Stockpile

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about a storage method for bulk materials. For other uses of the term, see Stockpile (disambiguation).

A stockpile is a pile or storage location for bulk materials, forming part of the bulk materials handling process.

Stockpiles are used in many different areas, such as in a port, refinery or manufacturing facility. The stockpile is normally created by a stacker. A reclaimer is used to recover the material. Stockpiles are normally stacked in stockyards in refineries, ports and mine sites.

A simple stockpile is formed by machinery dumping coal into a pile, either from dump trucks, pushed into heaps with bulldozers or from conveyor booms. More controlled stockpiles are formed using stackers to form piles along the length of a conveyor, and reclaimers to retrieve the coal when required for product loading, etc.