A coal handling plant, makes the raw coal extracted from the mines, go though various cleansing and refining processes before it reaches the end users. At some point of time, the plants might need to store the processed coal in a safe and eco-friendly manner, before it is transported to various destinations. Given the combustible nature of coal, stocking it in closed sheds tends to pose various problems.

1. Safety Factors That Affect The Design Of Coal Storage Sheds
A coal handling plant, makes the raw coal extracted from the mines, go though
various cleansing and refining processes before it reaches the end users. At
some point of time, the plants might need to store the processed coal in a safe
and eco-friendly manner, before it is transported to various destinations.
Given the combustible nature of coal, stocking it in closed sheds tends to pose
various problems. As such the manufacturers of coal storage sheds need to
consider the following safety aspects while designing such a structure for a
coal handling plant.
∑ The storage sheds should be large and spacious enough to eliminate the
chances of creation of high pressure zones the in the gas leakages from
the coal stock piles.

2. ∑ A proper ventilation and suction system should be incorporated into
the design to pull out the methane gas and push in fresh dry air from
outside for minimizing the risk of fire or explosion.
∑ The sheds should be designed to provide a weather proof storage
facility so as to prevent both the dampening of coal due to excessive
moisture or creation of hot pockets during extremely hot weather.
∑ The sheds should also incorporate an efficient network of temperature
detection system so as to identify a hot pocket in the coal stockpile at
the earliest and prevent the occurrence of a major disaster.
∑ It is important to ensure that the ignition sources, within and outside
the shed be kept to minimum, which is why the manufacturers should
ensure that all electrical equipments inside the structure can be
remotely controlled.
∑ The sheds should be designed in a manner that prevents the oxidation
of coal, as it not only reduces the coking property and calorific value of
the fuel but also increased its ignition temperature.
∑ The sheds should also have minimum surfaces with high possibility of
dust accumulation and even then proper dust removal surfaces should
be in place to clean these surfaces regularly.
∑ Most importantly the shed should have basic facilities that can be
remotely activated to deal with any emergency situation such as the
outbreak of fire or too much pressure of explosive gas mixture.
Coal is one of the most important energy sources responsible for the smooth
functioning of a various industries. As such, even a minor accident at a storage
facility within a coal handling unit can create major shortage of the fuel in the
sectors being fed by the plant. That is why the above safety factors need to be
seriously considered for its safe storage.