US1570871A - Inclined coking retort oven - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 26 1926.

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' J. VAN AcKE-REN INCLINEDvCOKING RETORT OVEN Filed Sept. 29, '1921 @wk i 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. VAN ACKEREN INCLINED COKING RETORT OVEN Filed V,sgptf 29. 1921 Jul.A 26 1926.

. J. VAN CKEREN INCLINED coKING nToRT ovsjl ile sept. 23, 1921 Y oven construction, v

Patented 111.26, 1926*.` Y

JOSEPH VAN. ACKEREN, or PITTSBURGH;rnNNsvnvAnrA, AssI'GNoR 'ro THE KoPPEns COMPANY; or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A conPonATIoN or PENNSYLVANIA;

INCLINED COKING BETORT OVEN.

Application mea september 29,4921. .sunnita 504,142'.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPHvAN ACKEREN, a citizen of thevUnited States, residing in Pittsburgh, Vin the county of y Allegheny. and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement Retort Ovens, of which the following Yis a specification.

Thfs invention comprehends improvements in the art of inclined coking retort ovens, and has for objects the provision of an inclined retort that is highly efficient in operation and which will produce high grade coke and eect a substantially complete-byproduct recovery, although the entire distilling operation is conducted 'rap-idly and with great conservationand equality in distribution of the heat.

Important characteristics of the invention are: the employment of; -theV combination oven principle in an inclined coking retort whereby v'the heat for coking the charges of coal in the retorts or coking chambers may be ydeveloped from the combustion of'gas of distillation of the coal coked in such retorts, yor alternatively, from a special generator gas such as producer gas, in order tov conserve the entire product of the Vrelatively richer 'coke oven gas; the provision of a system of combustion in the ame or combustion flues of the heating walls of the retort chambers, and of flow through the regenerators, by which system the flow from individual regenerators and ues may be regulated by means that is readily accessible to the operator of the retort battery; the attainment of equality in distribution of the heating eect in the-heating walls with the employment of the eX- traneously derived gas, such as producer gas, for fuel; and, as a 'further feature of the invention, the provision of expansion joints extending crosswise of the battery, permitting such expansionto occur as is necessary to maintain the -entire structure in proper alignment, and yet locating l. such expansion joints so that they by-pass the regenerators to the flues, which the result that.y leakage from the fuel gas regenerators into the inflow air regenerators or the outflow regenerators is avoided. t

In addition tothe general objects recited above, the invention has for, furtherv objects such other improvements or advantages in in Inclined Coking construction.andoperation as are found to obtain inthe structures and devices which will now'be described and claimed.`

In the accompanying drawin s, forming a part of this specification' and s owing, for purposesV of exemplification, a preferred form and manner ,in which the invention may be embodied and practiced, but without'limiting the claimed invention yspecifically to suchfspeciic instance or instances:

Figure lis a vertical sectional elevation of an inclined retort construction embodying features above speciiedand constructed in accordance with the improvements of the present invention, thel vView being taken crosswise through aheating Wall and the n regeneratorsin a vertical plane indicate by the line A-A of Fig.- 2;

v Fig. 2 is a composite vertical sectional ele-. vationtaken vlongitudinally of a battery of. mclmed retorts, in planes indicated vby the lines C-'Cand D-D of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is another crosswise section of the retort battery, the view being taken through a retort in a plane indicated by the y'line B-B of Fig. 2; and y Fig. 4 is a composite horizontal elevationv and sectional view of the retortbattery, the view beingtaken on the several planes indicated by the lines F--F,y G-G, H-II andcM-M-o'f Fig. 1.

