Granted Patent B2

US 12,227,699 · App. 17/135,483 · Granted Feb 18, 2025

Inventors: John Francis Quanci (Haddonfield, NJ); Jason Crum (Lisle, IL); Rakshak Khanna (Lisle, IL); Daniel C. Charles (Lisle, IL); Chun Wai Choi (Lisle, IL)

Assignee: SUNCOKE TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT LLC

C10B41/00C10B45/00G05B23/0232G05B23/0283C10B15/02

Abstract

Claims (139)

1. A system for optimizing oven profitability, the system comprising:

a coke oven configured to process coal to produce coke, wherein operation of the coke oven produces historical coke oven data including coke production over time and coking rate for the coke oven; and

an oven health optimization system for optimizing profitability of the coke oven, the oven health optimization system comprising:

at least one hardware processor; and

non-transitory memory, coupled to the at least one hardware processor and storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one hardware processor, perform a process comprising:

receiving the historical coke oven data;

receiving a selection of output parameters that measure oven profitability, wherein the output parameters include the coke production over time and the coking rate for the coke oven;

selecting a set of performance parameters based on the selected output parameters, wherein the set of performance parameters includes output coke properties for the coke oven;

generating values for a set of operation optimization parameters using values of the set of selected performance parameters,

wherein the set of operation optimization parameters comprises at least one of coke push grade, soak time, or oven performance for the coke oven;

selecting a set of inspection parameters based on the selected output parameters, wherein the set of inspection parameters includes oven age, number of coking cycles, and at least one of (i) crown temperature, (ii) coke-side temperature, (iii) pusher-side temperature, or (iv) sole flue temperature;

generating an oven life indicator value for the coke oven using the generated values for the set of operation optimization parameters and values of the selected set of inspection parameters; and

based on the oven life indicator value, altering a state of the coke oven.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the output parameters that measure oven profitability further comprise:

return on investment (ROI) on repair of the coke oven,

cost to repair the coke oven,

cost to rebuild the coke oven,

cost to abandon the coke oven,

profitability of the coke oven,

remaining life of the coke oven,

damage to the coke oven,

rate of aging,

aging as a function of tons run through the coke oven,

aging as a function of operating conditions in the coke oven,

closing gain,

opening gain,

damage score,

environmental score,

permit requirements,

output quality,

power production,

or any combination thereof.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the set of operation optimization parameters further comprises:

quality,

yield,

rate,

power,

or any combination thereof.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the set of performance parameters comprises:

production rate,

oven health score,

current spend on repairs,

clinker amount,

surface losses,

heat released,

air leakage,

output coke properties,

or any combination thereof.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the set of inspection parameters comprises:

oven chamber inspection,

oven crown inspection,

oven mechanical inspection,

configuration of the coke oven,

condition of the coke oven,

maintenance records of the coke oven,

operation data of the coke oven,

repair status of the coke oven,

burners used,

coal properties,

regulatory compliance requirements,

soak time,

ambient conditions,

logistical parameters,

mechanical production parameters,

damper block condition,

leaks,

severity of operation,

fissure line formation,

mass flow rate,

burn loss,

power production,

complete coking time,

elapsed coking time,

cycle length,

sole flue peak temperature,

draft,

sole flue peak time,

first crossover time,

last crossover time,

crown peak time,

position control scheme,

charge weight,

wharf performance,

burner feedback,

door fires,

lance usage,

uptake,

oxygen intake,

downtime,

or any combination thereof.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein receiving the historical coke oven data comprises:

receiving values of historical trends parameters from a set of historical trends parameters related to the coke oven; and

revising the generated oven life indicator value by subjecting a subset of the values of the historical trends parameters using a historical trends model.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises:

receiving values of miscellaneous parameters from a set of miscellaneous parameters related to the coke oven,

wherein the set of miscellaneous parameters comprises:

cost to repair oven,

cost to rebuild oven,

cost to abandon oven,

average oven life,

or any combination thereof; and

revising the generated oven life indicator value based on the received values of the miscellaneous parameters.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises:

receiving values of fuel parameters related to the coke oven,

wherein the fuel parameters comprise:

natural gas parameters,

fuel oil parameters,

number of lances/burners employed,

or any combination thereof; and

revising the generated oven life indicator value based on the received values of the fuel parameters.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the coke oven is a first coke oven, and the process further comprises:

generating oven life indicator values for a set of ovens other than the first coke oven using generated values for the set of operation optimization parameters for the set of ovens other than the first coke oven and values of the selected set of inspection parameters for the set of ovens other than the first coke oven; and

generating a comparative performance measure for the first coke oven by comparing the generated oven life indicator value for the first coke oven and the generated oven life indicator values for the set of ovens other than the first coke oven.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises:

generating oven life indicator values for a set of ovens using generated values for the set of operation optimization parameters for the set of ovens and values of the selected set of inspection parameters for the set of ovens; and

generating a priority of repair for ovens in the set of ovens by comparing the generated oven life indicator values for the set of ovens.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by at least one computing device, perform a method for optimizing oven profitability, the method comprising:

receiving historical coke oven data produced by operation of a coke oven, wherein the coke oven is configured to process coal to produce coke, and wherein the historical coke oven data includes coke production over time and coking rate for the coke oven;

receiving a selection of output parameters that measure oven profitability of the coke oven for treating coal, wherein the output parameters include the coke production over time and the coking rate for the coke oven;

selecting a set of performance parameters based on the selected output parameters, wherein the set of performance parameters includes output coke properties for the coke oven;

generating values for a set of operation optimization parameters using values of the set of selected performance parameters,

wherein the set of operation optimization parameters comprises at least one of coke push grade, soak time, or oven performance for the coke oven;

selecting a set of inspection parameters based on the selected output parameters, wherein the set of inspection parameters includes oven age, number of coking cycles, and at least one of (i) crown temperature, (ii) coke-side temperature, (iii) pusher-side temperature, or (iv) sole flue temperature; and

generating an oven life indicator value for the coke oven, using the generated values for the set of operation optimization parameters and values of the selected set of inspection parameters; and

based on the oven life indicator value, altering a state of the coke oven.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving values of fuel parameters related to the coke oven,

wherein the fuel parameters comprise:

natural gas parameters,

fuel oil parameters,

number of lances/burners employed,

or any combination thereof; and

revising the generated oven life indicator value based on the received values of the fuel parameters.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11 , wherein the set of operation optimization parameters further comprises:

quality,

yield,

rate,

power,

or any combination thereof.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (400)

Cited By (3)

US 12,410,369 US 12,673,348 US 12,687,492