Methods for improved quench tower design

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 10927303
  • Patent Number
    10,927,303
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, February 3, 2016
    8 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, February 23, 2021
    3 years ago
Abstract
The present technology describes methods and systems for an improved quench tower. Some embodiments improve the quench tower's ability to recover particulate matter, steam, and emissions that escape from the base of the quench tower. Some embodiments improve the draft and draft distribution of the quench tower. Some embodiments include one or more sheds to enlarge the physical or effective perimeter of the quench tower to reduce the amount of particulate matter, emissions, and steam loss during the quenching process. Some embodiments include an improved quench baffle formed of a plurality of single-turn or multi-turn chevrons adapted to prevent particulate matter from escaping the quench tower. Some embodiments include an improved quench baffle spray nozzle used to wet the baffles, suppress dust, and/or clean baffles. Some embodiments include a quench nozzle that can fire in discrete stages during the quenching process.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology is generally directed to methods and systems for an improved quench tower. More specifically, the various embodiments herein are directed to an improved quench tower design and arrangement that includes one or more sheds attached to the quench tower, a dust suppression system, a baffle design formed of chevrons having multiple turns, and an automated quenching procedure.


BACKGROUND

Coke is a solid carbon fuel and carbon source used to melt and reduce iron ore in the production of steel. In one process, known as the “Thompson Coking Process,” coke is produced by batch feeding pulverized coal to an oven that is sealed and heated to very high temperatures for 24 to 48 hours under closely-controlled atmospheric conditions. Coking ovens have been used for many years to convert coal into metallurgical coke. During the coking process, finely crushed coal is heated under controlled temperature conditions to devolatilize the coal and form a fused mass of coke having a predetermined porosity and strength. Because the production of coke is a batch process, multiple coke ovens are operated simultaneously.


Coal particles or a blend of coal particles are charged into hot ovens, and the coal is heated in the ovens in order to remove volatile matter (“VM”) from the resulting coke. The coking process is highly dependent on the oven design, the type of coal, and conversion temperature used. Typically, ovens are adjusted during the coking process so that each charge of coal is coked out in approximately the same amount of time. Once the coal is fully coked out, the resulting coke may take the form of a substantially intact coke loaf that is then quenched with water or another liquid. Because the coke loaf may stay intact during quenching, the quenching liquid may encounter difficulty penetrating the intact coke loaf. Moreover, an unacceptable amount of coke may be lost during the quenching process. For example, coke may fly out of the container in which it is otherwise contained (i.e., “flied coke”) during the quenching process. In addition, an amount of particulate matter may be generated during the quenching process and vented through the quench tower into the atmosphere outside of the quench tower.


These problems of conventional systems lead to myriad disadvantages that lower the overall efficiency of the coking operation. For example, the difficulty of penetrating an intact or partially intact coke loaf may result in increased water usage, longer quench times that can cripple the throughput of the coke plant, excessive moisture levels in the coke, large variations in coke moisture, and increased risk of melting plant equipment if the coke is not cooled rapidly enough. In addition, conventional systems may vent an unacceptable level of particulate matter into the environment, thereby creating a need for more effective environmental controls. These problems may occur in any coking operation but are particularly applicable to stamp charged coking operations, in which the coal is compacted prior to heating. As another example, a large amount of flied coke or particulate matter that escapes the quench tower may lower the efficiency of the coking operation by yielding less coke for screening and loading into rail cars or trucks for shipment at the end of the quenching process. Therefore, a need exists for an improved quench tower that provides a quenching operation that more efficiently penetrates an amount of coke with a quenching liquid, reduces the amount of coke loss due to flied coke, reduces the amount of particulate matter that escapes the quench tower, and reduces the particulate matter, emissions, and steam that escapes the bottom of the quench tower.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS


FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a coke making process.



FIG. 2A is a top view of a first embodiment of an improved quench tower as disclosed herein.



FIG. 2B is a front view of a first embodiment of an improved quench tower as disclosed herein.



FIG. 2C is a side view of a first embodiment of an improved quench tower as disclosed herein.



FIG. 2D is a top view of a second embodiment of an improved quench tower as disclosed herein.



FIG. 2E is a front view of a second embodiment of an improved quench tower as disclosed herein.



FIG. 2F is a side view of a second embodiment of an improved quench tower as disclosed herein.



FIG. 3 is a detailed side view showing components of an improved quench tower as disclosed herein.



FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a quenching procedure as disclosed herein.



FIG. 5A is a three-dimensional view of a quench tower having a quench tower effective perimeter area, a quench tower exit perimeter area, and a height according to a first embodiment.



FIG. 5B is an example graph depicting the amount of steam captured in a quench tower as a function of coverage area ratio to tower height according to the embodiment of FIG. 5A.



FIG. 5C is an example graph depicting a preferred area to maximize steam capture in a quench tower as a function of coverage area ratio to tower height according to the embodiment of FIG. 5A.



FIG. 6A is a three-dimensional view of a quench tower having a quench tower effective perimeter area, a quench tower exit perimeter area, and a height according to a second embodiment.



FIG. 6B is an example graph depicting the amount of steam captured in a quench tower as a function of coverage area ratio to tower height according to the embodiment of FIG. 6A.



FIG. 6C is an example graph depicting a preferred area to maximize steam capture in a quench tower as a function of coverage area ratio to tower height according to the embodiment of FIG. 6A.



FIG. 7 is a side view of an embodiment of a quench tower having a control opening as disclosed herein.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present technology is generally directed to methods and systems for an improved quench tower. More specifically, some embodiments are directed to methods and systems that improve the ability of the quench tower to recover particulate matter, steam, and emissions that escape from the base of the quench tower (i.e., improved recovery). Moreover, some embodiments are directed to methods and systems that improve the draft and draft distribution (or “draft distribution profile”) of the quench tower. The improved quench tower includes one or more sheds (each having a shed physical perimeter) to enlarge the physical perimeter or the effective physical perimeter of the quench tower to reduce the amount of particulate matter, emissions, and steam loss during the quenching process. Some embodiments are directed to methods and systems for an improved quench baffle design and arrangement formed of a plurality of single chevrons or multi-turn chevrons adapted to prevent particulate matter from escaping the quench tower. Some embodiments are directed to methods and systems for an improved quench baffle spray nozzle design and arrangement that enables one or more quench spray nozzles to wet the baffles prior to quenching, suppress dust during quenching, and/or clean the baffles after quenching. Some embodiments are directed to a quench nozzle design and arrangement that enables the quench nozzles to be fired in one or more discrete stages during the quenching process. Some embodiments are directed to methods and systems for a flied coke reclaim baffle that redirects flied coke into a train car located within the quench tower.


Specific details of several embodiments of the technology are described below with reference to FIGS. 1-7. Other details describing well-known structures and systems often associated with coke making and/or quenching have not been set forth in the following disclosure to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the various embodiments of the technology. Many of the details, dimensions, angles, and other features shown in the Figures are merely illustrative of particular embodiments of the technology. Accordingly, other embodiments can have other details, dimensions, angles, and features without departing from the spirit or scope of the present technology. A person of ordinary skill in the art, therefore, will accordingly understand that the technology may have other embodiments with additional elements, or the technology may have other embodiments without several of the features shown and described below with reference to FIGS. 1-4.



FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a coke making process. A mass of coal 105 is loaded into coke oven 110 and baked at temperatures that typically exceed 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the coal is “coked out” or fully coked, the resulting coke loaf is removed from the oven and transferred to a train car, hot car, quench car, or combined hot car/quench car 125. The coke loaf is then transported to quench tower 120 for quenching. Further details regarding the present invention (including further details regarding the coking process, train cars, hot cars, quench cars, and combined hot car/quench cars) may be found in commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/730,796, filed on Dec. 28, 2012, entitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IMPROVED COKE QUENCHING.


Quench Tower Design and Arrangement


An improved quench tower design is provided herein that maximizes the overall efficiency of the quenching process, particularly as it relates to lowering emissions and particulate matter generated during the quenching process. The improved design maximizes efficiency by expanding the actual perimeter and/or the effective perimeter of the quench tower. As explained in more detail below, the actual perimeter may be expanded through the addition of one or more sheds attached to the sides of the quench tower geometry in order to increase the physical area enclosed by the quench tower. The effective perimeter likewise may be expanded by adding one or more sheds to the quench tower geometry. In addition, as also explained in more detail below, the recovery of particulate matter and steam can also be improved by closing one or more sides of the quench tower. A variety of means may be used to close the one or more sides of the quench tower, including the installation of a barrier such as a door or curtain. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any such barrier may be used to cover one or more openings in any number of walls of the quench tower and/or to cover one or more openings in any number of sheds attached to the quench tower.


Closing off more sides of the quench tower improves the particulate matter, emissions, and steam recovery by improving the draft at the sections of the quench tower still open to the atmosphere. The draft of the tower can also be improved to lower the amount of particulate matter, emissions, and steam that escape from the bottom by making the tower taller. In cases where there is still loss of particulate matter, emissions, and steam from the quench tower, a shed can be added above the open areas to funnel the lost particulates, emissions, and steam back into the tower leading to improved overall particulate matter, emissions, and steam recovery. By using sheds, closing off select walls of the quench tower, and varying the quench tower height, the quench tower design can be optimized to give better environmental performance at a lower cost. A shed may have one or more side walls, or may have no side walls. In addition, sheds can be retrofitted to existing quench towers to improve their performance. The performance is improved by enlarging the coverage area effectively corresponding to the existing quench tower height based on the proposed correlations.


The improved quench tower design disclosed herein also includes one or more openings in the quench tower in order to improve the airflow (or “draft distribution”) through the quench tower. The one or more openings may be located in a wall, shed, or barrier of the quench tower and preferably are located at an elevation that is lower than the elevation of a train car containing an amount of coke to be quenched. The lower evaluation of the openings allows air to flow into the quench tower from the bottom of the quench tower, where the air then flows in an upward direction through the quench tower. As the air flows upwards through the quench tower, the draft contacts the train car and carries steam and emissions from the train car in an upward direction. As a result, steam and emissions generated during quenching are carried upward through the quench tower—as opposed to escaping from one or more sides of the quench tower—where particulate matter may be trapped from the air by one or more baffles residing in an upper portion of the quench tower, as described more fully below. The improved quench tower also provides reclaim baffles for recapturing flied coke generated during the quenching process. The improved quench tower therefore allows for improved retention of flied coke and overall lower emissions, particulate matter, and steam loss as compared to conventional quenching systems.



FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate a first embodiment of an improved quench tower as disclosed herein. Side walls 260a-260d are joined together to form the base of quench tower 200. The side walls may be joined together by any available means, including fasteners, adhesives, welded connections, or by any other suitable building construction means known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. In the embodiment of FIGS. 2A-2C, one shed is attached to each side wall of quench tower 200: shed 210 is attached to side wall 260a; shed 215 is attached to side wall 260b; shed 220 is attached to side wall 260c; and shed 225 is attached to side wall 260d. In addition, a physical opening exists between each side wall and the respective shed to which each side wall is attached. The physical opening may be created by removing a portion of the side wall to create an area that extends from base portion 205 of the quench tower into the respective shed. For example, a physical opening in side wall 260a (not shown) creates an area that extends from base portion 205 into shed 210.


