1. Introduction
1.1 Definitions/Functions
In a stockpile bulk solids are stacked to and subsequently reclaimed from a storage facility. Stockpiles link the various stages of bulk solids transportation systems to:
- bridge interruptions in sections of the system without stopping the whole system,
- act as a butter between continuous and discontinuous sections of the system,
- collect, store and distribute bulk solids coming from or going into different flow lines, such as in the stockyard of a terminal, and
- homogenise, blend or proportion bulk raw materials for a metallurgical or chemical process.
In a homogenising plant raw material such as crushed run-0fmine coal is stacked onto a bed (stockpile) and subsequently reclaimed in such a way that the inherent fluctuations in respect of quality and/or size distribution are evened out. The homogenising effect is expressed as the ratio of the standard deviation of a given quality parameter before and after the homogenising plant.
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