Continuous Development for a Longer Battery Life at the Rautaruukki Steel Coking Plant in Raahe, Finland

摘要

Recent and significant developments in operation, maintenance and management for a longer battery life during latest operation years are presented in this paper. From the beginning of coke production at Rautaruukki Steel (1987 through 1992), technical control systems have been strongly developed for dynamic scheduling and heating control models. Concurrently, development efforts were also directed toward coke machine modernization, including automation, hydraulics, new machines and mechanical improvements. During this time, several development and repair projects were realized to prolong the life of the batteries. Tighter criteria have been set for the coal blend's physical properties, grain size and moisture content to improve coke yield and quality. Reliability has been improved through better control of battery operations, such as pushing force and coke level measurements and increasing availability of the battery machines.