Further, each shed may contain one or more exterior openings that may be used for a variety of purposes, including entry and/or exit of a train car, dumping of coke from a train car, or improving the draft distribution through the quench tower. The exterior opening may be uncovered, fully covered, or partially covered by one or more doors or curtains. One or more doors may be formed of any material suitable to provide partial or full coverage of an exterior opening in the shed, such as wood, metal, or composite material. Furthermore, a door may be of any type suitable to provide partial or full coverage of the exterior opening of the shed, such as a sliding door or a hinged door. The curtain may be formed of metal, fabric, mesh, or any other material that is relatively easily movable and suitable to provide partial or full coverage of an exterior opening of the shed. For example, the curtain may be formed of any material allowing an amount of coke to be emptied out of a quench car without the need to manually operate a door or other barrier. In the case of an opening with a door, curtain or partially covered opening that can have particulate matter, emissions or steam leaking out of the bottom, a shed can be placed over the opening to collect the lost particulate matter, emissions, and steam. The shed may have an opening above the door to allow the collected particulates, emissions, and steam to be fed back into the quench tower leading to improved environmental performance, as discussed in additional detail below in reference to FIG. 7.


As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 2C, a train car 240 may enter quench tower 200 through a sliding door 230, continue into shed 220 through the opening revealed by door 230, and continue into the quench tower base 205 through an opening in side wall 260c, where the coke in the train car may be quenched as described in more detail below. After quenching, the train car 240 may exit the quench tower 200 through the same path used to enter the quench tower, or the train car may exit the quench tower through a different path. For example, train car 240 may exit the quench tower by traveling through an opening in side wall 260d into shed 225, and exiting the shed by traveling through an opening revealed by hinged door 235. Alternatively, for example, the train car may exit the quench tower by traveling through an opening in side wall 260a into shed 210, and exiting the shed by traveling though an exterior opening (not shown) in shed 210. As an alternative to a movable barrier such as a door or curtain, the ends of the train car can be made to fill a hole at the end of the quench tower or can be made to fully or partially fill a quench tower opening, thereby eliminating the need for a movable barrier at the filled opening. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the train car 240 may enter and exit the quench tower 200 through any combination of openings in the quench tower.


One or more surfaces of the quench tower may include any number of openings to increase the amount of particulate matter that is captured by the quench tower. For example, referring to FIG. 3, quench tower 300 contains openings 395a-395b which are located at an elevation that is lower than train car 370 containing an amount of coke 390. During quenching, the ambient air entrains into the quench tower through openings 395a-395b, the entrained air flows upward to make contact with train car 370 and an amount of coke 390, and then the entrained air carries particulate matter, steam, and emissions from the coke in an upward direction through the quench tower to be trapped by one or more baffles (e.g., 310 and 305), as described in more detail below. The placement of openings 395a-395b below train car 370 provides for a significant improvement in particulate matter, emissions, and steam capture and dispersion as compared to openings placed above the train car. For example, when placed above the train car, the entrained air flows upward through the quench tower without first contacting train car 370 and coke 390. As a result, while still effective, a smaller amount of particulate matter from the coke is carried upward through the quench tower to be captured by the baffles. Additionally or alternatively to openings 395a-395b, one or more openings may be created in the area underneath the tower (i.e., the area between the quench tower and the ground below).



FIGS. 2D-2F illustrate a second embodiment of an improved quench tower as disclosed herein. Side walls 260a-260d are joined together to form the base of quench tower 200. In the embodiment of FIGS. 2D-2F, one shed is attached to each of two side walls of quench tower 200, while the remaining two side walls have no shed attached thereto: shed 210 is attached to side wall 260a and shed 225 is attached to side wall 260d; side walls 260b and 260c have no side walls attached. A physical opening exists between side wall 260a and shed 210, and a physical opening exists between side wall 260d and shed 225. The physical openings may be created by removing a portion of the side wall to create an area that extends from base portion 205 of the quench tower into sheds 210 and 225. As described in reference to the embodiment of FIGS. 2A-2C, the quench tower may include one or more openings located below a train car containing coke in order to improve the draft distribution through the quench tower, thereby resulting in more effective collection of emissions, particulate matter, and steam generated during quenching. Returning to the second embodiment, FIG. 2F illustrates a train car 240 that may enter quench tower 200 through a sliding door 230 and proceed directly into the quench tower base 205, where the coke in the train car may be quenched as described in more detail below. After quenching, the train car 240 may exit the quench tower 200 through the same path used to enter the quench tower or a different path, as described above.


In the embodiment of FIG. 7, a quench tower 700 includes an attached shed 725 having a door 705. A control opening 710 (e.g., an opening having any shape, including a circle, square, etc.) is created in the portion of the quench tower wall situated underneath or above the shed 725. When steam and/or particulate matter escapes from the sides, top, or bottom of the quench tower door 705, the control opening 710 redirects the escaped steam and/or particulate matter back into the quench tower. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one or more control openings may be located in a variety of different positions in the quench tower structure, either in conjunction with a shed or not in conjunction with a shed.


The embodiments described herein are useful for designing new quench towers that are more efficient than current towers, as well as retrofitting existing towers that would benefit from more efficient operations. For example, one or more sheds can be added to an existing tower to improve otherwise poor recovery of steam, particulate matter, and emissions from the bottom of the tower. Moreover, the embodiments are useful to design an optimal quench tower by optimizing the quench tower effective perimeter area, quench tower exit perimeter area, quench tower height, sheds, walls (e.g., used to block bottom openings of the quench tower), doors, and train cars. These optimizations allow the design of a more effective and less costly quench tower (i.e., shorter quench tower) with equivalent or better recovery.


A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that additional embodiments of the quench tower are possible that are consistent with the designs disclosed herein. For example, the quench tower may consist of more than four side walls, may consist of fewer than four side walls, or may take a variety of different physical shapes, including shapes that may be fully or partially curvilinear. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the base of the quench tower base may contain any number of sheds, including no sheds, and will further recognize that each shed may or may not contain one or more doors of various types, including door types not specifically disclosed herein. A person of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that a train car may enter the quench tower through multiple different openings, may exit the quench tower through multiple different openings, and may enter the quench tower through a same or different opening than used for exiting the quench tower.


As used herein, a quench tower exit perimeter refers to the perimeter at the top of the quench tower defined by a partially open top portion of the quench tower that is defined by the side walls of the quench tower. A quench tower physical perimeter refers to the perimeter at the bottom of the quench tower defined by a partially open top portion of the quench tower that is defined by the side walls of the quench tower. A shed physical perimeter refers to the perimeter defined by one or more outwardly extending surfaces joined to a side wall of the quench tower to create a substantially closed top portion. A quench tower effective perimeter refers to the combination of the quench tower physical perimeter and one or more shed physical perimeters. A train car perimeter refers to the perimeter defined by the sides of a train car. An improved draft distribution or an improved draft distribution profile refers to improved three-dimensional spatial draft distribution within the quench tower effective perimeter that can be actively or passively enhanced by altering the dimensions of the tower or by adding a shed. As discussed herein, one of the benefits of enhancing draft distribution of the quench tower is lowering the loss of particulate matter, emissions and steam from one or more openings in the bottom portion of the quench tower.


The effective perimeter of the quench tower can be enlarged by adding a shed. The performance of the quench tower can be enhanced by adjusting the quench tower effective perimeter (i.e., adding a shed to the quench tower physical perimeter in order to expand the quench tower effective perimeter), adjusting the quench tower exit perimeter at the top of quench tower (e.g., making the quench tower exit perimeter significantly larger than the quench car), and adjusting the height of the quench tower to increase overall draft of the quench tower). FIG. 5A shows a three-dimensional view of a quench tower 500 having a quench tower effective perimeter area 505, a quench tower exit perimeter area 510, and a height 515. The bottom of quench tower 500 is open on all sides (see, for example, opening 511). FIG. 5B is an example graph depicting the amount of steam captured in one embodiment of quench tower 500 as a function of coverage area ratio to tower height. FIG. 5C is an example graph depicting a preferred area to maximize steam capture in the quench tower as a function of coverage area ratio to tower height. Hereinafter, FIGS. 5A-5C will be collectively referred to as FIG. 5.


The coverage area ratio is calculated by dividing the quench tower effective perimeter area by the quench tower exit perimeter area. The percentage of steam captured by the quench tower is then modeled as a graph by plotting the coverage area ratio against the tower height. For example, in the steam capture graph 550, the coverage area ratio is plotted on the y axis and the tower height is plotted on the x axis. In the example of graph 550, a given tower height/coverage area ratio combination that falls on slope 560 would result in steam capture of 60 percent, a given tower height/coverage area ratio combination that falls on slope 565 would result in steam capture of 80 percent, a given tower height/coverage area ratio combination that falls on slope 570 would result in steam capture of 90 percent, and a given tower height/coverage area ratio combination that falls on slope 575 would result in steam capture of 100 percent. The increased steam capture coverage and reduced loss from the bottom of the quench tower are also indicative of lower losses of particulate matter and other emissions from one or more openings in the bottom portion of the quench tower.


The graph 550 therefore demonstrates the relationship between the quench tower effective perimeter area, the quench tower exit perimeter area at the top of the quench tower, and the height of the quench tower as related to the amount of steam captured by the quench tower. For example, a graph such as graph 550 may indicate that a straight quench tower (i.e., a quench tower having a quench tower effective perimeter area that is substantially equal to the quench tower exit perimeter area, thereby resulting in a coverage area ratio equal to 1) may require a height of 250 feet in order to capture 100 percent of steam from the quench tower, while a quench tower with sheds yielding a Coverage Area Ratio of 2.0 would reduce the quench tower height requirement from 250 feet to 130 feet in order to capture 100 percent of steam from the quench tower. Moreover, the graph 551 includes a preferred slope 575 that represents various combinations of coverage area ratio and tower height that result in 100 percent steam capture. For example, according to graph 551, a coverage area ratio of 1.7 and a tower height of 150 feet would yield a 100 percent steam capture rate (as indicated by point 576). Similarly, a coverage area ratio of 1.33 and a tower height of 172 feet would yield a 100 percent steam capture rate (as indicated by point 577).


The steam capture properties of the quench tower may vary with as one or more sides of the quench tower are opened or closed. FIG. 6A shows a three-dimensional view of a quench tower 600 having a quench tower effective perimeter area 605, a quench tower exit perimeter area 610, and a height 615. The bottom of quench tower 600 is closed on one side 611 and is open on the remaining sides. FIG. 6B is an example graph depicting the amount of steam captured in one embodiment of quench tower 600 as a function of coverage area ratio to tower height. FIG. 6C is an example graph depicting a preferred area to maximize steam capture in the quench tower as a function of coverage area ratio to tower height. Hereinafter, FIGS. 6A-6C will be collectively referred to as FIG. 6. Although specific values and ranges are used with respect to FIGS. 5 and 6, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the specific values used are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein.


