquid whose density exceeds that of coal.

[9] Thus, coal transfer from static into mobile state without any destruction of its pieces, combined with the organization of totally in-line transportation process starting from said cargo removal from the ship and transfer to the shore up to its intact delivery to a customer leads not only to a drastic reduction of the idle time of a ship being discharged, but also to the conservation of coal quality grade, as well as to the prevention of said bulk cargo loss owing to its inaccessibility to blowing by wind, which ensures total conservation of said solid fuel and prevents the pollution of the natural surroundings of the port services with coal dust. Disclosure of the Invention

[10] Thus, all features of the invention are organically interconnected, and only their totality can ensure the accomplishment of the object of the invention.

[11] Patent search and literary review have not revealed any features similar in their technical nature with the engineering solution of the invention, which allows a conclusion about the essential character of its distinctions.

[12] The method is realized by a consecutive accomplishment of the following principal operations:

[13] 1. - flooding bulk coal on shipboard of a dry-cargo ship that has arrived to a port with aqueous liquid whose density exceeds that of coal;

[14] 1. - discharge of the floating coal into a receiving storehouse on the shore together with the aqueous liquid;

[15] 1. - delivery of the coal discharged from the dry-cargo ship in the flow of said aqueous liquid with density exceeding that of coal to a thermoelectric power station;

[16] 1. - hydromechanical separation of the coal from the bearing aqueous liquid;

[17] 1. - coal washing with fresh water with its subsequent drying and feeding to combustion in the furnace of thermoelectric power station boiler;

[18] 1. - evaporation of effluent washing water by heat released at the condensation of the working medium of the thermodynamic cycle of the thermoelectric power station;

[19] 1. - return of evaporated solution together with the coal-bearing aqueous liquid preliminarily separated from the coal to the port for bulk coal flooding on the next ship.

Advantageous Effects [20]

Description of Drawings [21] Thus, all features of the invention are organically interconnected, and only their totality can ensure the accomplishment of the object of the invention. [22] Patent search and literary review have not revealed any features similar in their technical nature with the engineering solution of the invention, which allows a conclusion about the essential character of its distinctions.

[23] The method is realized by a consecutive accomplishment of the following principal o (Jperations:

[24] 1 - flooding bulk coal on shipboard of a dry-cargo ship that has arrived to a port with aqueous liquid whose density exceeds that of coal;

[25] 1 - discharge of the floating coal into a receiving storehouse on the shore together with the aqueous liquid;

[26] 1 - delivery of the coal discharged from the dry-cargo ship in the flow of said aqueous liquid with density exceeding that of coal to a thermoelectric power station;

[27] 1 - hydromechanical separation of the coal from the bearing aqueous liquid;

[28] 1 - coal washing with fresh water with its subsequent drying and feeding to combustion in the furnace of thermoelectric power station boiler;

[29] 1. - evaporation of effluent washing water by heat released at the condensation of the working medium of the thermodynamic cycle of the thermoelectric power station; [30] 1. - return of evaporated solution together with the coal-bearing aqueous liquid preliminarily separated from the coal to the port for bulk coal flooding on the next ship. Best Mode [31]

Mode for Invention

[32] A dry-cargo ship that has delivered coal to a sea port is moored to a specialized freight dock; flexible hoses communicating with a water-tower filled with aqueous calcium chloride solution are connected to discharging crinkled hoses, whose lower ends are dropped into a receiving coastal underground storehouse; after that, bulked coal compartments on the ship-board are flooded, in turn, with said aqueous liquid with the density exceeding that of coal. The coal starts floating, and as soon as the flooding level of each cargo compartment of the ship reaches the height mark of discharging crinkled hoses connected to it, it starts flowing, together with a part of bearing water-salt solution, into the receiving underground coastal storehouse, wherefrom the coal discharged in this way to the shore is fed using a feed-pump into a transport pipeline and delivered in the flow of said liquid to its destination - a thermoelectric power station. In the course of lowering of flooding level of each cargo compartment, the discharging crinkled hoses are submerged deeper and deeper inside the dry-cargo ship until it is completely cleared from said aqueous liquid, using these hoses as siphons. After the evacuation is completed, these discharging crinkled hoses are disconnected from the ship and left on the shore until the next dry-cargo ship with coal cargo on board arrives to the port.

[33] The initial drainage of aqueous liquid that has delivered coil to the thermoelectric power station from coal pieces is realized by their dehydration on a wet shaker, where said material is released from the most part of said aqueous-salt medium in a purely hydromechanical way. Final removal of the last residues of said aqueous calcium chloride solution from the coal surface is realized by counter-current washing of coal pieces on a band vacuum-filter with hot fresh water, which constitutes a condensate of juice steam left after the evaporation of washing water formed as a result of dilution of calcium chloride solution with fresh water.

[34] The coal cleared from the residues of aqueous calcium chloride solution is dried and fed to combustion in the furnace of the thermoelectric power station boiler, whereas drainage flows released from their evaporation on the shaker are mixed with aqueous calcium chloride solution evaporated in the evaporation apparatus to their original density and pumped back into the pressure tower located in the sea port, wherefrom this aqueous liquid is used again for flooding bulked coal in the nest ship moored to said specialized port terminal. Thus, aqueous liquid with the density exceeding that of coal used in such transport process is placed into a closed circulation loop between the sea port and the thermoelectric power station - its final destination.

[35] The above technical features of the proposed method, as compared to known engineering solutions in the field of mechanization of bulk cargo discharge from sea ships, ensure a number of significant technical, economic and ecological advantages consisting in a drastic decrease in the time of dry-cargo ships treatment in sea ports at a complete conservation of the initial size of coal pieces and prevention of losses of coal blown by the wind, which increases the quality grade of the cargo delivered to the customer - thermoelectric power station - and also prevents harmful impact of port services on the natural environment. Industrial Applicability

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Sequence List Text

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