The `same characters Vof reference designate-the same 'parts in each of the several views ofthe drawings. a In its present embodiment, the invention is incorporated in a combination inclined coking retort oven designed for the employment of either thecoke oven gas, or alternatively for the employment of an extraneously derived gas, such as producer gas, 'for the heating fuel. For convenience, the present description will be conned to this use of the invention; features of construction and operation are however capable of other valuable applications such as in an inclined retort oven construction designed solely for the employment of the extraneously derived gas as fuel; consequently the scope of the invention is not confined to the specific vuse and specific embodiment herein described as an illustrative example. j

Referring to the drawings: There are i1- lustrated views of an inclined retort oven of the by-product type, as herein vabove mentioned,which yretort embodies in its construction a plurality of intermediate vertically elongated inclined retorts 'or coliing chambers 12, 12, said Coking chambers inclining downwardly from the charging and distillate out-flow lend to the discharge end, as shown 4in'Fig. v3.' The inclined heating walls 11 form the side walls of the respective coking chambers 12, Vas shown more particularly in Fig. 2j Together, with the regenerators hereinafter .inentioned, the heating wallsy 11, and coking chambers 112 are supported by the heavy supporting walls 13, 13, that rest on the mat 14 of the bat-l tery and are spaced, as shown in Fig. 2, to provide intermediate tunnels 15 that afford access to the low-regulatingmeans of the several regenerators, as will hereinafter appear.

The coal to be coked isgcharged into the retorts 12 through chargingvholes 16 located in the top of the vretort battery and at the upper ends of the'several retort chambers, and the finished coke is discharged through the door openings 17 that are located at the bottom of the several inclined retorts 12. The inclination ofthe retorts 12 is substantially that of the angle of repose of the coal charged into said retorts and, when the doors are-removed from the discharge openings 17 the finished coke will slide by gravity out ofl the retorts12'. During the coking or distilling operation, the holes 16 of the respective retorts are employed as distillate outlets, and, in order to conserve the above distillate and ases, said holes 16 are, throughout the distilhng operation, coniinunicably connected with any suitable type of gas off-take main. A djacent to each combined charging and distillate outlet 16, there is 'provided in the top of each retort 12, a smoke hole 18, which is closed by any suitable cover during the distilling operation, butpreferably opened during the charging operation, to allow the escape of smoke which arises as the coal is charged into the hot' retort.

Heat :for coking thecharges of coal into the several retort chambers 12 is derived from the heating walls 11 above mentioned. Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, each heating wall 11 is constituted of a plurality of vertical combustion llues 19` that are operatively disposed into pairs l, each such pair being constituted of a lower flue L of relatively lesser height and an upper flue U oi" relatively greater height. rlhe flues of each pair K are cominunicably connected at their upper ends by a passageway 2O permitting the combustion products from one flue, which is operating for inflow, to pass inwardly and down through the other flue,.which is operating for outflow, of the same pair. The flues U of' alternate pairs and the flues L of intermediate pairs operate concurrently io'i' flow in the sainedirection,

vThe regenerators 21 are incorporated in the inclined refractory structure 22 that is located beneath the retorts 12 andthe'heating-walls* 11.' Each re-generator 21 is a chamber containingfopen brickwo'rk, commonly calledv checkerwork, and indicated at 23, with a duct 24 underneath said checkerwork. As shown in Fig. 1 the regenerators corresponding to each heating wallllare, of course, disposed-at different'l'eve'lsor tiers, and veach series of regenerators that extends longitudinally of the rbattery along the same tier is comniunicably connected by means of the ducts 24 individual to the regenerators with a channel 25 extending longitudinally of the retort battery and con-V stituting a flow means through which a gaseous medium is introduced into thel several regenerators with which said channel is communicably connected, or exhausted from the regenerators when the latter are` operating for outflow. The severalregenerators are heated, in altern'atiomby theV hot combustion products that are exhausted from the llame or combustion flues hereinbefore mentioned and then impart suoli heat to the medium that they feed into these flame flues.

ln accordance with the invention, the se ries of regenerators corresponding to each heating wall is disposed into groups N of alternatepairs of' regenerators and groups() of intermediate pairs of regenerators. W ith the exception of the extreme upper and lower pairs of regenerators of the series, each regenerator 21 is communicably connected by means of ducts fines, the ducts 26 ofthe respective regenerators 21 leading ferent adjacent pairs K, as shown in Fig` 1. The ducts 26, however, may lead fromindividual portions of a regenerator, separated by the partition 33, as shown in Fig. 2. The extreme upper and'lower pairs of' regenerators are each connected by a ducit 27 with the extreme `upper and lower flame flues oi" the corresponding heating wall. With this construction, each llame flue 19 of each heating wall is coinmunicably connected by a duct system with a pair of' adjacent separate regenerators, the flow through the communicably connected regenerators being mainv` tained concurrently in the same direction as the flow through the flues.

