Q&A Coal Bin Design

Question:

I have a stoker that uses rice coal. I want to build a coal bin. What angle should I make the floor so the coal "runs" to the low end of the bin? Thanks



Answer:

I don't really know if there is a specific angle after which coal runs - probably is. But I would say that something like 30 degrees ought to work. The bigger questions is how much coal do you want to be able to store. Sloped sides reduce the area of the bin substantially, so there is a trade off between volume stored and hand labor required to move coal in a bin where it does not slide. Of course any coal bin should have draw boards which allow access to the bin as the coal supply lowers, but I found that I always had the bin filled before it was empty because at some point the coal would not run down to the auger and I had to either rake it over or get more coal. My bin held about 10 ton. My delivery guy liked to bring 8, so I would re-fill before it got too empty. If you want accurate info you might try EFM ( a maker of stokers in Emmaus, Pa), I seem to remember some kind of a diagram in their manual.

Update 12/2007 Below is a link to plans for a coal bin.

Link: Coal Bin Plans