Combustion control device for solefired horizontal coke ovens

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF COKING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL INVOLVING SEALING IN A BROAD COKING OVEN A CHARGE OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL AS A FLAT, HORIZONTAL LAYER HAVING A SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH GREATER THAN ITS LOW DEPTH AND SMALLER THAN ITS EXTENDED LENGTH, ESTABLISHING A PLURALITY OF MAIN STREAMS OF HOT BURNING FUEL IN HEATING FLUES BENEATH THE CHARGE OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL FROM EACH END OF SAID OVEN AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ABOUT ONE-HALF OF THE LENGTH OF SAID CHARGE FROM EACH SIDE TO A CENTRAL REGION TO FORM STREAMS OF HOT WASTE GASES, HEATING SAID CHARGE WITH SAID MAIN STREAMS TO COKE THE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL THEREIN SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY THROUGHOUT THE SAME AND TO DISTILL VOLATILE HYDROCARBONS THEREFROM AS HOT VAPORS, CONDUCTING SAID MAIN STREAMS TOWARDS THE CENTRAL REGION OF THE CHARGE, REMOVING SAID STREAMS OF HOT WASTE GASES AFTER HEATING THE CHARGE TO ABOUT THE CENTRAL REGION THEREOF AND AWAY THEREFROM IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE SAID HORIZONTAL LAYER, MERGING SAID DOWNWARDLY FLOWING STREAMS OF HOT GASES AS A STACK STREAM GOING TO A STACK, AND CONTINUOUSLY EFFECTING RECUPERATION OF HEAT BETWEEN SAID STACK STREAM AND INCOMING AIR TO PRODUCE A STREAM OF PREHEATED AIR TO SUPPORT THE COMBUSTION OF SAID HOT BURNING FUEL THAT IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES POSITIVELY DIVERTING A SELECTED LOWER PART OF SAID MAIN STREAMS NEAR THE SAID CENTRAL REGION TO PROVIDE HOT GASES FOR STREAMS FOR RECIRCULATION, RETURNING SAID STREAMS FOR RECIRCULATION TOWARDS THE ENDS OF THE OVEN WHILE TRANSMITTING HEAT THERETO FROM THE MAIN STREAMS THROUGH A SEPARATING WALL OF SILICON CARBIDE, INJECTING A FLUID OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COMBUSTIBLE GAS STEAM, HOT AIR, AND WASTE GAS THROUGH AN INSPIRATOR TO ASSIST IN RETURNING SAID STREAMS FOR RECIRCULATION TOWARDS THE ENDS OF THE OVEN, AND MERGING SAID RECIRCULATED STREAMS WITH SAID MAIN STREAMS TO CONTROL THE COMBUSTION OF THE BURNING FUEL AND TO LENGTHEN THE FLAMES THEREOF WHEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM HEAT IS SUPPLIED TO SAID CHARGE AND OVERHEATED ENDS AND UNDERHEATED CENTERS IN SAID CHARGE ARE AVOIDED.