Graph 651 includes a preferred slope 675 that represents various combinations of coverage area ratio and tower height that result in 100 percent steam capture (as indicated by point 676). For example, according to graph 651, a coverage area ratio of 1.93 and a tower height of 110 feet would yield a 100 percent steam capture rate (as indicated by point 677). Similarly, a coverage area ratio of 1.7 and a tower height of 130 feet would yield a 100 percent steam capture rate.


A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a graph depicting the amount of steam captured in a quench tower as a function of coverage area ratio to tower height, as depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6, may be useful in retrofitting existing quench towers to improve overall performance and efficiency. A person of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that, although FIGS. 5 and 6 are discussed in terms of steam capture, FIGS. 5 and 6 (and the associated discussion) are equally applicable to the capture of particulate matter and emissions.


Quench Baffle Design and Arrangement


The quench tower design disclosed herein may include one or more quench baffles located inside of the quench tower and situated above a train car containing an amount of coke to be quenched. The quench baffle comprises a plurality of chevrons, each of which may be attached, affixed, mounted, hooked, or otherwise connected to a structure inside of the quench tower. For example, the chevrons of the baffle may be hooked onto a baffle support structure that is mounted to one or more walls of the quench tower. The quench baffle may span substantially the length and/or width of the quench tower exit perimeter area formed by the quench tower side walls, as discussed in more detail below. The chevrons of the baffle are adapted to trap particulate matter to prevent its escape from the quench tower during the quenching process. The one or more chevrons may be formed from a variety of different materials including wood, plastic, metal, steel, or any other material suitable for trapping particulate matter. For example, a wood baffle may be advantageous in some instances because the natural profile of the wood may have a wider profile than other materials, thereby resulting in a path that is more tortuous and able to trap a greater amount of particulate matter. In addition, a wood chevron may be hooked to the quench tower rather than attached to the quench tower. A plastic chevron may be advantageous in some instances because, when statically charged, the plastic material may attract more particulate matter that can then be trapped. Similarly, a steel chevron may be advantageous in some instances because steel may allow for easier construction and/or mounting to the quench tower, and may result in a more tortuous path and a more desirable pressure drop in the tower.


The one or more chevrons may take a variety of shapes, including a single chevron shape or a multi-turn chevron shape. In the case of a single chevron shape, the single chevron is attached or hooked to the quench tower at an angle that provides a surface area that contacts air that flows in an upward direction through the quench tower. As the air contacts the single chevron, particulate matter in the air becomes trapped on the surface area of the chevron, thereby preventing the particulate matter from being vented out of the quench tower and into the surrounding atmosphere external to the quench tower. The ability to trap particulate matter may increase further when multi-turn chevrons are used. In a multi-turn chevron design, two or more chevrons may be located relative to one another at an angle that increases the effective surface area of the chevron.


The increased surface area of the multi-chevron design and the tortuous path through the multi-turn chevron design allow for improved trapping of particulate matter that comes into contact with the chevrons as the air flows upward through the quench tower. The one or more baffles may be sprayed with liquid to pre-wet the baffles prior to quenching in order to increase the trapping capabilities of the baffles. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more baffles may be sprayed with liquid to apply a continuous stream or spray of liquid to the baffles of the chevron during quenching. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more baffles may be sprayed with high pressure liquid to reclaim trapped particulate matter after quenching, as explained in more detail below. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the quench tower design may employ a number of additional means to improve the ability of the baffles to trap particulate matter, including for example providing a charged baffle made of plastic or any other material suitable for attracting particulate matter to be trapped.



FIG. 3 illustrates a quench tower design in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein. In particular, quench tower 300 includes a first quench baffle 305 and a second quench baffle 310, each of which extends substantially the width of the opening in the top of the quench tower. Quench baffle 305 includes a plurality of different chevron shapes, including single chevron 394, and multi-turn chevrons 325 (having two turns), 330 (having three turns), and 335 (having four turns). Quench baffle 310 is situated below quench baffle 305 and similarly includes a plurality of different chevron shapes, for example multi-turn chevrons 325 (having two turns), 335 (having four turns), and 340 (having five turns). A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a chevron may have any number of turns and may be attached or hooked to the quench tower at any angle between zero and 180 degrees with respect to the opening in the quench tower. A person of ordinary skill will further appreciate that each chevron may be separated from a neighboring chevron by a fixed or variable distance. Accordingly, the disclosed baffle design allows flexibility to select a baffle shape and separation distance, as well as a number of baffles used, to maximize the rate of particulate matter capture. For example, one design may include one baffle having chevrons with a large number of turns with relatively small spacing between each chevron (for example, two inches). A different example may include multiple layers of baffles comprising a first baffle having chevrons with a large number of turns with relatively larger spacing between each chevron layered with a second baffle having chevrons with a small number of turns with relatively smaller spacing between each chevron.


Quench Baffle Spray Nozzle Design and Arrangement


The quench baffles disclosed herein may be equipped with one or more quench baffle spray nozzles that may be used to clean the quench baffle (including one or more chevrons comprising the quench baffle), wet the quench baffle prior to quenching in order to increase the amount of particulate matter that may be trapped during quenching, dislodge trapped particulate matter from the quench baffle after quenching for recapture, as described above, and/or suppress dust generated during quenching, as described in more detail below. The quench baffle spray nozzles may be mounted in a variety of positions within the quench tower. In one embodiment, a quench baffle spray nozzle may be located on the interior of the quench tower in a position that is situated above at least one quench baffle. If situated above a quench baffle, the quench baffle spray nozzle may be angled in a downward direction in order to dispose an amount of liquid onto the quench baffle below or towards a mass of coke below. In another embodiment, a quench baffle spray nozzle may be located on the interior of the quench tower in a position that is situated below at least one quench baffle. If situated below a quench baffle, the quench baffle spray nozzle may be angled in an upward direction in order to dispose an amount of liquid onto the quench baffle above.


In another embodiment, a quench baffle spray nozzle may be located on the interior of the quench tower between two quench baffles. If situated between two quench baffles, the quench baffle spray nozzle may be angled in an upward direction in order to dispose an amount of liquid onto the quench baffle above or may be angled in a downward direction in order to dispose an amount of liquid onto the quench baffle below or towards a mass of coke below. Additionally, the nozzle may employ a mechanism allowing the angle to be adjusted upward or downward in order to service either the above baffle or the below baffle (as well as the dust generated from quenching the mass of coke below), as needed. In still another embodiment, a quench baffle spray nozzle may be located on the exterior of the quench tower and angled in a downward direction in order to dispose an amount of liquid onto one or more quench baffles located inside of the quench tower as well as to suppress an amount of dust that is generated before and during quenching. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the one or more quench baffle spray nozzles dispose a stream or spray of liquid that is either pressurized or unpressurized. A person of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that the one or more quench baffle spray nozzles may dispose a variety of liquids, including water, a cleaning solution, a protective sealant, or any other liquid (or combination thereof) suitable for cleaning the quench baffle, removing particulate matter from the quench baffle, or protecting the materials of the quench baffle. A person of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that the one or more quench baffle spray nozzles may dispose the one or more liquids in a continuous intermittent stream or spray.



FIG. 3 illustrates a quench baffle spray design and arrangement in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. A first set of baffle spray nozzles 315a and 315b are located inside of quench tower 300 below quench baffle 310. As illustrated in FIG. 3, baffle spray nozzles 315a and 315b are connected to quench tower 300 via mounts 320 and are angled in an upward direction towards quench baffle 310. Baffle spray nozzles 315a and/or 315b may dispose an amount of liquid onto quench baffle 310 for a variety of different purposes, including wetting, cleaning, or protecting one or more quench baffles, as described above. Baffle spray nozzles 315a and/or 315b (or a different set of baffles (not shown)) may also be used to knock down particulate matter (including small or large particulate matter) that is generated during quenching. A second set of baffle spray nozzles 315c and 315d are located inside of quench tower 300 between quench baffles 305 and 310. As illustrated, in FIG. 3, baffle spray nozzles 315c and/or 315d may be angled in an upward direction towards quench baffle 305 in order to dispose an amount of liquid onto quench baffle 305. Alternatively, baffle spray nozzles 315c and/or 315d may be angled in a downward direction towards quench baffle 310 in order to dispose an amount of liquid onto quench baffle 310. A third set of baffle spray nozzles 315e and 315f are located on the exterior of quench tower 300 above quench baffle 305. As illustrated in FIG. 3, baffle spray nozzles 315e and 315f are angled in a downward direction towards quench baffle 305 and may dispose an amount of liquid onto quench baffle 305 for a variety of different purposes, including wetting, cleaning, or protecting one or more quench baffles, and dust suppression, as described above.


A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a greater or smaller number of baffle spray nozzles may be used. For example the quench tower may contain only a single baffle spray nozzle or may contain multiple sets of baffle spray nozzles. A person of ordinary skill will further appreciate that the one or more baffle spray nozzles may be angled in different directions. For example, baffle spray nozzle 315c may be angled in a downward direction at the same time that baffle spray nozzle 315d is angled in an upward direction. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one or more baffle spray nozzles may be dedicated to different functions. For example, one set of baffle spray nozzles may be dedicated to cleaning the baffle, a different set of baffle spray nozzles may be dedicated to wetting the baffle, and still a different set of baffle spray nozzles may be dedicated to dust suppression. A person of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that one or more baffle spray nozzles may deliver a pressurized stream or spray of liquid while one or more different baffle spray nozzles may deliver an unpressurized stream or spray of liquid. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the pressure and/or type of baffle spray nozzle may be changed in accordance with the type of particulate matter to be removed from the baffles. For example, a larger nozzle with higher pressure may be used to remove relatively large particulate matter from one or more baffles, while a smaller nozzle with lower pressure may be used to remove relatively small particulate matter from one or more baffles. A person of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that the one or more baffle spray nozzles may dispose a different type of liquid onto a respective quench baffle, including water, a cleaning solution, a protective sealant, or any other liquid (or combination thereof) suitable for cleaning the quench baffle, removing particulate matter from the quench baffle, or protecting the materials of the quench baffle. A person of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that the one or more baffle spray nozzles may dispose the different types of liquids in a continuous intermittent stream or spray.


Quench Nozzle Design and Arrangement


The improved quench tower disclosed herein includes one or more quench spray nozzles adapted to dispose an amount of liquid onto a mass of coke to be quenched. The one or more quench spray nozzles may be mounted in the interior of the quench tower in a position located above the mass of coke to be quenched. The quench spray nozzles may be coupled together at various angles to form a quench spray nozzle array. For example, one or more of the quench nozzles may be oriented to dispose an amount of liquid onto the mass of coke at an angle of between zero and 90 degrees with respect to a first or second side of the mass of coke, while one or more additional quench nozzles may be oriented to dispose an amount of liquid onto the mass of coke in a generally downward direction at an angle roughly perpendicular to the mass of coke.


