Coke chemical installation: preservation of traditions
The penultimate stage of reconstruction of coke battery No. 4, with a production volume of 460 thousand tons of coke per year, has started at the Cherepovets Metallurgical Combine.
Preparations for this process began five months ago. At the end of 2017, the first stage of reconstruction was completed – the pouring of the upper foundation plate. After the installation of the greenhouse and the maintenance sites, the specialists of the general contracting company JSC "Trust "Koksokhimmontazh" started laying the coke battery.
About a hundred unique highly qualified specialists in refractory masonry came to the reconstruction of KB-4. The peculiarity of the masonry was that it should be carried out evenly along the entire length of the battery, because the efficiency of the coke battery will depend on the quality of the refractory masonry. More than 400 types of refractory bricks were needed for the reconstruction of KB-4. The laying of refractories amounted to more than 12 thousand tons. Then it was necessary to carry out pre-kindling installation work, lay temporary gas pipelines for kindling, lay camera mirrors, kindle and dry the chimney, supply gas and ignite it in temporary furnaces.
To date, the specialists of JSC "Trust Koksokhimmontazh" have installed about two thousand tons of equipment that is necessary for the start-up and operation of the future battery.
Now the battery has been handed over to the Customer's specialists for drying and they will have to dry the refractory masonry of the battery efficiently and carefully. To do this, the temperature in it will be raised gradually to 130 degrees Celsius for two weeks. After the masonry is dried, the heating temperature of the battery will be increased according to a special schedule to 700-800 degrees. The refractory masonry is sandwiched between the armor, anchor columns and buttresses using transverse and longitudinal ties. Under the conditions of temperature exposure, the masonry will grow. The growth of refractories is fixed by 2480 spring blocks, which will gradually shrink. Installers will adjust the compression of spring blocks in order to maintain a strictly set load on each spring node, which will allow the refractory masonry to ensure gradual growth.
After setting up the edging mechanism, which is a device for uniform alternation of gas combustion flows and flue gas discharge, the entire unit will be switched to constant heating.
Facts and figures:
- 01.09.2017 – work on the KB plate and buttresses has begun
- 05/21/2018 – coke oven battery is put on drying and heating
