US3545618A

US3545618A - Apparatus to reclaim coke breeze from a quenching station sump

Info

Publication number: US3545618A
Application number: US801653A
Authority: US
Inventors: Victor V Greg; George R Cain
Original assignee: Koppers Co Inc
Current assignee: Raymond Kaiser Engineers Inc
Priority date: 1969-02-24
Filing date: 1969-02-24
Publication date: 1970-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 1987-12-08
Also published as: DE2007549B2; DE2007549A1; DE2007549C3

Description

O Unlted States Patent 1111 3,545,618

[72] Inventors Victor V. Greg [56] References Cited Lakewood, New Jersey; UNITED STATES PATENTS l N 53%;} 1,007,439 10/1911 Flaccus 239/186X g M12419 1,574,170 2/1926 Rosenau.... 210/262X 2,076,262 4/1937 Black 134/167 [451 T' In 2,791,552 5/1957 116mm 239/186X [731 3,284,993 11/1966 Sebald etaL. 210/523 4x 3,053,700 9/1962 Kulp 15/3121x Primary Examiner-Reuben Friedman 541 APPARATUS T0 RECLAIM COKE BREEZE FROM Granger A QUENCHING STATION SUM]; Attorney-Sherman H. Barber and Olm E. W1lhams 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl. 210/167, ABSTRACT: Coke breeze in a quenching station sump is 15/2465 removed by rotating a suction pipe mounted to a carriage [51] lnt.Cl. B01d 21/04, adapted to traverse the length of the sump. A flexible hose BOld 21/24 carries coke breeze and water from the suction pipe to a de- [50] Field of Search 210/169, watering station where the breeze is separated from the liquid.

The breeze passes into a truck or railway car and the liquid returns to the sump.

SHEET 1 UF 2 FIG. 2

INVENTORS were v. 62564 3/ seams ,2. CAI/V J WM PATENTED DEC 8 I970 sum 2 BF 2 INVENTORS V/CTOE V. GREG GEORGE E. CAIN BYS APPARATUS TO RECLAIM COKE BREEZE FROM A QUENCHING STATION SUMP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Hot coke is pushed from a coke oven chamber into a quenching car that carries the hot coke to a quenching station. At the quenching station the car is spotted beneath stationary spray heads in a quenching tower and water, flowing from the spray heads, cools and quenches the coke.

The water used to quench the coke is obtained from a sump located along side the quenching station into which the water not converted into steam drains. The water draining from the coke quenching car carries much coke breeze with it, and the sump is used to allow the coke breeze to settle out while the water is used again for quenching purposes.

I-Ieretofore, it has been customary to periodically remove the coke breeze as often as twice a week from the sump, using mechanically operated buckets and the like. Such work is time consuming and is expensive. Yet, it is necessary to remove the coke breeze when it reaches a limiting depth in the sump.

How the equipment of the present invention accomplishes the removal of the coke breeze from the sump at a quenching station in an economical and efficient manner is more completely and fully set forth in the description of one embodiment of the invention, which is exemplified in the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Apparatus in accordance with the invention includes a conduit mounted in operative position on a carriage having wheels contacting rails mounted to a coke breeze sump. The conduit sweeps over an area of the bottom of the sump, while a suction pump connected to the conduit removes coke breeze and liquid from the sump. The breeze is separated from the liquid which is returned to the sump. A powered winch and cable is used to reciprocate the carriage along the sump as the conduit rotates.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION or THE DRAWING One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a coke breeze sump that includes apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a modified portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

' DETAILED DESCRIPTION in FIG. 1, a conventional coke breeze sump 11 is a rectangular container having parallel spaced-apart

long sidewalls

13, 15, and parallel spaced-apart shorter end walls, l7, l9.

Intermediate walls

21, 23 located near the

respective end walls

17, 19, subdivide the sump into three

fluid zones

25, 27, 29. The

end, side, and intermediary walls are connected to a bottom' 31 to form the unitary open sump structure 11.

At spaced-apart locations along the length of the fluid zone 27 there are inwardly extending pairs of

trusslike supports

33, 35 that support a pair of longitudinally-extending,

spacedapart rails

37, 39. The

rails

37, 39, terminate adjacent the

intermediary walls

21, 23, about as shown in FIG. 1.