Moreover, the one or more quench nozzles may be situated to dispose the amount of liquid onto different portions of the mass of coke. For example, one or more nozzles may be situated to dispose an amount of liquid onto a center region of the mass of coke, a different one or more nozzles may be situated to dispose an amount of liquid onto one edge of the mass of coke, and/or one or more nozzles may be situated to dispose an amount of liquid onto the opposite edge of the mass of coke. During quenching, the one or more nozzles may be fired in stages to optimize the quenching process. For example, one or more nozzles may dispose an amount of liquid onto the side regions of the mass of coke during an initial quenching stage, while a different one or more nozzles may dispose an amount of liquid onto the center region of the mass of coke during a subsequent quenching stage. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the quenching process may include any number of quenching stages and that individual quench nozzles or groups of quench nozzles may be active during all or fewer than all of the quenching stages. In addition, each quench nozzle may be tuned in order to control the location, the amount of liquid disposed, and the firing of the individual nozzle.



FIG. 3 illustrates a quench tower 300 having a quench spray nozzle array 392 in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein. Quench spray nozzle array 392 includes quench spray nozzles 355a-355c, 360a-360c, and 365a-365c, which are located above a train car 370 containing a mass of coke to be quenched. Quench spray nozzles 355a-355c and 365a-365c are oriented to dispose an amount of liquid onto the mass of coke at an angle of between zero and 90 degrees with respect to a first side (e.g., the left side) of the mass of coke or a second side (e.g., the right side) of the mass of coke. Quench spray nozzles 360a-360c are oriented at an angle roughly perpendicular to the mass of coke in order to dispose an amount of liquid onto the mass of coke. Quench spray nozzles 360a-360c are adapted to dispose an amount of liquid on the center region of the coke to be quenched, quench spray nozzles 355a-355c are adapted to dispose an amount of liquid on the left region of the coke to be quenched, and quench spray nozzles 365a-365c are adapted to dispose an amount of liquid on the right region of the coke to be quenched. As discussed above, the one or more quench nozzles may be fired in phases to achieve more efficient quenching. For example, quench spray nozzles 355a-355c and 365a-365c may be active during a first phase of the quenching process, while quench spray nozzles 360a-360c may be active during a subsequent phase of the quenching process. In addition, the quench spray nozzles may be pressurized differently to meet coke quench needs or to further break an intact amount of coke. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that, in addition to quench spray nozzle array 392, one or more additional nozzle arrays (not shown) may be located within the quench tower above a mass of coke. The one or more additional nozzle arrays may be adapted to perform a variety of different purposes, including quenching the mass of coke or suppressing an amount of dust generated during the quenching process.


Example Quench Procedure



FIG. 4 illustrates an example quench procedure 400 in accordance with the embodiments disclosed herein. At block 405, a quench car containing an amount of coke to be quenched enters the quench tower 300. At step 410, one or more baffle spray nozzles wets the quench baffles by disposing an amount of liquid onto the quench baffles in order to increase the efficiency of particulate matter removal during the quenching process. At step 415, the quenching sequence is started. The quenching sequence may include, for example, a first phase that disposes an amount of liquid on both edges of the amount of coke to be quenched by firing quench nozzles 355a-355c and 365a-355c while not firing quench nozzles 360a-360c. At the conclusion of the first quenching phase, quench nozzles 355a-355c and 365a-355c may be turned off, and quench nozzles 360a-360b may be fired to dispose an amount of liquid onto the center region of the amount of coke to be quenched, or vice versa. A person of ordinary skill will appreciate that the quenching sequence may include any number of individual phases.


While the quenching sequence is in progress—particularly towards the beginning of the quenching sequence—a dust suppression feature may be performed at step 420. The dust suppression feature fires one or more baffle spray nozzles before or during the quenching process in order to suppress dust or particulate matter that may rise from the mass of coke (before the quenching process, during the quenching process, or as a result of a delay in the quenching process) by knocking down particulate matter and dust in the air. The dust suppression feature may be activated towards the beginning of the quenching process and may be deactivated before quenching is completed at step 425. For example, the dust suppression feature may be activated during the first 10 seconds of the quenching process (when a plume of particulate matter typically rises from the coke being quenched), although a person of ordinary skill will recognize that the dust suppression period may last for a longer or shorter period of time during quenching. A person of ordinary skill also will recognize that one or more quench baffle spray nozzles may continue to wet one or more baffles (as discussed in reference to step 410) during the dust suppression period to increase the amount of particulate matter that is captured during quenching. After the quenching sequence has completed at step 425, the quench baffles are cleaned via the baffle spray nozzles, as described above. At step 435, the train car containing the quenched coke may exit the quench tower.


During the quenching process, an amount of flied coke and/or reclaimed coke may be directed back into the train car via one or more reclaim baffles 380 that are attached to an interior surface of the quench tower above the train car containing the coke to be quenched. The one or more reclaim baffles may be sloped downward such that any flied coke or reclaimed coke coming into contact with the reclaim baffles is redirected into the train car.


A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the steps of the quenching procedure may be performed in the same order or a different order than depicted in the flow diagram of FIG. 4 and as described herein. A person of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that two or more of the steps of the illustrated quenching procedure may be performed in parallel. For example, wetting the quench baffles (step 410) may occur either before or after the train car enters the quench tower (step 405) or may occur during the quench (e.g., steps 415-425). As another example, the train car may exit the quench tower (step 435) either before or after the quench baffles are cleaned (step 430). As yet another example, the quench baffles may be cleaned (step 430) at the same time that the train car exits the quench tower (step 435).


Various aspects of the quenching procedure may be automated or optimized through the use of one or more sensors and/or input devices located in or around the quench tower and coupled to the quench tower control logic. For example, quenching parameters such as the oven number, coke tonnage, and/or coke size (e.g., height, width, or thickness of the mass of coke) may be fed into the control logic at the start of the quench process, either automatically via one or more sensors or weight scales, or by manual input on a device such as a key entry pad. After the coke enters the quench tower, the one or more sensors in or around the quench tower may automatically activate one or more spray nozzles (i.e., baffle spray nozzles, quench spray nozzles, dust suppression spray nozzles, or any other nozzles of the quench tower) to wet the quench baffles, to spray mist inside of the quench tower to suppress dust or smoke, or to perform a variety of different functions as described herein.


During quenching, the quench tower control logic may use the stored quenching parameters (e.g., oven number, coke tonnage, and/or size of the coke loaf) to adjust a quenching load profile that affects the quench valves in order to deliver a certain amount of quench liquid to the quench nozzle. In addition, the quench tower control logic may adjust the quenching load profile based on a quench tower profile that corresponds to one or more quenching characteristics of the quench tower (e.g., a tendency of the quench tower to quench a mass of coke for a period of time that is either too long or too short.) Additionally or alternatively, the quench nozzle control logic may use the stored or other available information to implement a different quenching sequence to ensure that the hot coke mass is cooled uniformly and to further ensure that the amount of moisture in the coke is maintained below a target range. Additional sensing systems located in or around the quench tower, such as infrared camera systems or thermocouple arrays, may be coupled to one or more secondary quench systems operable to further automatically or manually dispose an amount of quenching liquid onto the coke to reduce the temperature of one or more hot spots in the coke. The additional sensing systems also may be used to provide feedback to the quench tower control logic to adjust the quenching liquid for optimization of the current quench and/or future quenches. The quench tower profile may be updated in accordance with information collected by the sensing system during or after quenching. For example, if the sensing system detects that the duration of the quenching procedure was too long or too short for the amount of coke being quenched, the sensing system may update the quench tower profile to bias future quenching load profiles towards a longer or shorter quench duration, as appropriate. Additional sensing systems located outside of the quench tower may further monitor broken coke temperature and automatically or manually quench the broken coke (e.g., with a liquid cannon such as a water cannon) to cool any remaining hot spots identified by the sensing system. A person of ordinary skill will appreciate that the additional sensing system may quench the broken coke from a source (e.g., a liquid cannon such as a water cannon) that is located anywhere outside of the quench tower, such as a wharf or coke belt associated with the quench tower. For example, the source may be a spray array located above the wharf or coke belt, where one or more different sprays in the array may fire to quench one or more hot sections of the coke.


A person of ordinary skill will recognize that additional automations may be provided by the quench tower control logic. For example, the quench tower control logic may sense an amount of time that has elapsed since a mass of coke entered a quench tower. If the quench procedure for the mass of coke does not start within a predetermined amount of time, the quench tower control logic may automatically activate one or more spray nozzles to dispose an amount of liquid onto the mass of coke. Alternatively or additionally, if the baffles of the quench tower are not wet within a predetermined amount of time after the coke enters the quench tower, the quench tower control logic may automatically activate one or more baffle spray nozzles to cool down the quench tower structure. For example, if quenching does not begin within five minutes of a mass of coke entering the quench tower, then the quench tower control logic may activate a series of quench spray nozzles and dust suppression nozzles to automatically begin the quenching process.


From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the technology. Further, certain aspects of the new technology described in the context of particular embodiments may be combined or eliminated in other embodiments. Moreover, while advantages associated with certain embodiments of the technology have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the technology. Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology can encompass other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein. Thus, the disclosure is not limited except as by the appended claims.

Claims
  • 1. A method for quenching coke in a quench tower, comprising: receiving a train car containing an amount of coke to be quenched, wherein the train car includes a train car perimeter, defined by a plurality of sides joined together to form the train car, and is received through an opening in an end wall in the quench tower; the quench tower formed from a plurality of side walls and end walls joined together to create a partially open top portion that defines a quench tower physical perimeter that surrounds an area of the partially open top portion of the quench tower;allowing air to flow into the quench tower through an opening in a bottom portion of at least one side wall, up through the quench tower and out the open top portion;starting a suppression action to suppress an amount of dust, wherein the suppressing action comprises disposing an amount of liquid in the quench tower via one or more baffle spray nozzles, which knocks down dust rising in air within the quench tower;starting a quenching action to quench the amount of coke in the train car, wherein starting the quenching action comprises disposing an amount of liquid onto the amount of coke using one or more quench spray nozzles;managing steam and particulate material, produced by the quenching action, within a quench tower effective perimeter and a quench tower effective perimeter area, which is defined by a combination of the quench tower physical perimeter and a shed physical perimeter; the shed physical perimeter defined by one or more sheds, formed from one or more outwardly extending surfaces joined to a side wall of the quench tower, that create a substantially closed top portion; wherein: the quench tower effective perimeter is larger than the quench tower physical perimeter;the quench tower physical perimeter is larger than or equal to a train car perimeter, the train car perimeter being defined by a plurality of sides joined together to form the train car; andthe quench tower effective perimeter is configured to provide an enhanced draft distribution profile that reduces expulsion of steam and particulate material from the effective perimeter;stopping the suppression action, wherein stopping the suppression action comprises discontinuing disposing an amount of liquid in the quench tower via one or more baffle spray nozzles;stopping the quenching action, wherein stopping the quenching action comprises discontinuing disposing an amount of liquid onto the amount of coke using the one or more quench spray nozzles; andtransporting the train car out of the quench tower, wherein the train car is transported through an opening in an end wall in the quench tower.
  • 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the train car is received through a first end wall opening and transported out of a second end wall opening.
  • 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the train car is received through, and transported out of, the same end wall opening.
  • 4. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first end wall opening or the second end wall opening is located in a front section or back section of the quench tower.
  • 5. The method of claim 2, wherein: at least one of the first end wall opening or the second end wall opening contains a movable barrier coupled thereto that at least partially covers the opening to limit the passage of airflow from within the quench tower through at least one of the first end wall opening or the second end wall opening.
  • 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the movable barrier is a door or curtain.
  • 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising wetting one or more baffles in the quench tower by disposing an amount of liquid onto the one or more baffles, the one or more baffles being attached to an interior surface of the quench tower, and the wetting taking place before the suppression action or the quenching action is started.
  • 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising wetting one or more baffles in the quench tower by disposing an amount of liquid onto the one or more baffles for a duration of time, the one or more baffles being attached to an interior surface of the quench tower, the duration of time lasting from at least the start of the suppression action to the stop of the suppression action or lasting from at least the start of the quenching action to the stop of the quenching action.
  • 9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more quench spray nozzles begins disposing an amount of liquid onto the amount of coke before a different at least one of the one or more quench spray nozzles begins disposing an amount of liquid onto the amount of coke.
  • 10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more quench spray nozzles stops disposing an amount of liquid onto the amount of coke before a different at least one of the one or more quench spray nozzles stops disposing an amount of liquid onto the amount of coke.
  • 11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more quench spray nozzles disposes an amount of liquid onto a center area of the mass of coke to be quenched or an area that is not a center area of the mass of coke to be quenched.
  • 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising cleaning one or more tower baffles, wherein the cleaning comprises delivering a stream or spray of liquid onto one or more tower baffles using a tower baffle spray nozzle.
  • 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the train car is transported out of the quench tower before or after the baffles are cleaned.
  • 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the quenching action and the suppression action are started simultaneously.
  • 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the quenching action and the suppression action are started at different times.
  • 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the quenching action and the suppression action are stopped simultaneously.
  • 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the quenching action and the suppression action are stopped at different times.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/843,166, filed Mar. 15, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety

