Integrated coke plant automation and optimization using advanced control and optimization techniques

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11788012-B2
Application number	US-202117172476-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2021
Priority date	Jan 2, 2015
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

The present technology is generally directed to integrated control of coke ovens in a coke plant in order to optimize coking rate, product recovery, byproducts and/or unit lime consumption Optimization objectives are achieved through controlling certain variables (called control variables) by manipulating available handles (called manipulated variables) subject to constraints and system disturbances that affect the controlled variables.

First claim

We claim:

1. A coke oven, comprising:
an oven chamber including a crown and sole flues;
one or more controllable air openings positioned at the crown and/or sole flues and configured to affect temperature of the crown and/or sole flues respectively;
an uptake duct in fluid communication with the oven chamber, the uptake duct being configured to receive exhaust gases from the oven chamber;
an uptake damper in fluid communication with the uptake duct, the uptake damper being positioned at any one of a plurality of positions including fully opened and fully closed, the uptake damper configured to control an oven draft;
a first actuator configured to alter the position of the uptake damper between the plurality of positions in response to a position instruction;
a common tunnel in fluid communication with the uptake duct, the common tunnel being configured to receive exhaust gases from the uptake duct;
at least one heat recovery steam generator in fluid communication with the common tunnel, the heat recovery steam generator including (i) a heat recovery steam generator damper positioned at any one of a plurality of positions including fully opened and fully closed and (ii) and a second actuator configured to alter the position of the heat recovery steam generator damper;
one or more sensors configured to detect an operating condition of the coke oven, wherein the one or more sensors comprises at least one of (i) a draft sensor configured to detect the oven draft, (ii) a temperature sensor configured to detect an oven chamber temperature or a sole flue temperature, or (iii) an oxygen sensor configured to detect an uptake duct oxygen concentration in the uptake duct; and
a controller in communication with the controllable air openings, the first actuator and the one or more sensors, the controller being configured to provide position instructions to at least one of (i) the first actuator to actuate the uptake damper over a coking cycle, such that a target oven draft is adjusted at least three times over the coking cycle by actuating the uptake damper, or (ii) the second actuator to actuate the heat recovery steam generator actuator, in response to the operating condition detected by the one or more sensors.

2. The coke oven of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least two of the draft sensor, temperature sensor, or oxygen sensor, and wherein the controller is configured to provide the position instruction based on the operating condition detected by the at least two sensors.

3. The coke oven of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise the temperature sensor, and wherein the temperature sensor is positioned in the oven chamber.

4. The coke oven of claim 1 , wherein the position instruction is configured to allow excess air into the oven in response to an overheat condition detected by the one or more sensors.

5. The coke oven of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise the draft sensor, temperature sensor, and oxygen sensor, and wherein the controller is configured to provide the position instruction based on the operating condition detected by the three sensors.

6. The coke oven of claim 5 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise the oxygen sensor, and wherein the position instruction is configured to maintain the uptake duct oxygen concentration within an oxygen concentration range.

7. The coke oven of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise the temperature sensor configured to detect the sole flue temperature.

8. The coke oven of claim 7 , wherein the position instruction is configured to allow excess air into the oven in response to an overheat condition detected by the one or more sensors.

9. The coke oven of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor is a first temperature sensor configured to detect an oven temperature in the oven chamber, the coke oven further comprising a second temperature sensor configured to detect a sole flue temperature in the sole flue.

10. A coke plant, comprising:
a plurality of coke ovens each including—
an oven chamber including a crown;
one or more controllable air openings positioned at the crown and configured to affect temperature of the crown;
an uptake duct in fluid communication with the oven chamber, the uptake duct being configured to receive exhaust gases from the oven chamber;
an uptake damper in fluid communication with the uptake duct, the uptake damper being positioned at any one of a plurality of positions including fully opened and fully closed, the uptake damper configured to control an oven draft; and
an uptake damper actuator configured to alter the position of the uptake damper between the plurality of positions in response to a position instruction; and
one or more sensors configured to detect an operating condition of the coke oven, wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one of (i) a draft sensor configured to detect the oven draft, (ii) a temperature sensor configured to detect an oven chamber temperature or a sole flue temperature, or (iii) an oxygen sensor configured to detect an uptake duct oxygen concentration in the uptake duct;

a common tunnel in fluid communication with the uptake ducts of the coke ovens;
at least one heat recovery steam generator in fluid communication with the common tunnel, the heat recovery steam generator including (i) a heat recovery steam generator damper positioned at any one of a plurality of positions including fully opened and fully closed, and (ii) and a steam generator actuator configured to alter the position of the heat recovery steam generator damper; and
a controller in communication with the controllable air openings, the uptake damper actuator and the one or more sensors for each of the coke ovens and the steam generator actuator, the controller being configured to provide position instructions to at least one of (i) the uptake damper actuator over a coking cycle, such that a target oven draft is adjusted at least three times over the coking cycle, or (ii) or the steam generator actuator in response to the operating condition detected by the one or more sensors.

11. The coke plant of claim 10 , wherein the one or more sensors of each of the coke ovens comprise at least two of the draft sensor, temperature sensor, or oxygen sensor, and wherein the controller is configured to provide the position instruction based on the operating condition detected by the at least two sensors.

12. The coke plant of claim 10 , wherein the one or more sensors of each of the coke ovens comprise the temperature sensor, and wherein the temperature sensor is positioned in the oven chamber.

13. The coke plant of claim 10 , wherein the position instruction is configured to allow excess air into each of the coke ovens in response to an overheat condition detected by the one or more sensors of each of the coke ovens.

14. The coke plant of claim 10 , wherein the one or more sensors of each of the coke ovens comprise the draft sensor, temperature sensor, and oxygen sensor, and wherein the controller is configured to provide the position instruction based on the operating condition detected by the three sensors.

15. The coke plant of claim 14 , wherein the one or more sensors of each of the coke ovens comprise the oxygen sensor, and wherein the position instruction is configured to maintain the uptake duct oxygen concentration of each of the coke ovens within an oxygen concentration range.

16. The coke plant of claim 10 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise the temperature sensor configured to detect the sole flue temperature.

17. A coke ov

Assignees

• Suncoke Tech & Development Llc

Inventors

• Quanci John Francis
• Kesavan Parthasarathy
• Ziegler Jack
• Russell Katie
• Muhlbaier Mike
• Khanna Rakshak
• Evatt Sharla
• Kaplarevic Milos
• Chun Peter

Classifications

• C10B41/00 Primary

  Safety devices, e.g. signalling or controlling devices for use in the discharge of coke · CPC title

• C10B15/02

  with floor heating · CPC title

• C10B45/00

  Other details · CPC title