In the present embodiment of' the invention, one member-of each pairrotl flame fines 26 with two adjacent flame however to flame flues of difa When the, battery gas, the ducts 29 feed the coke oven gas toy while the other member of flame flues isv operating for downow to conyey waste products to the regenerators beneath. The reversal in flow through the flame flues. 19 and their communicably connected, regenerators is effected at the end of an operati-ng period, determined by practice, and by means of any preferred type of reversing mechanism. The function of such reversal is as follows: The regenerators thatVV prior to the reversal operated as inflow regenerators become outflow regenerators, and the. outflow regenerators become infiow operating regenerators. The upburningI flues. switch function with the downfiow operating flues, and the supply of gas, is turned off from the` previously up burning flues and turned on into the inlets of the previously downflow operating flues.

K is burning,I each pair of said The tops of the respective flues 19 may bev reached yby accessflues 28. extended vertically through the top of the battery construction, there being an access fiue, positioned over each4 flame, flue of each heating wall.

In order to permit the alternative employment of coke oven gas as the fuel, a vertical coke 'oven gas, supply duct 29 extends through the top of the battery construction over each channel 20, of each heating wall. is employing coke oven the flues 19 that are operating for downflow, and the air to Support combustion is suppliedA by the upfIow-operating flues 19 that communicate by the channels 20 withsaid downflow o-perating fines. The supply of coke oven gasv 'is derived from supply-devices, suchl as they gas guns L10 which enter ther inlets of the respective ducts 29 and are communicably 'connected with a suitable coke-oven gasl main Lll suitably supported over the top of each Vheat-ing wall.

A specialfeature of the invention resides in the individual connections 24 of the several regenerators of each tier to the flow channel 25 corresponding to that tier. As shown in Fig. 1, each such duct connection 24 isl in substantial registry with an inspection holeSO corresponding to each individual duct connect-ion. The flow through the individual regenerators may thus be regulated by means of the usual movable dampers or slide bricks 31 located in the several flow channels 25 adjacent to the points of communication of the ducts 24 with said flow channels. The inspection holes'BO may be reached conveniently by an operator stationedA in a tunnel 1.5 and a rod may be inserted through sponding to any individual regenerator for the purpose of regulating the flow between the` regenerator and the channel 25,l independently of the fiow between the other ref generators and said channeh The operationA of the inclinedl retort. batthe inspection hole corretery, assuming that there is employed aspe cia generator gas, suchl as ordinary producer gas, as the fuel, is as follows: A supply of producer gas is permittedrto flow through the. corresponding flow channel 25 into one regenerator P of the. inflow operating pairs, such asvpairs N. Passing through said regenerators, the producer gas is preheated before being delivered into vthe burning flame flues. During the inflow of producer gasr into said regenerators P, air flows into the regenerators A. of said inflow operating pairs N and passing through said regenerators is preheated prior to its delivery into the burn` ing flame flues. In the flame flues, which are communicably connected by the channels 2O to the, burning flame fines, downflow is :n aintained, said downflow operating.l flame flues receiving the waste products from the burn' ing flame flues and delivering such waste products to the regenerat'ors that, are oper ating as outflow regenerators WV. On reversal of the generators and flues become outflow regenerators and flues and concurrently outflow re-` generators and flues become inow regenerators and flues. r

In operating the battery with coke oven gas, the supply of producer gas to the inflow regenerators P is shut off and air is. permitted to flow into such regenerators in place of the producer gas. During coke oven gas operation, a supply ofcoke oven gas is maintained in the ducts 29v which feed such gas to be, burned downwardly in the downflow flues. The reversing mechanism is operated at eachl reversal to place all of the inflow operating regenerators in communication with the air supply, and concurrently communication with the exhaust.