US Referenced Citations (335)
Number Name Date Kind
425797 Hunt Apr 1890 A
469868 Osbourn Mar 1892 A
845719 Schniewind Feb 1907 A
976580 Krause Jul 1909 A
1140798 Carpenter May 1915 A
1424777 Schondeling Aug 1922 A
1430027 Plantinga Sep 1922 A
1486401 Van Ackeren Mar 1924 A
1530995 Geiger Mar 1925 A
1572391 Kiaiber Feb 1926 A
1677973 Marquard Jul 1928 A
1705039 Thornhill Mar 1929 A
1721813 Geipert Jul 1929 A
1757682 Palm May 1930 A
1818370 Wine Aug 1931 A
1818994 Kreisinger Aug 1931 A
1830951 Lovett Nov 1931 A
1848818 Becker Mar 1932 A
1947499 Schrader et al. Feb 1934 A
1955962 Jones Apr 1934 A
2075337 Burnaugh Mar 1937 A
2141035 Daniels Dec 1938 A
2195466 Otto Apr 1940 A
2394173 Harris et al. Feb 1946 A
2424012 Bangham et al. Jul 1947 A
2649978 Such Aug 1953 A
2667185 Beavers Jan 1954 A
2723725 Keiffer Nov 1955 A
2756842 Chamberlin et al. Jul 1956 A
2813708 Frey Nov 1957 A
2827424 Homan Mar 1958 A
2873816 Emil et al. Feb 1959 A
2902991 Whitman Sep 1959 A
2907698 Schulz Oct 1959 A
3015893 McCreary Jan 1962 A
3033764 Hannes May 1962 A
3224805 Clyatt Dec 1965 A
3462345 Kernan Aug 1969 A
3511030 Brown et al. May 1970 A
3542650 Kulakov Nov 1970 A
3545470 Paton Dec 1970 A
3592742 Thompson Jul 1971 A
3616408 Hickam Oct 1971 A
3623511 Levin Nov 1971 A
3630852 Nashan et al. Dec 1971 A
3652403 Knappstein et al. Mar 1972 A
3676305 Cremer Jul 1972 A
3709794 Kinzler et al. Jan 1973 A
3710551 Sved Jan 1973 A
3746626 Morrison, Jr. Jul 1973 A
3748235 Pries Jul 1973 A
3784034 Thompson Jan 1974 A
3806032 Pries Apr 1974 A
3811572 Tatterson May 1974 A
3836161 Pries Oct 1974 A
3839156 Jakobi et al. Oct 1974 A
3844900 Schulte Oct 1974 A
3857758 Mole Dec 1974 A
3875016 Schmidt-Balve Apr 1975 A
3876143 Rossow et al. Apr 1975 A
3876506 Dix et al. Apr 1975 A
3878053 Hyde Apr 1975 A
3894302 Lasater Jul 1975 A
3897312 Armour et al. Jul 1975 A
3906992 Leach Sep 1975 A
3912091 Thompson Oct 1975 A
3917458 Polak Nov 1975 A
3928144 Jakimowicz Dec 1975 A
3930961 Sustarsic et al. Jan 1976 A
3933443 Lohrmann Jan 1976 A
3957591 Riecker May 1976 A
3959084 Price May 1976 A
3963582 Helm et al. Jun 1976 A
3969191 Bollenbach Jul 1976 A
3975148 Fukuda et al. Aug 1976 A
3984289 Sustarsic et al. Oct 1976 A
4004702 Szendroi Jan 1977 A
4004983 Pries Jan 1977 A
4025395 Ekholm May 1977 A
4040910 Knappstein et al. Aug 1977 A
4045299 MacDonald Aug 1977 A
4059885 Oldengott Nov 1977 A
4067462 Thompson Jan 1978 A
4083753 Rogers et al. Apr 1978 A
4086231 Ikio Apr 1978 A
4093245 Connor Jun 1978 A
4100033 Holter Jul 1978 A
4111757 Carimboli Sep 1978 A
4124450 MacDonald Nov 1978 A
4135948 Mertens et al. Jan 1979 A
4141796 Clark et al. Feb 1979 A
4145195 Knappstein et al. Mar 1979 A
4147230 Ormond et al. Apr 1979 A
4162546 Shortell et al. Jul 1979 A
4181459 Price Jan 1980 A
4189272 Gregor et al. Feb 1980 A
4194951 Pries Mar 1980 A
4196053 Grohmann Apr 1980 A
4211608 Kwasnoski et al. Jul 1980 A
4213489 Cain Jul 1980 A
4213828 Calderon Jul 1980 A
4222748 Argo et al. Sep 1980 A
4222824 Flockenhaus et al. Sep 1980 A
4224109 Flockenhaus et al. Sep 1980 A
4225393 Gregor et al. Sep 1980 A
4235830 Bennett et al. Nov 1980 A
4239602 La Bate Dec 1980 A
4248671 Belding Feb 1981 A
4249997 Schmitz Feb 1981 A
4263099 Porter Apr 1981 A
4268360 Tsuzuki et al. May 1981 A
4271814 Lister Jun 1981 A
4284478 Brommel Aug 1981 A
4285772 Kress Aug 1981 A
4287024 Thompson Sep 1981 A
4289584 Chuss et al. Sep 1981 A
4289585 Wagener Sep 1981 A
4296938 Offermann et al. Oct 1981 A
4299666 Ostmann Nov 1981 A
4302935 Cousimano Dec 1981 A
4303615 Jarmell et al. Dec 1981 A
4307673 Caughey Dec 1981 A
4314787 Kwasnik et al. Feb 1982 A
4330372 Cairns et al. May 1982 A
4334963 Stog Jun 1982 A
4336843 Petty Jun 1982 A
4340445 Kucher et al. Jul 1982 A
4342195 Lo Aug 1982 A
4344820 Thompson Aug 1982 A
4344822 Schwartz Aug 1982 A
4353189 Thiersch et al. Oct 1982 A
4366029 Bixby et al. Dec 1982 A
4373244 Mertens et al. Feb 1983 A
4375388 Hara et al. Mar 1983 A
4391674 Velmin et al. Jul 1983 A
4392824 Struck et al. Jul 1983 A
4394217 Holz et al. Jul 1983 A
4395269 Schuler Jul 1983 A
4396394 Li et al. Aug 1983 A
4396461 Neubaum et al. Aug 1983 A
4431484 Weber et al. Feb 1984 A
4439277 Dix Mar 1984 A
4440098 Adams Apr 1984 A
4445977 Husher May 1984 A
4446018 Cerwick May 1984 A
4448541 Lucas May 1984 A
4452749 Kolvek et al. Jun 1984 A
4459103 Gieskieng Jul 1984 A
4469446 Goodboy Sep 1984 A
4474344 Bennett Oct 1984 A
4487137 Horvat et al. Dec 1984 A
4498786 Ruscheweyh Feb 1985 A
4506025 Kleeb et al. Mar 1985 A
4508539 Nakai Apr 1985 A
4527488 Lindgren Jul 1985 A
4564420 Spindeler et al. Jan 1986 A
4568426 Orlando Feb 1986 A
4570670 Johnson Feb 1986 A
4614567 Stahlherm et al. Sep 1986 A
4643327 Campbell Feb 1987 A
4645513 Kubota et al. Feb 1987 A
4655193 Blacket Apr 1987 A
4655804 Kercheval et al. Apr 1987 A
4666675 Parker et al. May 1987 A
4680167 Orlando Jul 1987 A
4704195 Janicka et al. Nov 1987 A
4720262 Durr et al. Jan 1988 A
4724976 Lee Feb 1988 A
4726465 Kwasnik et al. Feb 1988 A
4793931 Doyle et al. Dec 1988 A
4824614 Jones et al. Apr 1989 A
4889698 Moller et al. Dec 1989 A
4919170 Kallinich et al. Apr 1990 A
4929179 Breidenbach et al. May 1990 A
4941824 Holter et al. Jul 1990 A
5052922 Stokman et al. Oct 1991 A
5062925 Durselen et al. Nov 1991 A
5078822 Hodges et al. Jan 1992 A
5087328 Wegerer et al. Feb 1992 A
5114542 Childress et al. May 1992 A
5213138 Presz May 1993 A
5227106 Kolvek Jul 1993 A
5228955 Westbrook, III Jul 1993 A
5234601 Janke et al. Aug 1993 A
5318671 Pruitt Jun 1994 A
5370218 Johnson et al. Dec 1994 A
5423152 Kolvek Jun 1995 A
5480594 Wilkerson et al. Jan 1996 A
5542650 Abel et al. Aug 1996 A
5622280 Mays et al. Apr 1997 A
5659110 Herden et al. Aug 1997 A
5670025 Baird Sep 1997 A
5687768 Albrecht et al. Nov 1997 A
5715962 McDonnell Feb 1998 A
5752548 Matsumoto et al. May 1998 A
5787821 Bhat et al. Aug 1998 A
5810032 Hong et al. Sep 1998 A
5816210 Yamaguchi Oct 1998 A
5857308 Dismore et al. Jan 1999 A
5913448 Mann et al. Jun 1999 A
5928476 Daniels Jul 1999 A
5968320 Sprague Oct 1999 A
6017214 Sturgulewski Jan 2000 A
6059932 Sturgulewski May 2000 A
6139692 Tamura et al. Oct 2000 A
6152668 Knoch Nov 2000 A
6187148 Sturgulewski Feb 2001 B1
6189819 Racine Feb 2001 B1
6290494 Barkdoll Sep 2001 B1
6412221 Emsbo Jul 2002 B1
6596128 Westbrook Jul 2003 B2
6626984 Taylor Sep 2003 B1
6699035 Brooker Mar 2004 B2
6758875 Reid et al. Jul 2004 B2
6907895 Johnson et al. Jun 2005 B2
6946011 Snyder Sep 2005 B2
6964236 Schucker Nov 2005 B2
7056390 Fratello Jun 2006 B2
7077892 Lee Jul 2006 B2
7314060 Chen et al. Jan 2008 B2
7331298 Barkdoll et al. Feb 2008 B2
7433743 Pistikopoulos et al. Oct 2008 B2
7497930 Barkdoll et al. Mar 2009 B2
7611609 Valia et al. Nov 2009 B1
7644711 Creel Jan 2010 B2
7722843 Srinivasachar May 2010 B1
7727307 Winkler Jun 2010 B2
7785447 Eatough et al. Aug 2010 B2
7803627 Hodges et al. Sep 2010 B2
7823401 Takeuchi et al. Nov 2010 B2
7827689 Crane Nov 2010 B2
7998316 Barkdoll Aug 2011 B2
8071060 Ukai et al. Dec 2011 B2
8079751 Kapila et al. Dec 2011 B2
8080088 Srinivasachar Dec 2011 B1
8152970 Barkdoll et al. Apr 2012 B2
8236142 Westbrook Aug 2012 B2
8266853 Bloom et al. Sep 2012 B2
8398935 Howell et al. Mar 2013 B2
8409405 Kim et al. Apr 2013 B2
8647476 Kim et al. Feb 2014 B2
8800795 Hwang Aug 2014 B2
8956995 Masatsugu et al. Feb 2015 B2
8980063 Kim et al. Mar 2015 B2
9039869 Kim et al. May 2015 B2
9057023 Reichelt et al. Jun 2015 B2
9193915 West et al. Nov 2015 B2
9243186 Quanci et al. Jan 2016 B2
9249357 Quanci et al. Feb 2016 B2
10323192 Quanci et al. Jun 2019 B2
20020170605 Shiraishi et al. Nov 2002 A1
20030014954 Ronning et al. Jan 2003 A1
20030015809 Carson Jan 2003 A1
20030057083 Eatough et al. Mar 2003 A1
20050087767 Fitzgerald et al. Apr 2005 A1
20060102420 Huber et al. May 2006 A1
20060149407 Markham et al. Jul 2006 A1
20070116619 Taylor et al. May 2007 A1
20070251198 Witter Nov 2007 A1
20080028935 Andersson Feb 2008 A1
20080169578 Crane et al. Jul 2008 A1
20080179165 Chen et al. Jul 2008 A1
20080257236 Green Oct 2008 A1
20080271985 Yamasaki Nov 2008 A1
20080289305 Girondi Nov 2008 A1
20090007785 Kimura et al. Jan 2009 A1
20090152092 Kim et al. Jun 2009 A1
20090162269 Barger et al. Jun 2009 A1
20090217576 Kim et al. Sep 2009 A1
20090283395 Hippe Nov 2009 A1
20100095521 Kartal et al. Apr 2010 A1
20100106310 Grohman Apr 2010 A1
20100113266 Abe et al. May 2010 A1
20100115912 Worley May 2010 A1
20100181297 Whysail Jul 2010 A1
20100196597 Di Loreto Aug 2010 A1
20100276269 Schuecker et al. Nov 2010 A1
20100287871 Bloom et al. Nov 2010 A1
20100300867 Kim et al. Dec 2010 A1
20100314234 Knoch et al. Dec 2010 A1
20110048917 Kim et al. Mar 2011 A1
20110088600 McRae Apr 2011 A1
20110120852 Kim May 2011 A1
20110144406 Masatsugu et al. Jun 2011 A1
20110168482 Merchant et al. Jul 2011 A1
20110174301 Haydock et al. Jul 2011 A1
20110192395 Kim Aug 2011 A1
20110198206 Kim et al. Aug 2011 A1
20110223088 Chang et al. Sep 2011 A1
20110253521 Kim Oct 2011 A1
20110284360 Westbrook Nov 2011 A1
20110291827 Baldocchi et al. Dec 2011 A1
20110313218 Dana Dec 2011 A1
20110315538 Kim et al. Dec 2011 A1
20120024688 Barkdoll Feb 2012 A1
20120030998 Barkdoll et al. Feb 2012 A1
20120125709 Merchant et al. May 2012 A1
20120152720 Reichelt et al. Jun 2012 A1
20120180133 Al-Harbi et al. Jul 2012 A1
20120228115 Westbrook Sep 2012 A1
20120247939 Kim et al. Oct 2012 A1
20120305380 Wang et al. Dec 2012 A1
20130020781 Kishikawa Jan 2013 A1
20130045149 Miller Feb 2013 A1
20130216717 Rago et al. Aug 2013 A1
20130220373 Kim Aug 2013 A1
20130306462 Kim et al. Nov 2013 A1
20140033917 Rodgers et al. Feb 2014 A1
20140039833 Sharpe, Jr. et al. Feb 2014 A1
20140048402 Quanci et al. Feb 2014 A1
20140061018 Sarpen et al. Mar 2014 A1
20140083836 Quanci et al. Mar 2014 A1
20140182195 Quanci et al. Jul 2014 A1
20140182683 Quanci et al. Jul 2014 A1
20140183023 Quanci et al. Jul 2014 A1
20140183024 Chun et al. Jul 2014 A1
20140183026 Quanci et al. Jul 2014 A1
