Carbon baking heat recovery ring furnace
AssigneeFluor Technologies Corporation
InventorsMike McGee, Tom Haines, Kenneth Meyer, Steve Hillock
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Contemplated devices and methods reduce heat loss and energy demand of a carbon baking ring furnace by employing a preferably internal bypass conduit that feeds a portion of a heated cooling air stream from the cooling zone directly to the flue ducts of the firing and/or pre-heat zones.
Claims20
A carbon baking heat recovery ring furnace, comprising:
- a plurality of wall elements, each having an internal flue channel, wherein the plurality of wall elements are fluidly coupled to each other such that the internal flue channels form a continuous flow path having, in sequence, a pre-heat zone, a firing zone, and a cooling zone;
- a bypass conduit fluidly coupled to the flue channel of the cooling zone and the flue channel of the firing zone and the pre-heat zone such that a portion of a heated cooling air stream in the flue channel of the cooling zone is directly delivered to at least one of the firing zone and the pre-heat zone;
- and
- a plurality of gates coupled to the bypass conduit, wherein the plurality of gates and the bypass conduit are configured to allow flow of the portion of the heated cooling air stream without substantially moving a zero point in the ring furnace.
A method of reducing energy consumption of a ring furnace having a plurality of wall elements, each having an internal flue channel, wherein the plurality of wall elements are fluidly coupled to each other such that the internal flue channels form a continuous flow path to form, in sequence, a pre-heat zone, a firing zone, and a cooling zone, the method comprising:
- operating a plurality of gates to configure a bypass conduit such that a portion of a heated cooling air stream in the flue channel of the cooling zone is directly delivered to at least one of the firing zone and the pre-heat zone;
- and
- wherein the bypass conduit and the plurality of gates are fluidly coupled to the firing zone and the pre-heat zone, and configured so as to allow delivery of the portion of the heated cooling air stream to at least one of the firing zone and the pre-heat zone at about an operating pressure present in the cooling zone and without substantially moving a zero point in the ring furnace.
A method of reducing energy consumption of a ring furnace having a pre-heat zone, a firing zone, and a cooling zone, comprising:
- recycling, via a configurable conduit, heat energy from the cooling zone directly to at least one of the pre-heat zone and the firing zone, wherein the heat energy is carried from the cooling zone to the at least one of the pre-heat zone and the firing zone by a portion of a heated cooling air stream flowing through cooling zone without substantially moving a zero point in the ring furnace;
- and
- wherein the configurable conduit is coupled to the pre-heat zone, the firing zone, and the cooling zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.