Alternatively, during such coke oven gas operation, .some of the inflow-operating regenerators, such as the regenerators P may be employed for conveying to the upflow flues a neutral gaseous diluent, such` as. return waste gas, which mixes in said flues with the air supplied by the inflow regenerators A and has the effect of ylengthening the flames in the downflow burning flues, thereby preventing flame concentration in the upper region of the heatingr walls and effecting other advantageous results fully set forth in the co-pending application of Joseph Becker for Letters Patent of the United States, for a coking retort oven, filed April 23, 1,920, Serial No. 376,126.`

A further feature of the invention resides in the novel expansion joint construction. As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the expansion joints 32 are disposed in vertical planes crosswise of the battery and` extend between regenerators which only operate for the How of air or waste heat.. The. expansion joints. arel located entirely` remote from those, re-

all of the outflow vregenerators in Cfr flow, thepinflow operating relliy or into the producer gas regenerators is avoided. These expansion lioints permit expansion le" 'o'itud' Aally of the battery Without any ntiul danger of leakage deyelopir in tile structure and particularly in those regenerators which are employed tor the producer gas.

rEhe invention as hereinabove set forth is en'ibodied in a particular form of construction, but may be variously embodied Within the scope ot the claims hereinafter made.

lllhat l claim is:

l. in an inclined retort battery, in combination a plurality ot inclined retort chambers; heating' Walls contiguous to said retort chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion tlues, the llues of each heating Wall being grouped into pairs with one member ot cach pair communilcably connected with the other member of the same pair, regenerators disposed in tiers at a lower level than said combustion tlues and grouped into crosswise series corresponding to the respective heating Walls, each combustion flue being communicably connected With a pair ot' such regenerators, and each pair of the thus connected regenerators, when operating for in-low, being constituted of an air regenerator and a regenerator for feeding fuel gas; lloiv channels extending longitudinally ol" the battery and individually corresponding With the respective tiers ol' regenerators, each flow channel being communicably connected by separate duct means with the individual regenerators of its respective tier; and regulable damper means individual to the duct means connecting individual regenerators With such flow channels; substantially as specified.

ln an inclined retort battery, in combination: a plurality of inclined retort chambers; heating` Walls contiguous to such retort chambers and respectively constituted ot' vertical combustion fines; regenerators disposed in tiers at a lower level than said combustion tlues and grouped into crcsswvise series corresponding to the respective heating Walls and communicably connected with said combustion flues; flow channels extending longitudinally of the battery and individually corresponding with the respective tiers of regenerators, each How channel being communicably connected by separate ductmeans With the individual regenerators of its respective tier; and regulable damper means individual to the duct means connectingindividual regenerators With such flow channels; substantially as specified.

In an inclined retort battery, in combination; a plurality of inclined retort chambers; heating Walls contiguous to such retort chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion lues, the tlues of combustion tlues, the tlues of `each heating Wall being grouped into pairs with one member ot each pair communicably connected with the other memberof the same pair, combined with regenerators disposed intiers at a loyver level than said combustion llues and grouped into crosswise series corresponding to the respective heating Walls, each combustion flue being ycommunicably connected with a pair of such regenerators, and each pair of the thus connected regencraters, when operating for inflow, being y constituted of an air regenerator and a regenerator for feeding fuel gas; substantially as specilied.

5. An inclined retort battery having a plurality of inclined retort chambers, and heating Walls contiguous to said retort chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion lues, the fines of each heating wall being grouped into pairs With one member of each pair communicably connected with the other member of the same pair, combined With regenerators disposed in tiers at a lower level. than said combustion tlues and grouped into crosswise series corresponding to the respective heating Walls, each combustion lue being communicably connected with a pair of such regenerators; substantially as specified.

