US2827182A - Charging larry - Google Patents

Description

CHARGING LARRY Filed July 14. 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 1N VEN TOR. FPA Nczs R GRIFFIN ELLIOTT fleasv-alv.

March 18, 1958 Filed July 14, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTORS. FRANCIS RGEIFFIN ELLIOTT PELSTON March 18, 1958 F. R. GRIFFIN ET AL 2 CHARGING LARRY Filed July 14, 1954 s Shee ts-Sheet s INVENTORS.

FJPQNCIS E GPIFFI/J, ELL. :0 7- 7- PEA-.5 TON United States Fatent fi CHARGING LARRY Francis R. 'Grifiin, Munhall, and Elliott Preston, Glenshaw, Pa., assignors to Koppers ilompany, Inc, a corporation of Delaware Application July 14, 1954, Serial No. 443,318

2 Claims. (Cl. 214-18) The present invention relates to coal charging larrys for coke ovens, and more particularly, to a method and appa-- ratus for charging coal by larry car hoppers, into coke I .ovens.

In charging a coke oven it is desirable to maintain the bulk density of the charge as uniform as possible since anypart of the charge that has a bulk density higher than that of therestof the charge will not be coked as soon .as the rest of the charge and, when the oven is pushed, will appear as uncoked or green coke. Further, by controllingthe bulk density of a coal charge so that it is uniform, it is possible to modify the carbonization pressure limit in the oven, avoiding damaging pressures to the oven.

Itis further desirable in charging coke oven to provide for a minimum escapage of gas and smoke while charging .as quicklyas possible in order to save operating costs. Moreover; it is desirable that the oven be filled to a uniform distance from the oven roof in so doing in order that amaximum throughput of coal commensurate with the operating policy be obtained, thatthere be an increased yield of coal chemicals and that there be controlled crack ing of volatiles with the'elimination of roof carbon.

The aforedescribed desired charging conditions are, to a large degree, dependent upon the contour of the coal as charged into the oven. This in turn is dependent upon the quantities of coal in the individual hoppers of a charging larry andparticularly upon the timing intervals and the sequence of the dropping of the hoppers.

Modern larry cars are equipped with adjustable devices which insure that the individual hoppers are always filled to the same level, and are further. equipped with devices which insure that the individual hoppers will be filled with-constant volumes of coal regardless of the variation in the fiow'characteristics and angle of repose of the coal. Thus, the variability in charging due to variable volumes ofcoal in the individual hoppers has been eliminated. However, the sequence and the timing of the subsequent dropping of the coal out of the other hoppers has been left upto and dependent upon the human element, that is, where two or more charging holes are to be charged, for smokeless charging, the custom has been to drop first one end hopper, or two oppositely disposed end hoppers, andthen wait a few seconds or more before dropping the other hopper or hoppers. In some plants as many as eight different men have been required to operate the charging larry on one battery of ovens. Since practical charging intervals for the hoppers are scheduled in seconds, it is manifestly impossible for several men individually to maintain the same identical schedule in the subsequent dropping of the other hopper or hoppers, after the initial dropping of one or two end hoppers throughout their shifts, every few minutes, day and night, week in and week out, without .wide. variations in these subsequent hopper schedules. Repeated observation by the present inventors of thecoke as pushed from the ovens substantiates this. Not only agreat dealyof .very poorly coked coal pushed 2,827,182 Patented Mar. 18, 1958 from-ovens because of this reliance upon the human;element for the timing of the subsequent flow of coal out .of the subsequent hoppers into the subsequent charging holes, but the oven itself has suffered a great deal of damage for this reason. Further, this situation has resulted in smoky charging due to the dropping of a subsequenthopper of coaltoo soon after the dropping of the end hopper or hoppers'for the end charging holes closest .tothe gas collecting main, and loss of production due .to poorly-filledovens, poorly controlled oven roof temperature, and a host ofother ills which have sprung from lack of uniformity -in,the coal charging flow time amongstthe several oven chambers, and amongstthe several charging holes-of eachseparate chamber.