A traversing carriage 41, having wheels 43, is adapted to roll on the

rails

37, 39 and carries a swivel connection 45. The swivel connection 45 is conventional and has a suction pipe or conduit 47, shaped about as shown in FIG. 2, that rotates completely about a vertical axis 49. The lower end of the suction pipe or conduit 47 is disposed close to the bottom 31, as shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage 41 carries also a power source 51 to rotate the suction hose 47 in the direction of the arrows A.

A flexible conduit or hose 53 is connected at one end to the swivel connection 45 and to a pump 55 at the other end. The

pump 55 is fixedly mounted to a suitable foundation 57 located alongside of, and at about the midlength point of, the sidewall 15. The pump 55 is powered in the usual manner by an electric motor 59.

The discharge end of the pump 55 is connected to a stationary conduit 61 that carries material from the pump upward and into a conical receiving tank 63 supported by a suitable frame structure 65. The frame structure also supports a conventional dewatering screen 67 that is mounted below a discharge pipe 69 at the bottom of the receiving tank 63.

The dewatering screen 67 slopes downwardly and away from the sump 11, as shown, and discharges solid material onto a chute 71 that guides the solid material into a receptacle, such as a railroad car 73 or a truck, if this type of receptacle is preferred.

at a convenient elevation above the top of the sump 11, there is mounted to the structural frame 65 an outwardly projecting beam 75, which is preferably an I or H-beam. The beam 75 carries on its lower flange a trolley 77 from which is suspended, on a wire cable 78 or the like, a clamp 79 that engages and supports the flexible conduit 53.

The liquid separated from the solid materialat the dewatering screen 67 flows downwardly into a collector 81 and thence in a conduit 83 the liquid is returned to the sump I1, and in particular, to the middle zone 27.

The carriage 41 is reciprocated from one end to the other end of the middle zone 27 in the manner suggested in FIG. 1. A powered capstan or vertical winch drum 85 is mounted to a platform 87 extending outwardly from the end wall 17, about as shown, and a pair of spaced-

apart sheaves

89, 91, are located on the top of the intermediary wall 23. A pair of other sheaves 93, are mounted close to the winch drum unit 85, where shown in FIG. 1. One end 99 of a wire rope cable 97 is secured to the carriage 41 at a location near one corner of one side, and the cable passes around the

sheaves

89, 91, around sheave 95 and into the winch drum 85, driven in the direction shown in FIG. 1. The same wire rope cable 97 makes a few turns (as many as may be needed) on the winch drum 85 and then passes over sheave 93. The other end 101 of the wire rope cable 97 is secured to the other corner of the carriage 41 on the same side to which the end 99 is secured. Suitable known means may be provided to take up slack in the wire rope cable 97 as is necessary or desirable.

In operation, coke breeze and water flow into the sump 11 in the usual manner. The coke breeze, being a solid, settles to the bottom of the middle zone 27 and collects there unless removed. From time to time, the carriage 41 is reciprocated from one end of the middle zone by operating the winch drum unit first in one direction and then by reversing its direction of rotation. Simultaneously, the suction pipe 47 rotates in the direction of the arrows A and sweeps an area that is substantially the length and width of the bottom surface 31. Only small areas in the corners of the sump are not swept by the suction hose, but the suction effect and the turbulent effect of the water in the sump washes coke breeze from the comers into the area swept by the rotating and reciprocating suction pipe.

The pump 55, of course, provides the suction to the suction pipe, and the coke breeze and water, passing through the pump and the fixed conduit 61, discharge into the conical receiving tank 63. The coke breeze is separated from the water on the dewatering screen, and the water returns to the sump while the coke breeze is guided by the chute 71 into a railroad car or other receptacle.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a modification of the carriage and swivel support described previously herein. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the

long sidewalls

13, 15 support rails 103, I05 and a carriage 107, having a generally trapezoidal shape in plan view (FIG. 3), is mounted on wheels 109 that roll on the

rails

103, 105.

The carriage supports the swivel connection 45 and its power mechanism 51. The swivel connection rotates the suction pipe 47 in the manner described previously, and water and coke breeze flow through the conduit 53 into apparatus alongside the sump that is or may be like that shown in FIG. I.

