System and method for repairing a coke oven

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11186778-B2
Application number	US-202017076563-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2020
Priority date	May 23, 2017
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

A system and method for repairing a coke oven having an oven chamber formed from ceramic bricks. A representative system includes a insulated enclosure insertable into the oven chamber and includes removable insulated panels that define an interior area for workers to work in. The insulated enclosure is movable between an expanded configuration and a compact configuration and moving the enclosure to the expanded configuration will decrease the distance between the insulated enclosure and the walls of the oven chamber. Removing the panels exposes the ceramic bricks and allows workers within the interior area to access and the bricks and repair the oven chamber while the oven chamber is still hot. A loading apparatus lifts and inserts the insulated enclosure into the oven chamber. The insulated enclosure can be coupled to additional insulated enclosures to form an elongated interior area.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of repairing a coke oven having an oven chamber defined by a floor, a crown, and sidewalls that extend between the floor and the crown and wherein the coke oven comprises a plurality of bricks that form the floor, the crown, and the sidewalls, the method comprising:
inserting an insulated enclosure into the oven chamber, wherein—
the insulated enclosure includes a frame portion, and a plurality of panels removably coupled to the frame portion,
the insulated enclosure is movable between a first collapsed configuration and a second expanded configuration, the first configuration having a first dimension measured along an axis between opposing end portions of the frame portion, and the second configuration having a second dimension measured along the axis between the opposing end portions of the frame portion, the dimension being different than second dimension, and
inserting the insulated enclosure into the oven chamber comprises inserting the insulated enclosure into the oven chamber when the insulated enclosure is in the first configuration;

moving the insulated enclosure from the first configuration to the second configuration;
detaching at least one of the panels from the frame portion to expose at least one of the floor, the crown, and the sidewalls;
repairing at least one of the bricks;
reattaching the at least one panel to the frame portion;
moving the insulated enclosure to the first configuration; and
removing the insulated enclosure from the oven chamber.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the insulated enclosure comprises a first insulated enclosure and wherein inserting the insulated enclosure into the oven chamber comprises inserting the first insulated enclosure into the oven chamber, the method comprising:
before moving the insulated enclosure from the first configuration to the second configuration, inserting a second insulated enclosure into the oven chamber adjacent to the first insulated enclosure; and
coupling the first insulated enclosure to the second insulated enclosure.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein—
the frame portion comprises a first frame portion,
the plurality of panels comprises a first plurality of panels,
the second insulated enclosure includes a second plurality of panels coupled to a second frame portion,
the second insulated enclosure is movable from the first configuration to the second configuration, and
moving the insulated enclosure from the first configuration to the second configuration comprises moving the first insulated enclosure and the second insulated enclosure from the first configuration to the second configuration.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
before inserting the insulated enclosure into the over chamber, identifying a portion of the oven chamber, wherein—
inserting the insulated enclosure into the oven chamber comprises positioning the insulated enclosure over the identified portion,
detaching the at least one panel from the frame portion to expose at least one of the floor, the crown, and the sidewalls comprises detaching the at least one panel to expose the identified portion, and
the identified portion comprises the at least one brick.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein—
the at least one brick comprises a first brick, and
repairing the at least one brick comprises replacing the first brick with a second brick.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coke oven is configured to coke coal at a first temperature and air surrounding the coke oven is at a second temperature less than the first temperature, the method further comprising:
before inserting the insulated enclosure into the oven chamber, cooling the oven chamber from the first temperature to third second temperature less than the first temperature and greater than the first temperature; and
after removing the insulated enclosure from the oven chamber, heating the oven chamber to the first temperature.

7. A method of repairing a coke oven, the method comprising:
inserting an insulated enclosure, having a first collapsed configuration, into an oven chamber including a plurality of bricks, the insulated enclosure including a frame portion and a plurality of panels removably coupled to the frame portion;
altering the insulated enclosure to have a second expanded configuration relative to the first configuration, the first configuration having a first dimension measured along an axis between opposing end portions of the frame portion, and the second configured having a second dimension measured along the axis between the opposing end portions of the frame portion, the first dimension being different than the second dimension;
detaching at least one of the panels from the frame portion to expose a portion of the bricks of the coke oven; and
repairing at least one of the bricks.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
reattaching the at least one panel to the frame portion;
altering the insulated enclosure to have the first configuration; and
removing the insulated enclosure from the oven chamber.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the insulated enclosure comprises a first insulated enclosure, the method further comprising:
before altering the first insulated enclosure to have the second configuration, inserting a second insulated enclosure into the oven chamber adjacent to the first insulated enclosure; and
coupling the first insulated enclosure to the second insulated enclosure.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein:
inserting the insulated enclosure into the oven chamber comprises positioning the insulated enclosure over a previously-identified portion comprising the at least one brick, and
detaching the at least one panel comprises detaching the at least one panel to expose the identified portion.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the coke oven is configured to coke coal at a first temperature and air surrounding the coke oven is at a second temperature less than the first temperature, the method further comprising, before inserting the insulated enclosure into the oven chamber, cooling the oven chamber to a third temperature between the first temperature and the second temperature.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, after removing the insulated enclosure from the oven chamber, heating the oven chamber to the first temperature.

13. A method of repairing a coke oven, the method comprising:
providing an enclosure configured to be inserted into a coke oven comprising a plurality of structural components, the enclosure comprising a frame defining an outermost region of the enclosure and a plurality of panels removably coupled to the frame, wherein the enclosure is movable from a first collapsed configuration having a first dimension measured along an axis between opposing end portions of the frame to a second expanded configuration having a second dimension measured along the axis between the opposing end portions of the frame, the first dimension being different than the second dimension;
inserting the enclosure into the coke oven, and
repairing the coke oven.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first dimension comprises a first height and the second dimension comprises a second height greater than the first dimension.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein inserting the enclosure comprises inserting the enclosure in the first configuration, the method further comprising:
after inserting the enclosure, causing the enclosure to transition to the second configuration;
after causing the enclosure to transition to the second configuration, collapsing the enclosure; and
after collapsing the e

Assignees

• Suncoke Tech & Development Llc

Inventors

• Crum Jason
• Ball Mark Anthony
• West Gary Dean
• Quanci John Francis
• Choi Chun Wai

Classifications

• F27D1/16

  Making or repairing linings {; Increasing the durability of linings; Breaking away linings} · CPC title

• F27B13/02

  of multiple-chamber type with permanent partitions; Combinations of furnaces · CPC title

• F27D1/1694

  Breaking away the lining or removing parts thereof · CPC title

• C10B29/02

  Brickwork, e.g. casings, linings, walls · CPC title

• F27D1/02

  Crowns; Roofs · CPC title