An improved sensor for weighing coal charged to coke oven batteries

摘要

IN CONVENTIONAL weighing systems on coke oven platforms to determine the weight of coal charged into the coke oven battery, the weight is measured using load-cell based sensors. These are difficult to maintain because of the hazardous environment of the coke oven. If weighing is not accurate, there is a chance that the oven is not optimally filled and thereby throughput of the oven is reduced. The operator may overfill the oven and does not know by how much. As the oven heating system assumes a prefixed weight the excess weight of the coal impairs the quality of coke produced. Apart from these problems, efforts are being made to enhance the level of automation in coke ovens by using various mathematical models such as the heat demand calculation model, heat consumption model, coke readiness prediction etc. Accurate, online information on the weight of coal being charged is required as input parameters for such models so that the quality of coke as well as maximum utilisation of resources is achieved. If the weight of the coal charged is known, the heat input to the battery can be controlled to the required value. The information can be fed to the coking control models for improving yield as well as controlling the quality of coke. Productivity of the battery will certainly increase. This has motivated SAIL to develop an improved sensor by way of indirect weighing.