Non-technical chats on iron and steel, and their application to modern industrySpring, La Verne W. (La Verne Ward)
History
Non-technical chats on iron and steel, and their application to modern industry
Spring, La Verne W. (La Verne Ward)
Iron; Steel
The ovens and apparatus required are considerably more expensive, but,
since this industry has developed in this country during the last
twenty-two years to a point where one-quarter of all of the coke
manufactured is made by the by-product process, there can be no doubt
that it is a profitable proposition and that eventually the wasteful
beehive ovens will be a thing of the past.
Practically all of the types of by-product coke ovens in use have been
developed in Germany or Belgium, where circumstances forced earlier
conservation of resources than in this country. The three best known
types are the Semet-Solvay, the Otto Hoffman, and the Koppers—the latter
a recent arrival. They differ mainly in details of construction and
operation.
[Illustration:
MACHINE FOR PUSHING COKE FROM OVENS
]
In a general way a “battery” of coke ovens consists of from 40 to 80
long narrow brick-walled chambers placed closely side by side with
heating flues or “checker-work” between them. The fire for the baking
process is in these flues, which are interconnected, and the heat
developed is sufficient to drive off the moisture and volatile
substances of the coal in the narrow chambers just on the other side of
the brick walls. Charging is done by a “lorry” as in the beehive
process. After from seventeen to twenty-four hours at a red heat, the
coke is “pushed” from the ovens, one after another, by an electric ram
which enters at one end. The 30 × 7 × 1½ foot block of glowing coke
emerges from the other end, where, breaking under its own weight into
good-sized pieces, it falls into a steel car on a track just beneath. A
spray of water quenches it and it is taken to the storage bins to be
sorted.
Rich coal-gas is the main by-product. That which comes off during the
first seven hours is the richest and has the greatest illuminating or
“candle” power. After washing free from dust, tar, ammonia, etc., the
gas is usually run into holders or tanks from which it is distributed
for use for illuminating or for heating purposes. That which comes off
during the latter part of the coking period has much less of those
constituents which give illuminating value. It has good heat value,
however, and as fuel is required for keeping the ovens up to the coking
temperature, this poorer gas from the coking chambers is switched into
and burns in the flues between the coking chambers as mentioned.
Thus the larger part of the gas is sold to customers, usually in the
city near which the ovens have been located, and the poorer part is
utilized in heating the ovens and the steam boilers which run the plant.
[Illustration:
QUENCHING CAR AWAITING ITS LOAD
]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account