20140208997 Alferyev et al. Jul 2014 A1
20140224123 Walters Aug 2014 A1
20140262139 Choi et al. Sep 2014 A1
20140262726 West et al. Sep 2014 A1
20150122629 Freimuth May 2015 A1
20150219530 Li et al. Aug 2015 A1
20150247092 Quanci et al. Sep 2015 A1
20150328576 Quanci et al. Sep 2015 A1
20150287026 Quanci et al. Oct 2015 A1
20160026193 Rhodes et al. Jan 2016 A1
20160032193 Sarpen et al. Feb 2016 A1
20160048139 Samples et al. Feb 2016 A1
20160060532 Quanci et al. Mar 2016 A1
20160060533 Quanci et al. Mar 2016 A1
20160060534 Quanci et al. Mar 2016 A1
20160060536 Quanci et al. Mar 2016 A1
20160149944 Obermeier et al. May 2016 A1
20170015908 Quanci et al. Jan 2017 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (159)
Number Date Country
1172895 Aug 1984 CA
2775992 May 2011 CA
2822841 Jul 2012 CA
2822857 Jul 2012 CA
87212113 Jun 1988 CN
87107195 Jul 1988 CN
2064363 Oct 1990 CN
2139121 Jul 1993 CN
1092457 Sep 1994 CN
1255528 Jun 2000 CN
1270983 Oct 2000 CN
2528771 Feb 2002 CN
1358822 Jul 2002 CN
2521473 Nov 2002 CN
1468364 Jan 2004 CN
1527872 Sep 2004 CN
2668641 Jan 2005 CN
1957204 May 2007 CN
101037603 Sep 2007 CN
101058731 Oct 2007 CN
101157874 Apr 2008 CN
201121178 Sep 2008 CN
101395248 Mar 2009 CN
100510004 Jul 2009 CN
101486017 Jul 2009 CN
201264981 Jul 2009 CN
101497835 Aug 2009 CN
101509427 Aug 2009 CN
102155300 Aug 2011 CN
2509188 Nov 2011 CN
202226816 May 2012 CN
202265541 Jun 2012 CN
102584294 Jul 2012 CN
202415446 Sep 2012 CN
103468289 Dec 2013 CN
105189704 Dec 2015 CN
106661456 May 2017 CN
201729 Sep 1908 DE
212176 Jul 1909 DE
1212037 Mar 1966 DE
3231697 Jan 1984 DE
3315738 Mar 1984 DE
3329367 Nov 1984 DE
3328702 Feb 1985 DE
3407487 Jun 1985 DE
19545736 Jun 1997 DE
19803455 Aug 1999 DE
10122531 Nov 2002 DE
10154785 May 2003 DE
102005015301 Oct 2006 DE
102006004669 Aug 2007 DE
102006026521 Dec 2007 DE
102009031436 Jan 2011 DE
102011052785 Dec 2012 DE
0126399 Nov 1984 EP
0208490 Jan 1987 EP
0903393 Mar 1999 EP
1538503 Jun 2005 EP
2295129 Mar 2011 EP
2339664 Aug 1977 FR
364236 Jan 1932 GB
368649 Mar 1932 GB
441784 Jan 1936 GB
606340 Aug 1948 GB
611524 Nov 1948 GB
725865 Mar 1955 GB
871094 Jun 1961 GB
923205 May 1963 GB
S50148405 Nov 1975 JP
S59019301 Feb 1978 JP
54054101 Apr 1979 JP
S5453103 Apr 1979 JP
57051786 Mar 1982 JP
57051787 Mar 1982 JP
57083585 May 1982 JP
57090092 Jun 1982 JP
58091788 May 1983 JP
59051978 Mar 1984 JP
59053589 Mar 1984 JP
59071388 Apr 1984 JP
59108083 Jun 1984 JP
59145281 Aug 1984 JP
60004588 Jan 1985 JP
61106690 May 1986 JP
62011794 Jan 1987 JP
62285980 Dec 1987 JP
01103694 Apr 1989 JP
01249886 Oct 1989 JP
H0319127 Mar 1991 JP
03197588 Aug 1991 JP
04159392 Jun 1992 JP
H04178494 Jun 1992 JP
H0649450 Feb 1994 JP
H0654753 Jul 1994 JP
06264062 Sep 1994 JP
07188668 Jul 1995 JP
07216357 Aug 1995 JP
H07204432 Aug 1995 JP
H08104875 Apr 1996 JP
08127778 May 1996 JP
H10273672 Oct 1998 JP
H11-131074 May 1999 JP
2000204373 Jul 2000 JP
2001200258 Jul 2001 JP
2002106941 Apr 2002 JP
2003041258 Feb 2003 JP
2003071313 Mar 2003 JP
2003292968 Oct 2003 JP
2003342581 Dec 2003 JP
2005503448 Feb 2005 JP
2005263983 Sep 2005 JP
2006188608 Jul 2006 JP
2007063420 Mar 2007 JP
4101226 Jun 2008 JP
2008231278 Oct 2008 JP
2009073864 Apr 2009 JP
2009073865 Apr 2009 JP
2009144121 Jul 2009 JP
2010229239 Oct 2010 JP
2010248389 Nov 2010 JP
2012102302 May 2012 JP
2013006957 Jan 2013 JP
2013510910 Mar 2013 JP
2013189322 Sep 2013 JP
2014040502 Mar 2014 JP
1019960008754 Oct 1996 KR
1019990054426 Jul 1999 KR
20000042375 Jul 2000 KR
100296700 Oct 2001 KR
1020050053861 Jun 2005 KR
100737393 Jul 2007 KR
100797852 Jan 2008 KR
1020110010452 Feb 2011 KR
101314288 Apr 2011 KR
20130050807 May 2013 KR
101318388 Oct 2013 KR
2083532 Jul 1997 RU
2441898 Feb 2012 RU
2493233 Sep 2013 RU
1535880 Jan 1990 SU
201241166 Oct 2012 TW
201245431 Nov 2012 TW
50580 Oct 2002 UA
WO9012074 Oct 1990 WO
WO9945083 Sep 1999 WO
WO2005023649 Mar 2005 WO
WO2005115583 Dec 2005 WO
WO2007103649 Sep 2007 WO
WO2008034424 Mar 2008 WO
WO2011000447 Jan 2011 WO
WO2012029979 Mar 2012 WO
WO2012031726 Mar 2012 WO
WO2013023872 Feb 2013 WO
WO2010107513 Sep 2013 WO
WO2014021909 Feb 2014 WO
WO2014043667 Mar 2014 WO
WO2014105064 Jul 2014 WO
WO2014153050 Sep 2014 WO
WO2016004106 Jan 2016 WO
Non-Patent Literature Citations (170)
Entry
Kerlin, Thomas W.. (1999). Practical Thermocouple Thermometry—1.1 The Thermocouple. ISA. Online version available at: https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/pdf/id:kt007XPTM3/practical-thernnocouple/the-thermocouple.
Boyes, Walt. (2003). Instrumentation Reference Book (3rd Edition)—34.7.4.6 Infrared and Thermal Cameras. Elsevier. Online version available at: https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/pdf/id:kt004QMGV6/instrumentation-reference-2/digital-video.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/959,450, filed Dec. 4, 2015, Quanci et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/983,857, filed Dec. 30, 2015, Quanci et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/984,489, filed Dec. 30, 2015, Quanci et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/986,281, filed Dec. 31, 2015, Quanci et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/987,625, filed Jan. 4, 2016, Quanci et al.
ASTM D5341-99(2010)e1, Standard Test Method for Measuring Coke Reactivity Index (CRI) and Coke Strength After Reaction (CSR), ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2010.
Basset, et al., “Calculation of steady flow pressure loss coefficients for pipe junctions,” Proc Instn Mech Engrs., vol. 215, Part C. IMechIE 2001.
Clean coke process: process development studies by USS Engineers and Consultants, Inc., Wisconsin Tech Search, request date Oct. 5, 2011, 17 pages.
Costa, et al., “Edge Effects on the Flow Characteristics in a 90 deg Tee Junction,” Transactions of the ASME, Nov. 2006, vol. 128, pp. 1204-1217.
Crelling, et al., “Effects of Weathered Coal on Coking Properties and Coke Quality”, Fuel, 1979, vol. 58, Issue 7, pp. 542-546.
Database WPI, Week 199115, Thomson Scientific, Lond, GB; AN 1991-107552.
Diez, et al., “Coal for Metallurgical Coke Production: Predictions of Coke Quality and Future Requirements for Cokemaking”, International Journal of Coal Geology, 2002, vol. 50, Issue 1-4, pp. 389-412.
International Search Report and Written Opinion of International Application No. PCT/US2012/072166; dated Sep. 25, 2013; 11 pages.
JP 03-197588, Inoqu Keizo et al., Method and Equipment for Boring Degassing Hole in Coal Charge in Coke Oven, Japanese Patent (Abstract Only) Aug. 28, 1991.
JP 04-159392, Inoue Keizo et al., Method and Equipment for Opening Hole for Degassing of Coal Charge in Coke Oven, Japanese Patent (Abstract Only) Jun. 2, 1992.
Rose, Harold J., “The Selection of Coals for the Manufacture of Coke,” American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, Feb. 1926, 8 pages.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/322,176, filed Dec. 27, 2015, West et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/443,246, filed Feb. 27, 2017, Quanci et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/511,036, filed Mar. 14, 2017, West et al.
Beckman et al., “Possibilities and limits of cutting back coking plant output,” Stahl Und Eisen, Verlag Stahleisen, Dusseldorf, DE, vol. 130, No. 8, Aug. 16, 2010, pp. 57-67.
Kochanski et al., “Overview of Uhde Heat Recovery Cokemaking Technology,” AISTech Iron and Steel Technology Conference Proceedings, Association for Iron and Steel Technology, U.S., vol. 1, Jan. 1, 2005, pp. 25-32.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/139,568, filed Apr. 27, 2016, Quanci et al.
Canadian Office Action in Canadian Application No. 2,896,769, dated Apr. 4, 2016, 4 pages.
Waddell, et al., “Heat-Recovery Cokemaking Presentation,” Jan. 1999, pp. 1-25.
Westbrook, “Heat-Recovery Cokemaking at Sun Coke,” AISE Steel Technology, Pittsburg, PA, vol. 76, No. 1, Jan. 1999, pp. 25-28.
Yu et al., “Coke Oven Production Technology,” Lianoning Science and Technology Press, first edition, Apr. 2014, pp. 356-358.
“Resources and Utilization of Coking Coal in China,” Mingxin Shen ed., Chemical Industry Press, first edition, Jan. 2007, pp. 242-243, 247.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/392,942, filed Dec. 28, 2016, Quanci et al.
Canadian Office Action in Canadian Application No. 2,896,769, dated Oct. 26, 2016, 3 pages.
Chinese Office Action in Chinese Application No. 201480003680.0, dated Aug. 1, 2016.
Extended European Search Report in European Application No. 16171700.4, dated Sep. 21, 2016; 7 pages.
Extended European Search Report in European Application No. 14765030.3, dated Sep. 30, 2016, 4 pages.
Extended European Search Report in European Application No. 16171697.2, dated Oct. 13, 2016, 6 pages.
Bloom, et al., “Modular cast block—The future of coke oven repairs,” Iron & Steel Technol, AIST, Warrendale, PA, vol. 4, No. 3, Mar. 1, 2007, pp. 61-64.
Examination Report for European Application No. 16171697.2; dated Nov. 28, 2017; 5 pages.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/614,525, filed Jun. 5, 2017, Quanci et al.
“Conveyor Chain Designer Guild”, Mar. 27, 2014 (date obtained from wayback machine), Renold.com, Section 4, available online at: http://www.renold/com/upload/renoldswitzerland/conveyor_chain_-_designer_guide.pdf.
“Middletown Coke Company HRSG Maintenance BACT Analysis Option 1—Individual Spray Quenches Sun Heat Recovery Coke Facility Process Flow Diagram Middletown Coke Company 100 Oven Case #1-24.5 VM”, (Sep. 1, 2009), URL: http://web.archive.org/web/20090901042738/http://epa.ohio.gov/portals/27/transfer/ptiApplication/mcc/new/262504.pdf, (Feb. 12, 2016), XP055249803 [X] 1-13 p. 7 pp. 8-11.
Practical Technical Manual of Refractories, Baoyu Hu, etc., Beijing: Metallurgical Industry Press, Chapter 6; 2004, 6-30.
Refractories for Ironmaking and Steelmaking: A History of Battles over High Temperatures; Kyoshi Sugita (Japan, Shaolin Zhang), 1995, p. 160, 2004, 2-29.
