The Portal Stacker Reclaimer operates based on a gigantic portal-shaped steel structure that travels longitudinally along rails. It performs stacking and reclaiming through a boom system integrated onto the portal frame, achieving efficient, continuous, and full-coverage handling of large linear stockyards.

Stacking Operation: In stacking mode, material is transported to the machine via an overhead main conveyor belt located on one side of the yard. A traveling tripper acts as a transfer hub, precisely diverting material from the main belt onto the stacking conveyor mounted on the portal frame. This conveyor carries the material to the end of the luffing and/or telescoping boom. By controlling the portal frame’s gantry travel, along with the boom’s slewing and luffing, the machine continuously and uniformly discharges material in a preset layered pattern (e.g., “chevron” or “windrow”) across the entire stockyard area between the portal legs, forming a regular, elongated pile with a triangular cross-section. This creates the ideal conditions for subsequent homogenized reclaiming.

Reclaiming Operation: In reclaiming mode, the machine’s core reclaiming unit activates. Depending on the design, this is typically a scraper-type reclaimer or a bucket wheel at the boom’s front. The reclaimer unit cuts into the pile face, excavating and gathering material. A scraper reclaimer moves material via a circulating scraper chain to a hopper beneath the boom; a bucket wheel discharges material into its central chute via rotating buckets. The material is then conveyed by a reclaiming conveyor (usually running opposite to the stacking conveyor or as a separate system) to a fixed discharge hopper at the center of the portal frame. Finally, the material exits via a ground-level or underground outflow conveyor running beneath the portal. Reclaiming also relies on the combination of the gantry’s intermittent travel and the reclaimer’s continuous operation, enabling uniform reclaiming and efficient blending of the entire pile length through segmented, layered cutting along the pile.