Coke Oven Life Prolongation

A Multidisciplinary Approach

Mariano de Cordova, Jorge Madias

metallon, San Nicolas, Argentina

Content

Introduction
Coke Battery Life
Blend Design
Battery Heating
Operating Control
Refractory Maintenance
Diagnostics of the Battery State
Conclusions

Introduction
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Introduction
Background

Content based on
Experience of Mariano de Cordova & battery team
while working at Ternium Siderar coke plant
Material prepared in 2014 for a short course in San
Nicolas, Argentina, with attendance from coke
plants of Brazil, Chile and Argentina (to be repeated
August 6-7, 2015)

Introduction
Factors for longer battery life

Coke Battery Life

Factors in battery life

Useful life
After each charge, oven
walls suffer a strong
temperature drop
This, with other factors,
can decrease resistance to
thermal shock, from 15
years life onwards
Kasay 2008

Coke Battery Life

Factors in battery life

Mechanisms for oven damage

Blend design
Influence on battery life

Blend design, besides coke quality, has to take

into account
Pressure on walls: cracks, open joints, deformation
Maximum value: 2 psi
Industrial values: 0.5 -1.0 psi
Assessment: Movable wall pilot oven
Increased by: Higher share of low volatile coal, faster coking
rate, larger charge density

Charge shrinkage: cracks, open joints, deformation

Acceptable values: -7 to -15%
Assessment: Sole-heating Oven Test ASTM D 2014

Blend design
Influence on battery life
Ash chemistry: Spalling in some cases
Assessment: Test of ash penetration on silica brick sample
Fe2O3 + CaO + MgO must be low

Stamped charging: Risk of destroying walls

Extreme case of very high charge density >1000 kg/m3
Not a problem in non-recovery ovens
ZKS in Germany, start up in 1984, replacement in 2010 and later
by other stamped charging batteries
Tata Steel Jamshedpur: battery 7 started-up in 1989, failures
since 2005; all ovens recovered by 2010

Battery Heating
Influence on battery life

Average battery temperature

Must be maintained within a range to avoid early
damage
Recommended range: around 1300 C to 1100C
Covers the field of stability of tridymite 1470C to 870C

Crosswall temperature
Temperature of flues of a wall, when coking process
ends
Its control is an assessment of thermal homogeneity
along the walls
One series of walls should be measured daily

Battery Heating
Influence on battery life
Results
show
actual
temperature curve and
deviation in comparison
with the standard
If larger deviations are
detected, inspections and
corrective actions must
be prioritized
A thermal map can be
built, displaying normal,
cool and hot zones in the
battery

Before correction

After correctin

Deviation 109C
Standard 50C

Deviation 47C
Standard 50C

Battery Heating
Influence on battery life

Evolution of average deviation in batteries 3 & 4,

Ternium Siderar

Goal 25 C

Year

Battery Heating
Influence on battery life

Leakage of raw gas

Leakage through cracks and open joints in the walls,
needs to be controlled periodically
Leakage damages the wall, decreasing wall
temperature and increasing black emissions by the
chimney
Control: visual inspection of the flues that are not
burning, from the battery roof, during the first five
minutes after charging
Ten points for a large leakage, four for medium and one
for small

Gas leakage index = Total points/(Total of flues x 2)

Gas leakage index <40 % is acceptable

Battery Heating
Influence on battery life
Visual inspection
Automatic
monitoring system,
measuring
the
opacity of the waste
gas exiting the stack

Battery Heating
Influence on battery life

Vertical temperature
Difference between upper and lower zones of the charge
Lower temperature too high: excessive coking, heavy
pushing, reduced coking in the upper part, more fines
Opposite situation: high temperature in the free space,
high deposition of graphite in wall and roof, heavy
pushing
Reference values: 60C for COG, 35C for MG
Adjustment: corrections of O2 in the off-gas
Some flue designs have several levels of air burning and
in some cases recirculation of waste gas to improve
vertical distribution, mostly in tall batteries

Battery Heating
Influence on battery life

Free space temperature

Temperature between the coal line and the oven roof
Increases with battery and vertical temperature, and
lower oven charge
Usually in the order of 800C. If higher, excessive
graphite is formed in the walls, thus generating heavy
pushing with risk of wall damage
To have this temperature in range, the right charging
height is relevant, in agreement with the design of the
battery and the control of O2 in off-gas

Operating Control
Influence on battery life
Responsible for thermal and operating uniformity, and for
the control of the operating variables that influence the
health of the battery
Coking machines
High Reliability and availability
Emergency equipment and installations
Effective preventive maintenance
Delays
Cycling time (between two pushings) must be constant
An objective of admissible delays is recommended, as
well as the recording of these delays and their causes, to
be able to reduce them along time