Walker D N et al, “Sun Coke Company's heat recovery cokemaking technology high coke quality and low environmental impact”, Revue De Metallurgie-Cahiers D'Informations Techniques, Revue De Metallurgie. Paris, FR, (Mar. 1, 2003), vol. 100, No. 3, ISSN 0035-1563, p. 23.
Chinese Office Action in Chinese Application No. 201480003680.0, dated Mar. 29, 2017.
Examination Report in European Application No. 16171700.4; dated Sep. 21, 2017; 4 pages.
Examination Report for European Application No. 14765030.3; dated Nov. 3, 2017, 6 pages.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/987,860, filed May 23, 2018, Crum et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/000,516, filed Jun. 5, 2018, Quanci.
Madias, et al., “A review on stamped charging of coals” (2013). Available at https://www.researchgate.net/publicatoin/263887759_A_review_on_stamped_charging_of_coals.
Metallurgical Code MSDS, ArcelorMittal, May 30, 2011, available online at http://dofasco.arcelormittal.com/-/media/Files/A/Arcelormittal-Canada/material-safety/metallurgical-coke.pdf.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/026,363, filed Jul. 3, 2018, Chun et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/047,198, filed Jul. 27, 2018, Quanci et al.
Astrom, et al., “Feedback Systems: An Introduction for Scientists and Engineers,” Sep. 16, 2006, available on line at http://people/duke.edu/-hpgavin/SystemID/References/Astrom-Feedback-2006.pdf ; 404 pages.
Industrial Furnace Design Handbook, Editor-in-Chief: First Design Institute of First Ministry of Machinery Industry, Beijing: Mechanical Industry Press, pp. 180-183, Oct. 1981.
“What is dead-band control,” forum post by user “wireaddict” on AllAboutCircuits.com message board, Feb. 8, 2007, accessed Oct. 24, 2018 at https:/forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/what-is-dead-band-contro1.4728/; 8 pages.
U.S. Appl. No. 07/886,804, filed May 22m 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,955, titled High Strength Coke Oven Wall Having Gas Flues Therein.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/830,971, filed Mar. 14, 2013, titled Non-Perpendicular Connections Between Coke Oven Uptakes and a Hot Common Tunnel, and Associated Systems and Methods.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/952,267, filed Nov. 25, 2015, titled Systems and Methods for Improving Quenched Coke Recovery.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/959,450, filed Dec. 4, 2015, titled Coke Plant Including Exhaust Gas Sharing.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/865,581, filed Sep. 25, 2015, titled Method and Apparatus for Testing Coal Coking Properties.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/443,246, filed Feb. 27, 2017, titled Coke Oven Charging System.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/587,670, filed Dec. 31, 2014, titled Methods for Decarbonizing Coking Ovens, and Associated Systems and Devices.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/839,493, filed Aug. 28, 2015, titled Method and System for Optimizing Coke Plant Operation and Output.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/839,551, filed Aug. 28, 2015, titled Burn Profiles for Coke Operations.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/830,971, filed Mar. 14, 2013, titled Non-Perpendicular Connections Between Coke Uptakes and a Hot Common Tunnel, and Associated Systems and Methods.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/830,320, filed Dec. 4, 2017, titled Systems and Methods for Improving Quenched Coke Recovery.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/921,723, filed on Oct. 23, 2015, titled Reduced Output Rate Coke Oven Operation With Gas Sharing Providing Extended Process Cycle.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/987,625, filed Jan. 4, 2016, titled Integrated Coke Plant Automation and Optimization Using Advanced Control and Optimization.
Knoerzer et al. “Jewell-Thompson Non-Recovery Cokemaking”, Steel Times, Fuel & Metallurgical Journals Ltd. London, GB, vol. 221, No. 4, Apr. 1, 1993, pp. 172-173,184.
Brazilian Examination Report for BrazilianApplication No. BR112015015435-2; dated Jul. 16, 2019; 4 pages.
U.S. Appl. No. 11/367,236, filed Mar. 3, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,152,970, titled Method and Apparatus for Producing Coke.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/322,176, filed Dec. 27, 2016, titled Horizontal Heat Recovery Coke Ovens Having Monolith Crowns.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/959,450, filed Dec. 4, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10/041,002, titled Coke Plant Including Exhaust Gas Sharing, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,041,002.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/047,198, filed Jul. 27, 2018, titled Coke Plant Including Exhaust Gas Sharing.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/433,246, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,976,089, filed Feb. 27, 2017, titled Coke Oven Charging System.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/587,670, filed Dec. 31, 2014, titled Methods for Decarbonized Coking Ovens, and Associated Systems and Devices.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/392,942, filed Dec. 28, 2016, titled Method and System for Dynamically Charging a Coke Oven.
India First Examination Report in Application No. 570/KOLNP/2015; dated Sep. 19, 2019; 7 pages.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/251,352, filed Jan. 18, 2019, Quanci et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/428,014, filed May 31, 2019, Quanci et al.
Examination Report for European Application No. 161717004.4; dated Mar. 13, 2019.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/828,448, filed Mar. 24, 2020, Quanci et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/845,530, filed Apr. 10, 2020, Quanci et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/704 689, filed Dec. 5, 2019, West et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729 036, filed Dec. 27, 2019, Quanci et at.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729 053, filed Dec. 27, 2019, Quanci et at.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729 057, filed Dec. 27, 2019, Quanci et at.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729 068, filed Dec. 27, 2019, Quanci et at.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729 122, filed Dec. 27, 2019, Quanci et at.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729 129, filed Dec. 27, 2019, Quanci et at.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729 157, filed Dec. 27, 2019, Quanci et at.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729 170, filed Dec. 27, 2019, Quanci et at.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729 201, filed Dec. 27, 2019, Quanci et at.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729 212, filed Dec. 27, 2019, Quanci et at.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729 219, filed Dec. 27, 2019, Quanci et at.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/735,103, filed Jan. 6, 2020, Quanci et al.
Joseph, B., “A tutorial on inferential control and its applications,” Proceedings of the 1999 American Control Conference (Cat. No. 99CH36251), San Diego, CA, 1999, pp. 3106-3118 vol. 5.
Examination Report for European Application No. 14765030.3; dated Nov. 26, 2019; 6 pages.
U.S. Appl. No. 07/587,742, filed Sep. 25, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,542, titled Nonrecovery Coke Oven Battery and Method of Operation.
U.S. Appl. No. 07/878,904, filed May 6, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,671, titled Method of Operation of Nonrecovery Coke Oven Battery.
U.S. Appl. No. 09/783,195, filed Feb. 14, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,596,128, titled Coke Oven Flue Gas Sharing.
U.S. Appl. No. 07/886,804, filed May 22, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,955, titled High Strength Coke Oven Wall Having Gas Flues Therein.
U.S. Appl. No. 08/059,673, filed May 12, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,606, titled Method of and Apparatus for Capturing Coke Oven Charging Emissions.
U.S. Appl. No. 08/914,140, filed Aug. 19, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,476, titled Nonrecovery Coke Oven Door.
U.S. Appl. No. 09/680,187, filed Oct. 5, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,494, titled Method and Apparatus for Coal Coking.
U.S. Appl. No. 10/933,866, filed Sep. 3, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,331,298, titled Coke Oven Rotary Wedge Door Latch.
U.S. Appl. No. 11/424,566, filed Jun. 16, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,497,930, titled Method and Apparatus for Compacting Coal for a Coal Coking Process.
U.S. Appl. No. 12/405,269, filed Mar. 17, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,998,316, titled Flat Push Coke Wet Quenching Apparatus and Process.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/205,960, filed Aug. 9, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,321,965, titled Flat Push Coke Wet Quenching Apparatus and Process.
U.S. Appl. No. 11/367,236, filed Mar. 3, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,152,970, titled Method and Apparatus and Producing Coke.
U.S. Appl. No. 12/403,391, filed Mar. 13, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,172,930, titled Cleanable in Situ Spark Arrestor.
