Nonrecovery coke oven battery and method of operation

A method of controlling the draft in a nonrecovery coke oven battery including a plurality of elongated coking ovens having open ends normally closed by removable doors and constructed in side-by-side relation with each pair of adjacent ovens separated by a common sidewall, separate systems of sole flues located beneath the opposite ends of each of the ovens, a plurality of downcomers in each of the common sidewalls connecting the upper portion of each adjacent oven to one of the sole flue systems beneath that oven, a plurality of uptakes in each of the common sidewalls including at least one uptake connected to one of the sole flue systems beneath that oven, an elongated common exhaust tunnel extending above and transversely of the ovens in the battery, a stack connected to the exhaust tunnel and extending upwardly therefrom, and a duct system connecting the exhaust tunnel to said uptakes to provide a continuous gas flow path from each oven through said downcomers, sole flue systems, uptakes, duct system, exhaust tunnel and stack to the atmosphere, said duct system including separate insulated duct means connecting said exhaust tunnel to said at least one uptake connected to each said sole flue system, the improvement comprising the steps of

• providing a draft regulating valve located in each said insulated duct means, and
• selectively adjusting the position of said draft regulating valves to thereby regulate the flow of hot flue gases from the respective sole flue systems to the exhaust tunnel to thereby control the coking rate in the ovens.

An improved draft control system in combination with a nonrecovery coke oven battery including a plurality of elongated coking ovens having opposite open ends normally closed by removable doors and constructed in side-by-side relation with each pair of adjacent ovens in the battery separated by a common sidewall, separate systems of sole flues located beneath the opposite ends of each of the ovens, a plurality of downcomers in each of the common sidewalls connecting the upper portion of each adjacent oven to one of the sole flue systems beneath that oven, a plurality of uptakes in each of the common sidewalls between said downcomers and the open ends of said ovens including at least one uptake connected to one of the sole flue systems beneath that oven, an elongated common exhaust tunnel extending above and transversely of the ovens in the battery, a stack connected to the exhaust tunnel and extending upwardly therefrom, and an insulated duct system connecting the exhaust tunnel to said uptakes to provide a continuous gas flow path from each oven through the downcomers, sole flue systems, uptakes, insulated duct system, exhaust tunnel and stack to the atmosphere, said insulated duct system including separate insulated duct means connected between said exhaust tunnel and said at least one uptake connected to each of the sole flue systems, the improvement wherein said draft control system comprises, in combination,

• draft regulating valve means located in each said separate insulated duct means, each said draft regulating valve means including a refractory lined valve body having a downwardly directed opening formed therein, a movable refractory plate valve member mounted for vertical movement through said downwardly directed opening, sensing means for continuously sensing the positions of said movable refractory valve plate, a fluid actuated cylinder supported independently of said duct means and connected to said refractory plate valve member, said fluid actuated cylinder being operable to raise and lower said refractory plate through said opening in said valve body to control the flow of gas through each insulated duct means independently, and guide means mounted on the exterior of said valve body and movable therewith upon thermal expansion and contraction of said refractory lined metal conduit to maintain said movable refractory valve plate in alignment in said valve body, and wherein
• the distance between the open ends of said elongated ovens and the closest downcomer is at least about 20 percent of the length of the oven.

A method of controlling the draft in a nonrecovery coke oven battery including a plurality of elongated coking ovens having opposite open ends normally closed by removable doors and constructed in side-by-side relation with each pair of adjacent ovens separated by a common sidewall, at least one system of sole flues extending beneath each oven, at least one downcomer in each common sidewall connecting the upper portion of each adjacent oven to a sole flue system beneath one of the adjacent ovens, at least one uptake in each common sidewall connected to the sole flue systems beneath one of the adjacent ovens, an elongated common exhaust tunnel extending above and transversely of the ovens in the battery, a stack connected to the exhaust tunnel and extending upwardly therefrom, and a duct system connecting the exhaust tunnel to said uptakes to provide a continuous gas flow path from each oven through the downcomers, the sole flue systems, the uptakes, the duct system, the exhaust tunnel and the stack to the atmosphere, said duct system including separate insulated duct means connecting said exhaust tunnel to said at least one uptake connected to each said sole flue system, the improvement comprising the steps of

• providing a draft regulating valve located in each said insulated duct means, and
• selectively adjusting the position of the respective draft regulating valves to regulate the flow of hot flue gases from the connected sole flue system to the exhaust tunnel to thereby control the coking rate in the individual ovens in the battery.