Coal shed and enclosed stockpile inventory
Long coal sheds and enclosed bulk warehouses often need several fixed scanners because piles shift, loaders create steep faces, and dust can reduce usable scan range.
Confirm the site problem, the Volivue approach, and the expected operating benefit before final selection.
Manual pile estimation is slow and unsafe, while periodic surveys miss daily movement and finance reconciliation gaps.
Use Volivue V260 scanners from roof, wall, or gantry points, then stitch scans into zones inside the Volivue Inventory Platform.
Operations, production planning, and finance work from the same volume baseline with exportable daily records.
Dust, steep faces, and occlusion set the scan layout in long coal sheds
Thermal coal and blended coal piles inside long sheds form steep loader cuts, ridges, and pockets that change every shift. Airborne coal dust settles on optics, scatters laser returns during active reclaiming, and shortens usable scan range. Low lighting, conveyor structures, and dividing walls add occlusion, so a single vantage point rarely sees the full pile surface in a shed over forty meters long.
Fixed 3D scanning fits coal sheds where daily volume by zone drives fuel accounting and reclaim planning. If the site only needs one level value over a single bunker outlet, a Volivue 80GHz radar level system is usually more economical. Where legal-for-trade mass is required, scanning should be paired with belt scales or weighbridges rather than treated as a weighing instrument.
Roof-truss scan points, stitched zones, and a finance-ready data path
A typical coal shed layout places Volivue V260 scan heads along the roof trusses or on gantry rails, spaced so adjacent fields of view overlap above the highest expected pile crest. The layout review maps blind zones behind dividing walls and conveyor legs before mounting, and keeps every scan head reachable from existing walkways so cleaning and inspection do not require shutting down reclaim operations.
Point clouds from each head are stitched in the Volivue Inventory Platform into per-zone volume, trend curves, and daily reconciliation exports for fuel accounting. Data leaves the shed over Ethernet, optical fiber, or 4G depending on routing distance, and reaches ERP or finance systems as CSV or API records. After the layout review, on-site installation and base-model calibration are usually measured in days, not months.
What to confirm before a coal shed inventory project starts
- Confirm shed length, roof or gantry mounting height, and clearance above the maximum pile crest.
- Record dust intensity during filling and reclaiming, and agree scan windows that avoid the heaviest dust.
- Map dividing walls, conveyor structures, and loader lanes to size the blind-zone and scanner-count review.
- Provide the coal density table or sampling basis that finance will accept for volume-to-mass conversion.
How does coal dust affect scan range and volume quality?
Heavy airborne dust attenuates laser returns and can shorten usable range during active loading. Most coal sheds handle this by scheduling scans after dust settles, adding overlap between scan heads, and flagging low-quality frames in the platform. The project review states expected behavior for your dust load instead of quoting one universal range figure.
Can the volume reports reconcile with belt scales and the finance book stock?
Yes, as a documented workflow. The platform exports zone volume and estimated mass based on your agreed density table, and these records can be compared against belt-scale totals or dispatch figures each day. Volivue keeps measured volume separate from estimated mass so any variance investigation can see the density assumption behind every number.
Six checks decide whether the project needs V260, V7300 Mini, or a multi-scanner package.
Site survey and drawings
Collect shed or bin dimensions, pile height, roof structure, mounting points, vehicle routes, power, network, dust, and safety limits.
Scanner layout design
Define scanner count, field of view, blind zones, mounting height, scan schedule, and maintenance access.
Base model and zones
Build floor reference, boundary polygons, zone naming, empty reference, and reporting units before final volume output.
Algorithm and density workflow
Validate point-cloud cleaning, volume calculation, density assumptions, and estimated mass reporting against site checks.
Integration and handover
Map dashboard fields, CSV/API/OPC outputs, report schedule, alarm rules, user roles, and acceptance checks.
Documentation package
Prepare layout notes, point lists, report field definitions, density assumptions, role settings, acceptance records, and maintenance notes for later scenario pages.
Questions that decide scanner layout, volume confidence, integration, and project scope.
Is this a LiDAR system or a 3D radar system?
Volivue positions the page as a fixed 3D scanning product family. The project may use V260 3D stockpile scanners, V7300 Mini 3D radar scanners, or fixed LiDAR nodes depending on range, dust, mounting, and site layout.
Can one scanner cover a whole warehouse?
Only in compact scenes with clear line of sight. Long coal sheds, domes, aggregate bays, and large yards usually need scanner layout review and may need multiple scanning positions.
Does the system directly measure weight?
No. It measures pile shape and calculates volume. Estimated mass needs density assumptions, sampling data, or a customer density table documented in the project.
How accurate is the volume?
Accuracy depends on survey quality, base model, blind zones, dust, material surface, scanner position, and validation method. Volivue confirms a project target after reviewing the site.
Can it work in dusty coal sheds?
It can be reviewed for dusty sheds, but dust intensity, scan distance, cleaning plan, mounting protection, and data filtering must be checked before committing to coverage.
Can it export data to ERP or MES?
Yes. Scope can include dashboard reports, CSV, Web API, OPC, Modbus TCP, MQTT, database export, or ERP/MES handoff.
What should we send for quotation?
Send shed or bin drawings, photos, pile height, material, dust condition, power and network availability, current inventory method, required reports, and target integration interface.
What documents are usually included for handover?
The handover package can include scanner layout notes, point lists, interface maps, report templates, density assumptions, user roles, acceptance records, and maintenance or cleaning notes by scope.
Send pile geometry, site photos, material, dust level, and target reports.
Share drawings, photos, pile height, material, dust condition, mounting locations, power and network options, update cycle, and desired dashboard or ERP/MES outputs.