Operating Control
Influence on battery life
Pushing regularity (delays)
SSAB Ruukki Coking Plant,
Finland.
Goal:+6 / - 10min

Year 1

Year 2

Ternium Siderar Coking Plant,

Argentina
Goal: 0 / - 10 min / oven

Year

Year 3

Operating Control
Influence on battery life

Operating uniformity
Assessed taking into account the average daily gross
coking time
The delays and advances in pushing, exceeding the
aimed standard range, are detected and corrected
When the production level is to be modified, it is
recommendable to change 15 min/day or 5 % or working
index each 5 to 7 days

Operating Control
Influence on battery life

Evolution of range of gross coking time, Ternium

Siderar

Goal : 0,5 hs

Year

Operating Control
Influence on battery life

Thermal uniformity
Assessed by the range of average daily net coking time,
detecting and correcting the ovens with larger deviation
Causes for deviation
Changes in blend moisture
Changes in charge weight
Wall temperature variations
Operating delays or advances
Gas combustion variations

Manual or automatic corrections to the heating system

using data of thermocouples in the stand pipe
Semiautomatic adjustment including calorific power of gas;
Wobbe index or complex control loops, including thermal
balance of the battery

Operating Control
Influence on battery life

Deviation of net
coking time
(thermal uniformity),
ArcelorMittal
Tubarao, Brazil

Operating Control
Influence on battery life

Control of process variables

Charge height: Low charge height means excessive graphite
deposition and high temperature in the free space. The
control is through adjustment of charging and leveling
operations and periodical measurements.
Vertical contraction: Too large contraction implies excessive
graphite and high free space temperature. Oil injection to the
blend and decrease in volatile matter are measures of control
Pushing force: must be monitored in all ovens, this allows
identify heavy pushing and to detect blending, heating or
refractory problems.
Oven internal pressure: It is recommended to eliminate air
ingress that will damage refractories, by means of operating
adjustment or with individual control system of ovens

Refractory Maintenance
Influence on battery life
Ceramic welding
For hot repairing of oven walls in the long range: cracks, joints, spalling,
holes, patching, Contributes to minimize emission of black smokes.

Gunning
Complementary to ceramic welding, to keep sealed the oven walls and
reduce emission of black smoke by the stack by repairing the open joints.

Dry sealing
Sealing of very small cracks in the free space of the oven
Only effective if applied after eliminating major leakages

Sole maintenance
Applied to level sole (floor floating), recover worn profile (dry sintering) and
partial reconstruction with new bricks.

Refractory Maintenance
Influence on battery life
Luting
To seal cracks in the silica ducts transporting coke oven gas to the flues

Hot repairing of headers

To make battery life longer for 10 or 20 years more
Too damaged walls are selected. The first 4 or 6 end flues are rebuilt,
including roof and sole, forming repair group of one to four walls
Tasks in regenerators, improvements in the roof and bracing system are
included
As a result, there are heating improvements, less raw gas leakages, less
heavy pushing and less emission of black smokes to the stack

Maintenance of heating system

Cleaning and changes of the components of the heating system

Maintenance of doors
To assess raw gas leakage using EPA or BCRA standards, Results are
useful to avoid air ingress to the ovens

Refractory Maintenance
Influence on battery life

Standpipes and raw gas cooling system

Cleaning of standpipes, to avoid accumulation of
graphite, making difficult the gas exit and the operation
Control of flushing liquor nozzles, to avoid ingress to the
oven

Bracing system
Control, adjust or change springs
Inspect buckstays and change them, if necessary
Thermal imaging is useful for tie rod control, as shown
by DTE Energy

Diagnostics of the Battery State

The method developed by NSC allows to assess the state of

conservation of the battery periodically, taking into account five
index
Temperature deviation
Leakage of raw gas through the oven walls
Crack propagation in walls
General damage in walls
Dilatation of refractory structure

A yearly measurement is recommended

Diagnostics of the Battery State

Results: Ternium Siderar coke oven batteries, Argentina

Deviation of temperature: good results

Gas leakage index: good results

Diagnostics of the Battery State

Brick damage index, good results

Dilatation index, bad results

Overall result: Well, continue operating after 42 years

Conclusion

Right blend, heating practice, good operation and

preventive refractory maintenance all along the life
time of the battery, are keys to a prolonged battery
life
Hot repairs of headers and diagnostics of damage
are important to achieve this aim

Thank You

Mariano de Cordova, Jorge Madias

metallon, San Nicolas, Argentina
www.metallon.com.ar