Industry solution / Coal and power energy

Coal and Power Energy Fuel Inventory Automation Solutions

Volivue provides fixed 3D LiDAR coal shed scanning and 80GHz radar bunker level monitoring for coal-fired power plants, combined heat and power facilities, coal washing plants, and coal chemical operations — delivering full inventory visibility from the raw coal yard to the feeder bunker.

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Volivue monitoring at a coal-fired power plant with coal shed LiDAR scanning and bunker radar level — From coal yard volume to bunker level and fly ash silos in one view.

Industry pain points

Fuel inventory management challenges in coal and power

Surveyor manually measuring an irregular coal pile inside a dark coal shed — Irregular piles, moving machinery, and dust make manual coal surveys unreliable.

01
Irregular coal pile shapes are hard to measure
Pile shape changes constantly with conveyor drop points; tape measures, laser rangers, or experience-based estimates carry large errors that do not reconcile with consumption logs.
02
Manual entry into coal sheds is hazardous
High dust concentration, poor lighting, and moving machinery in operating coal sheds create constant safety exposure for personnel doing manual stock surveys.
03
Bunker level signals are unreliable
Dust, wall adhesion, and arching inside coal bunkers cause single-point level sensors to mis-read, disrupting coal feeder control and boiler feed rhythm.
04
Inventory data does not connect to ERP or FMS
Paper or verbal coal volume reports cannot auto-enter fuel management systems, creating heavy manual reconciliation work and error-prone balance sheets.

Volivue solution architecture for coal and power energy

Roof-mounted Volivue 3D LiDAR scanners covering a coal shed with point-cloud overlay — Fixed LiDAR turns the whole pile surface into measured volume.

01
3D LiDAR coal shed stockpile system (preferred for yards)
V260/V7300 fixed scanners mount on coal shed structure and continuously scan irregular piles, computing 3D point cloud volume and estimated mass. Data feeds FMS and ERP via API or OPC.
View coal shed stockpile scenario →
02
80GHz radar level system (bunkers and silos)
Narrow-beam 76-81GHz radar penetrates coal dust for reliable continuous level signal in bunkers and raw coal silos. HART/Modbus output integrates directly with DCS and PLC.
View 80GHz radar level system →

Business value

Quantified benefits and risk reduction

Volivue fuel inventory dashboard reconciling coal yard volume with plant consumption — Daily automated stocktakes feed fuel planning and audit records.

01
Improve fuel inventory accuracy
3D point cloud volume calculation delivers a more reliable inventory figure than manual surveys, reducing discrepancies with settlement tonnages and improving procurement planning.
02
Eliminate manual shed entry
Fixed scanners operate continuously while equipment runs, completely removing the safety exposure of personnel entering sheds for manual measurements.
03
Stabilize bunker control
Reliable radar level signals optimize coal feeder start-stop logic, reducing overfill and empty-bunker events caused by sensor misreads.
04
Auto-push data to FMS
Volume and level data push automatically via API or OPC, eliminating manual entry and keeping fuel management reports current and accurate.