6. An inclined retort battery having a plurality of inclined retort chambers, lined heating Walls contiguous to said retort chambers, and crosswise regenerators directly communicably connected with said heating Walls, combined with regulable means for etlecting individual control of the flow through individual regenerators; substantially as specified. l

7. An inclined retort battery having a plurality of crosswise inclined retort chambers, crossivise heating Walls contiguous to said retort chambers, and regenerators disposed in tiers at a lower level than said heating Walls and grouped into crossvvise series corresponding to the respective heating walls, combined With llovv channels eX- tending longitudinally of the battery and individually corresponding With the respec- Eil) tive tiers of regenerators, each flow channel being communicably connected by separate duct means with the individual regenerators of its respective tier, and regulable damper inea-ns individual to the duct means connecting individual regenerators with such flow channels; substantially as specified.

8. In an inclined retortbattery having a plurality of retort chambers, and heating walls contiguous to such retort chambers, combined with the improvement characterized by regeneratorsy disposed vin' series coiresponding to the respective heating walls, longitudinal channels interconnecting said regenerators, and means f-or regulating the flow between individual regenerators and said longitudinal channels; substantially as specified. c c v v 9. In an inclined reto-rt battery having a plurality of inclined retort chambers, and fluid heating walls contiguous to said retort chambers, combined with the improvement characterized by crosswise regenerators disposed in series individual to each heating wall, and means for effecting individual regulation of the flow through individual regenerators; substantially as specified.

l0. In an inclined retort battery having a plurality of retort chambers, and heating walls contiguous to said retort chambers, combined with the improvement characterized by regenerators disposed in tiers and rouped into crosswise series corresponding to the respective heating walls, a common fiow channel for all the regenerators of each tier, and means ,for effecting individual regulation of the flow through individual regenerators; substantially as specified. c

11. In an inclined retort battery having a plurality of crosswise inclined retort chambers, and crosswise heating walls contiguous to said retort chambers, combined with the improvement characterized by regenerators disposed in series corres onding to the* respective heating walls, ow channels interconnecting said regenerators longitudinally of the battery, and means for effecting `individual regulation of the flow in individual regenerators; substantially as specified.

.12. In an inclined retort battery, in combination: ak plurality of inclined retort chambers; heating walls contiguous to said retort chambers; regenerators disposed in series corresponding to the respective heating walls and constituted of air, fuel gas, and waste heat regenerators, and crosswise expansion joints extended only between the air and waste heat regenerators and bypassing the aforesaid fuel gas regenerators, whereby leakages of the fuel gas are avoided; substantially as specified.

13. An inclined retort battery having a pluralityy of inclined retort chambers, heating -walls contiguous to saidvretort chambers, and regenerators communicably connected with said heating walls and consti-- tuted of air, fuel gas, and waste heat regenerators,-combined with expansion joints eX- tended only between air and waste heat regenerators and by-passing the fuel gas regenerators, whereby leakages of the fuel gas are avoided, substantially as specified.

14'. An inclinedretort battery having a plurality of inclined retort chambers, heating walls contiguous to said retort chambers, andv regenerators communicably connected with said heating wallsandconstituted of air, fuel gas, combined with expansion joints extended crosswise of the batteryand located in the structure so as to by-pass the aforesaid fuel gas regenerators, whereby leakages of fuel gas are avoided; substantially as specified.

15. In an inclined retort battery, in combination: Aa plurality of inclined retort chambers; heating walls contiguous to such and waste heat regenerators,

retort chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion flues, the flues of each heating wall being grouped into pairs with one member of each nected with the other memberof the same pair; regenerators disposed in tiers at a lower level than said combustion flues vand grouped into crosswise series corresponding to the respective heating walls, said regenerators being communicably connected with said combustion flues; and fuel gas supply vconnections communicably connectedv wlth the upper ends of the respective pairs of combustion flues; substantially as specified.

16. In an inclined retort battery having a plurality of retort chambers, andA heating walls contiguous to such retort chambers, combined with the improvement characterized Vby inflow and outflow regenerators communicably connected with the respective heating walls, the infiow regenerators being jointly operable for conveying air to the said heating walls or separately operable for conveying air and an extraneously derived gas, and supply connections for feeding fuel gas to the upper portion of said heating walls;'substant1ally as specified.

In testimony signature, this 24th day of September, 1921.

JOSEPH VAN ACKEREN.

whereof I hereunto affix my pair communicably conl

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