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Larry Car - Flue Temperature/Coal Height

Coke ovens are used to convert coal to coke.  In this process, coal is heated in a reduced atmosphere for about 18 hours, allowing volatile compounds to burn off, producing a hard, porous, and high-carbon material called coke.  Ovens are grouped side-by-side to form a battery. The oven walls are heated by flues embedded within the refractory walls.  The coal is inserted in batches through charging holes on the top of the oven.  The coke is removed using a pusher on one side, and a coke guide on the other.  As it is removed from the oven, the coke is guided into a quench car that carries it into position beneath the quench tower.  The hot coke is quenched to near-ambient temperatures, and then carried by conveyor to a docking area near the blast furnace.

 

Benefits

  • Automatic measure of flue temperature.
  • Eliminates the cost and inconvenience of hand-held measurements.
  • Confirmation of full coke oven chamber.
  • Reduced heat loss through open charging hole covers.

 

 

Coal is loaded into the ovens through charging holes using a Larry Car.  When mounted on the Larry Car, infrared thermometers may be used to measure flue temperatures automatically.  Using an infrared thermometer eliminates the need for a human to spend hours each shift making these critical measurements by hand, reduces the time the charging holes must remain uncovered, and provides an automatic indication that the coal has completely filled the oven chamber.

 

Technical Features

  • Dual-wavelength technology compensates for dirty optics.
  • ArmorGuard sheathing protects fiber optic components from mechanical failure.
  • Temperature and signal strength parameters combine to confirm when the sensor is viewing refractory and when it is viewing coke.

 

A dual-wavelength fiber optic sensor with ArmorGuard sheathing is recommended for this demanding application in order to survive this hot, dirty and dusty environment.  The high signal dilution capability allows the Williamson dual-wavelength sensor to thrive in this difficult environment with little or no maintenance, while the signal strength and signal dilution values are used to identify a full chamber.