U.S. Appl. No. 12/849,192, filed Aug. 3, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,200,225, titled Method and Apparatus for Compacting Coal for a Coal Coking Process.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/631,215, filed Sep. 28, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,683,740, titled Methods for Handling Coal Processing Emissions and Associated Systems and Devices.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/730,692, filed Dec. 28, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,193,913, titled Reduced Output Rate Coke Oven Operation With Gas Sharing Providing Extended Process Cycle.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/921,723, filed Oct. 23, 2015, titled Reduced Output Rate Coke Oven Operation With Gas Sharing Providing Extended Process Cycle.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/655,204, filed Jun. 24,2015, titled Systems and Methods for Removing Mercury From Emissions.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/000,516, filed Jun. 5, 2018, titled Systems and Methods for Removing Mercury From Emissions.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/830,971, filed Mar. 14, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,047,296, titled Non-Perpendicular Connections Between Coke Oven Uptakes and a Hot Common Tunnel, and Associated Systems and Methods, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,047,295.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/026,363, filed Jul. 3, 2018, titled Non-Perpendicular Connections Between Coke Oven Uptakes and a Hot Common Tunnel, and Associated Systems and Methods.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/730,796, filed Dec. 28, 2012, titled Methods and Systems for Improved Coke Quenching.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/730,598, filed Dec. 28, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,238,778, titled Systems and Methods for Improving Quenched Coke Recovery.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/952,267, filed Nov. 25, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,862,888, titled Systems and Methods for Improving Quenched Coke Recovery.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/830,320, filed Dec. 4, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,323,192, titled Systems and Methods for Improving Quenched Coke Recovery.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/730,735, filed Dec. 28, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,273,249, titled Systems and Methods for Controlling Air Distribution in a Coke Oven.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/655,013, filed Jun. 23, 2015, titled Vent Stack Lids and Associated Systems and Methods.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/843,166, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,273,250, filed Mar. 15, 2013, titled Methods and Systems for Improved Quench Tower Design.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/655,003, filed Jun. 23, 2015, titled Systems and Methods for Maintaining a Hot Car in a Coke Plant.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/829,588, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,193,915, filed Mar. 14, 2013, titled Horizontal Heat Recovery Coke Ovens Having Monolith Crowns.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/322,176, filed Dec. 27, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,526,541, titled Horizontal Heat Recovery Coke Ovens Having Monolith Crowns.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/511,036, filed Mar. 14, 2017, titled Coke Ovens Having Monolith Component Construction.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/704,689, filed Dec. 5, 2019, titled Horizontal Heat Recovery Coke Ovens Having Monolith Crowns.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/589,009, filed Aug. 17, 2012, titled Automatic Draft Control System for Coke Plants.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/139,568, filed Apr. 27, 2016, titled Automatic Draft Control System for Coke Plants.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/588,996, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,243,186, filed Aug. 17, 2012, titled Coke Plant Including Exhaust Gas Sharing.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/959,450, filed Dec. 4, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,041,002, titled Coke Plant Including Exhaust Gas Sharing.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/047,198, filed Jul. 27, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,611,965, titled Coke Plant Including Exhaust Gas Sharing.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/828,448, filed Mar. 24, 2020, titled Coke Plant Including Exhaust Gas Sharing.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/589,004, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,249,357, filed Aug. 17, 2012, titled Method and Apparatus for Volatile Matter Sharing in Stamp-Charged Coke Ovens.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/730,673, filed Dec. 28, 2012, titled Exhaust Flow Modifier, Duct Intersection Incorporating the Same, and Methods Therefor.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/281,891, filed Sep. 30, 2016, titled Exhaust Flow Modifier, Duck Intersection Incorporating the Same, and Methods Therefor.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/598,394, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,169,439, filed Aug. 29, 2012, titled Method and Apparatus for Testing Coal Coking Properties.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/865,581, filed Sep. 25, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,053,627, titled Method and Apparatus for Testing Coal Coking Properties, now U.S. Pat. No.10,053,627.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/839,384, filed Aug. 28, 2015, titled Coke Oven Charging System.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/443,246, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,976,089, filed Feb. 27, 2017, titled Coke Oven Charging System.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/587,670, filed Dec. 31, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,619,101, titled Methods for Decarbonizing Coking Ovens, and Associated Systems and Devices.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/845,530, filed Apr. 10, 2020, titled Methods for Decarbonizing Coking Ovens, and Associated Systems and Devices.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/984,489, filed Dec. 30, 2015, titled Multi-Modal Beds of Coking Material.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/983,837, filed Dec. 30, 2015, titled Multi-Modal beds of Coking Material.
U.S. Appl. No. 14.986,281, filed Dec. 31, 2015, titled Multi-Modal Beds of Coking Material.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/987,625, filed Jan. 4, 2016, titled Integrated Coke Plant Automation and Optimization Using Advanced Control and Optimization Techniques.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/839,493, filed Aug. 28, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,233,392, titled Method and System for Optimizing Coke Plant Operation and Output.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/251,352, filed Jan. 18, 2019, titled Method and System for Optimizing Coke Plant Operation and Output.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/839,551, filed Aug. 28, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,308,876, titled Burn Profiles for Coke Operations.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/428,014, filed May 31, 2019, titled Improved Burn Profiles for Coke Operations.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/839,588, filed Aug. 28, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,708,542, titled Method and System for Optimizing Coke Plant Operation and Output.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/392,942, filed Dec. 28, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,526,542, titled Method and System for Dynamically Charging a Coke Oven.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/735,103, filed Jan. 6, 2020, titled Method and System for Dynamically Charging a Coke Oven.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/614,525, filed Jun. 5, 2017, titled Methods and Systems for Automatically Generating a Remedial Action in an Industrial Facility.
U.S. Appl. No. 15/987,860, filed May 23, 2018, titled System and Method for Repairing a Coke Oven.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729,053, filed Dec. 27, 2019, titled Oven Uptakes.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729,036, filed Dec. 27, 2019, titled Systems and Methods for Treating a Surface of a Coke Plant.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729,201, filed Dec. 27, 2019, titled Gaseous Tracer Leak Detection.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729,122, filed Dec. 27, 2019, titled Methods and Systems for Providing Corrosion Resistant Surfaces in Contaminant Treatment Systems.
U.S. Appl. No. 16,729,068, filed Dec. 27, 2019, titled Systems and Methods for Utilizing Flue Gas.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729,129, filed Dec. 27, 2019, titled Coke Plant Tunnel Repair and Flexible Joints.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729,170, filed Dec. 27, 2019, titled Coke Plant Tunnel Repair and Anchor Distribution.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729,157, filed Dec. 27, 2019, titled Particulate Detection for Industrial Facilities, and Associated Systems and Methods.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729,057, filed Dec. 27, 2019, titled Decarbonization of Coke Ovens and Associated Systems and Methods.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729,212, filed Dec. 27, 2019, titled Heat Recovery Oven Foundation.
U.S. Appl. No. 16/729,219, filed Dec. 27, 2019, titled Spring-Loaded Heat Recovery Oven System and Method.
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20160222297 A1 Aug 2016 US
Divisions (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 13843166 Mar 2013 US
Child 15014547 US