Thepresent invention avoids these aforementioned difiicultie$,:providing--an accurate method and apparatus for time controlling the sequence and timing of the subsequent discharge fiowoi coal from the larry car hoppers for each ovenchamber in amanner heretofore unknown in the art which permits the better maintenance of a uniform bulk density of the coal charged to each coke oven chamber, thus allowing 'for'a still more uniform coking and control of the carbonization pressure limit, a minimum escapage of gasandsmoke, in a swift and efiicient manner so as to substantially save on operating costs, and with the ovens filled to a uniform distance from the oven roof thus obtaining maximum throughput of coal commensurate with the operating policy and an increased yield of coal chemicals, controlled cracking of volatiles, and the elimination of roof carbon.

Various other features of the present invention will become-obvious from the hereinafter disclosure.

More particularly, the present invention provides for automationin discharge of coal by gravity from larry car hoppers into a battery of coke ovens by means of its common gravity flow equipment comprising a coal charging larry for a coke even having a plurality of hoppers adapted for gravity flow ofco-al through the charging holes in each oven chamber ofsaid coke oven, each hopper having a gate positioned in the discharge outlet thereof adapted to prevent the gravity flow of coal from said hopperto a charging hole and a vertically movable boot associated with said discharge outlet to serve as a discharge chute between said outlet and said charging hole, gate and boot operating linkage connected to each of said gates and boots of said hoppers; manually operable levers for actuating each of said gate and boot operating linkages; a fluid pressure operated piston for each said lever; a solenoid operated valve for the fluid pressure for the pistons; 21 sequence timer means connected to the solenoids of all of the valves for the pistons of all of the operating levers for actuating them in predetermined fixed time relation relative to each other; and a quick disconnect connection between the levers and their pistons for manual operation of the boots and gates in emergency.

It will be obvious to one skilled in theart that various changes can be made in the arrangement, form, and construction of the apparatus disclosed and in the steps of the method disclosed without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention.

Referring to thedrawings:

Figure l is a side elevation partly in section of a coke oven chamber showing the end view of a coal char ing larry-in its dischargingposition;

Figure 2 is aside view of the coal charging larry disclosed in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view of a manually operable control lever for a gate and boot, linked to a piston for the lever;

Figure 4 is a front view of the control lever disclosed in Figure 3;

Fig. 5 is a schematic flow diagram of the automatic time control means-forthe-pistons usedto actuate-themat 7 r 3" fixed intervals for operation of the levers, one of which is disclosed in Figures 3 and 4.

Referring to Figure 1 oi thedrawings, a coke oven 2 is disclosed having a plurality of oven chambers 4 each oi which has in the top portion thereof a plurality'o'f charging holes 6. A larry car 3 ispositioned on top-of the oven 2, the larry car having an undercarriage ltl ad'apted to ride on the rails 12 of the oven as is Well known in the art. The larry car carries a plurality of gravity flow hoppers 14, each having a gate 16 and a boot 18 associated with the lower discharge portion thereof; As can be seen in Figure) of'the drawings, linkage mechanism 20 is con- 7 F only three charging holes in the oven chamber disclosed, a

it is to be understood that the number of hoppers can vary in accordance with the number of charging holes that are present in the oven chamber. It is to be further understood that the mechanism aforedescribed is well known in the art and various modifications of the apparatus so far described can be made for association with the auto matic control system hereinafter disclosed.

Referring to Figures 3 'and 4 of the drawings', the control lever 22 is shown in detail, having a bifurcated por-. 'tion 24 through which the piston 26 extends, the piston I A pin 32 extends being operated by the cylinder 28. through the bifurcated portion 24 of the lever 22, providing a quick disconnect between the lever and the piston.

. 7 'By removing pin 32 the lever 22 can be disconnected "from the automatic control means hereinafter described,

