Hydrotorf

This hydraulic method of peat development, invented in 1914 by engineers R. E. Classon ^[3] and V. Kirpichnikov ^[4] , was widely developed in the 20s and 30s of the XX century and contributed to the creation of large peat enterprises in that period industrial type ^[5] .

At that time, this method of peat extraction was considered the most progressive; in his honor, the village of Hydrotorf was named, which since 1932 became an urban-type settlement ^[6] .

Since 1936, scraper installations consisting of a three-drum self-propelled winch , a special stump scraper and a system of blocks and cables were used to clean the quarry from stump and other wood residues during jet operation, and double passages were used to reduce the length of the mass pipes from the crane unit to the battery, in which peat crane one half of the seasonal passage goes in one direction (from the battery), and the other half, turning 180 °, in the other (to the battery) ^[4] .

The development of hydrotorf ensured the creation of a large-scale peat industry and the supply of fuel to regional peat power plants built according to the GOELRO plan and during the first five-year plans - Shaturskaya , Gorkovskaya, Ivanovo, Tverskaya, Leningradskaya ^[2] .

Hydrotorf extraction was developing at a fast pace: in 1921 only 2 plants were operating, in 1936 - 126 hydrotorf units (89 new standards and 37 superstandards), which produced 5,733,000 tons of air-dry peat (30% humidity), which amounted to 42, 8% of all peat produced by the enterprise of the NKTP USSR system ^[4] . In total, about 187 million tons of air-dried peat was extracted by this method ^[2] .

The hydraulic method in the 1950-60s was replaced by a more productive surface-layer method of peat extraction ^[2] .

Hydrotorf was used as fuel for boiler houses , including power plants , as well as for the production of industrial gas and coke ^[2] .

The hydraulic peat extraction process includes ^{[2] [3]} :

• erosion of a peat deposit with a moisture content of 89–92% with a jet of high pressure water (1–2 MPa ), at which peat turns into a hydromass with a humidity of 95–97%;
• transportation of hydromass through pipes to the flood fields and its distribution with a layer of 20-40 cm;
• dehydration of hydromass due to filtration into the underlying soil (55% of the water is removed) and evaporation (25% of the water), bringing it to a plastic state, in which bricks are formed by self-propelled forming tracks;
• drying bricks to a harvesting humidity of 45-40%;
• mechanized harvesting of air-dry peat in stacks.

Peat with a greater degree of decomposition, when washed with water, usually gives a less viscous hydromass (with a lower coefficient of friction), which allows it to be transported with a lower water content ^[4] . To obtain a water jet, high pressure pumps and mobile hoses are used .

The development of the seasonal quarry is carried out in separate sections, one size of which coincides with the width of the seasonal quarry, and the other varies between 30-60 m. The coastal crane moves to a new parking lot after the erosion of each such section. The peat deposit intended for production is drained to ensure the transport of peat extraction machines and to protect the quarries from flooding with surface and ground water . For the latter purpose, dewatering is carried out “bottom”, that is, to the entire depth of the quarries being mined, by digging channels of the corresponding depth ^[4] .

Advantages

Advantages of developing peat deposits using the hydrotorf method:

• full mechanization of excavation, processing and transport of peat;
• the possibility of developing highly stony and heterogeneous in quality deposits;
• continuous production throughout the season (the work goes on in three shifts).

Weaknesses

Disadvantages of developing peat deposits using the hydrotorf method:

• significant energy consumption (approx. 30 kWh per 1 ton of production);
• significant water consumption for erosion (approx. 2 volumes per 1 volume of deposits);
• insufficient mechanization of drying processes.

Mechanization

In the extraction of hydrotorf, two main types of machines are used: the “new standard” and “superstandard”. They consist of devices: a production unit (peat moss), a grinder, a peat moss tap, and a high pressure pump . During the season, a new standard aggregate produces about 500 tons of air-dried peat, and a superstandard produces 100,000 tons.

Hydrotorf Characteristics ^[2] :

• the total drying time from the spill to the harvest is 60-75 days;
• specific heat of combustion - 12-14 MJ / kg ;
• conditional humidity - 33%;
• average supply humidity - 36%;
• ash content - 9.6%.

• Efimov P. , "Hydrotorf. The course of exploitation of peat deposits according to the method of hydrotorf ”, part 1, M. - L., 1934.
• Glybovsky I. , “Hydrotorf machines and its plumbing and mass-flow equipment”, vol. 1, M. - L. - Novosibirsk , 1933.
• Weller M. A. "General measures to rationalize existing peat farms developed by the hydrotorf method" // "Peat business". 1928. - No. 10. - S. 311-318.
• Weller M. A. "Hydrotorf. Peat production technological process and its organization. ” Ed. 3rd M.-L.: ONTI , ch. ed. mountain topl. lit., 1936 .-- 379 p.
• Weller M. A. "Hydrotorf Technology". Add. MVO USSR in Qual. textbook for peat. universities. M.-L.: Gosenergoizdat, 1948 .-- 480 p.

• Robert Eduardovich Klasson - inventor of hydrotorf.