The carriage also supports its own drive mechanism, which includes a source of rotary power 111 having a power takeoff such as a sprocket 113. A similar sprocket 115 is secured to a drive shaft 117 extending between and secured to the wheels 109. A chain 119 drivingly connects the power takeoff 113 and the sprocket 115.

The shaft 117 also supports a drum 121 that is fixed to rotate with the shaft 117. The drum 121 is similar to the winch drum 85 in that a wire rope 123 is wound several times (as many as necessary) around the drum 121, but in this instance the ends of the wire rope 123 are anchored to the

intermediary end walls

21, 23, or to other suitable anchors (not shown) instead of being anchored to the carriage as described heretofore. Thus, to move the carriage platform 107, it is necessary only to actuate the power source 111, wherefore, the rotation of the shaft 117 and drum 121 pulls on the anchored wire rope 123 and moves the carriage along the rails 103. Of course, a change in the direction, of rotation of the drum 121 will produce reciprocation of the carriage along the length of the sump.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that other suitable arrangements for accomplishing the same result may be used. For example, a vertical sump pump might be mounted directly on the movable platform with flexible hose leading to a fixed discharge line that leads to the conical receiving tank. Or, a vertical sump pump might be mounted to an articulated arm that is adapted to move along the sump wall in a prescribed pattern so that the pump suction will effectively remove substantially all of the breeze from the sump.

Further, those skilled in the art will recognize that other means may be employed to move the platform reciprocally along the sump. For example, an elongate rack may be mounted to the sump wall and a powered pinion engaging the rack and mounted to the platform may be effectively used. Then, too, a rotatable long screw could engage a nut mounted on the platform so that when the elongate screw is rotated, the platform will move as desired.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for removing coke breeze and quenching liquid from a quenching station sump comprising:

a. a conduit biased toward a vertical axis and adapted to rotate and sweep over an area of said sump whereon coke breeze collects;

b. means supporting said conduit in operating position relative to said sump;

c. means to reciprocate said conduit along the length of said sump;

d. means to rotate said conduit on a vertical axis; and

e. means to apply suction to said conduit as it rotates and reciprocates to remove coke breeze and quenching liquid from said sump.

2. The invention of claim 1 including:

a. means to separate the coke breeze from said liquid; and

b. means to return said liquid to said sump.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein:

a. means supporting said conduit includes:

I. a carriage to which said conduit is mounted; II. rails secured to and extending lengthwise of said sump;

and Ill. wheels mounted to said carriage and engaging said rails. 4. The invention of claim 1 wherein: a. said means to reciprocate said conduit includes:

l. a wire rope secured to said means supporting conduit; and II. winch means to pull on said wire rope and move said conduit. 5. the invention of claim 3 wherein: a. said means to reciprocate said conduit includes:

1. a wire rope secured to anchors attached to said sump and looped around;

I]. a drum mounted to a shaft to which said wheels are fixed; and

III. means for rotating said shaft whereby said drum rotates and said wire rope pulls said carriage along said rails.

6. Apparatus for removing coke breeze from a quenching station sump containing quenching liquid comprising:

a. rails mounted to and extending along the length of said sump;

b. a carriage having wheels engaging said rails for movement along the length of said sump;

c. a swivel connection mounted to said carriage for movement about a vertical axis and connected to d. a conduit biased toward a vertical axis and adapted to rotate and sweep over an area of said sump whereon coke breeze collects as said swivel connection rotates;

e. power means'to rotate said swivel and conduit;

f. pump means connected to said swivel connection to apply suction to said conduit to pick up liquid and coke breeze from said sump area;

g. conduit means connecting said pump to said swivel connection and to h. a means to separate the coke breeze from the liquid;

i. means to return the liquid to said sump;

j. means to convey the coke breeze to another location; and

k. a wire rope secured to said carriage and looped around a drum that is rotatable to move said carriage along said rails.

7. The invention of claim 6 including:

a. means to so rotate said drum whereby said carriage reciprocates along the length of said sump.

8. Apparatus for removing coke breeze and quenching liquid from a quenching station sump comprising:

a. suction means biased toward a vertical axis and adapted to rotate about said axis and sweep over an area of said sump whereon coke breeze collect;

b. means supporting said suction means;

c. means for rotating said suction means; and

d. means for moving said supporting means whereby said suction means, as it rotates and moves, sweeps over said area.