for the purposesof manual operation. 7

.In Figure 5 of the drawings, a fiowdiagram is disclosed wherein cylinders 28 and their respective pistons 26 are ope ra ted automatically. It is to be understood that one'cylinder and piston arrangement is'provided for each control lever. 22, which lever in turn is connected to a gate andboot of one of the hoppers 14 through an operating linkage 20. A hydraulic tank 36 for furnishing a hydraulic fluid to the pistons is provided having a pump- 7 ingunit'34 connected thereto through conduit 38. The conduit '38 is connected to a flow control valve 40 and the flow control valve is connected through conduits 42 to the check valves 44; Connected to the check valves 44 by conduits 48 arethe solenoid operated four way valves 46. These solenoid operated fouriway valves 46 7 46; which-are operated in a preselected manner by timer A 47, th'e'time of the movements of the pistons 26 relative to each other are controlled. The timed movements of pistons 26 are'translated to control levers'22, causing the way valves along the conduits 54 which are connectedto the solenoid valves 46 by means of branch conduits 53. It is to be noted that a'conduit 56 is provided between the flow control valve and the conduit 54 serving as a drain when the flow control valve has been set in such a manner so as not to feed fluid to the check valves 44 con-' nected thereto. Through'the'aforedescribed system it is possible to operate gates and boots of the hoppers 14 automatically in a definite timed relationto each other as distinguishedfrom the heretofore knownmanuali adjustments with variations in the time of their successive orsimultaneous operations. v.

It is to be understood that various fixed time and sequence arrangements of operation can be set up through the electric timer 47 connected to the solenoid valve by a predetermined adjustment thereof. It is further to be understood that the electrical system if so desired can be connected with 'the traction drive from the larry car so that when the larry car is in movement the pump will be shut oif. The pump can be located'within thelarry car so as not to interfere with the servicing, repairs or removal of any unit on the machine. 7 a e in a typical sequence of operations, a hand operated push button which'can be marked Gates Open is actuated, the gates 16 thus opening and the boots 18 dropping on the pusher side hopper. Five seconds later the coke side hopper gate can be opened and the boot dropped. Five seconds later the center hopper gate can be opened and the boot dropped. Whenthe coal has been discharged from the hoppers into the-coking chamber another hand operated push button which can be marked Gates Closed i actuated and all the gates, and boots are raised at the same time. If so desired, the boots can be raised individually from the larry car floor, and in one advantageous embodiment the boots associated with each of the hoppers can be operated manually and separately from the automatic operation of the hopper gates; 'When emergency requires it, the pins 32 are withdrawn, and the gates are then operated by manual operation of the levers 22 independently of the pistons 26. The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for automation in gravity discharge of :coal from larry carv hoppers into a battery of coke ovens 1 by means of its'commonly used gravity flow equipment, comprising: a coke oven battery coal charging larr'y'car having a plurality of hoppers adapted'for'gravity flow of coal through the top charging holes in each oven chamber of said battery, each hopper having a discharge outlet with a gate therein to preventthe gravity how of coal from the hopper to a said top charging hole, and a vertically moveable boot associated with said discharge outlet to serve as a discharge chute between said outlet and movement of the gates and boots associatedwith these 3 levers 22 through linkages20 in fixed timed relation.

.. In'operation, the larry car is moved along the rails 12 untilthe hoppers '14 are positioned directly above the charging holes 6 of the oven chamber 4. An electric v push button positioned in the cabin of the larry car is then actuated in order to operate the hydraulicpumping unit 34. The pumping unit supplies pressure through the flow control valve 40 and through the check valves 44 into thesolenoid operated four way valves46l 'JThese tour way valves control the direction of flow to the hydraulic cylinders 28 and are controlled by an electric timer- 47 which is"set up to operate these. valves in a said charging hole, a separate gate and boot operating linkage connected to eachof the gates and boots of said hoppers; manually operable levers for actuating each of the "gate and boot operating linkages; a' fluid pressure operated piston for each said lever; a solenoid operated valve for the fluid'pressure for the pisto'nsja sequence timer means connected to the solenoids of all of'the valves for the pistons'of all of the operating levers for actuating them in predetermined fixed time relation relativeto. each other; and a quick disconnect connection between the levers and their pistons formanual operation of the boots and gates in emergency. e V

: 2. Apparatus for automation in gravity dischargeot coal from larry car hoppers into a battery of coke ovens by means of its commonly used gravity flow equipment,

from thehopper to a-said charging hole, and a vertically moveable boot associated with'said dischargej outlet to "serve asa discharge chute betweensaid outlet and said charging hole, a separate gate and boot operating linkage connected to each of the gates and boots of said hoppers; levers for actuating each of the gate and boot operating linkages; a fluid pressure operated piston for each said lever; a solenoid operated valve for the fluid pressure for the pistons; a sequence timer means connected to the solenoids of all of the valves for the pistons of all of the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS McIntosh Aug. 4, 1930

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