Leakage at the bottom cover of the coke tower
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Today, a leak occurred suddenly at the bottom cover of the coke tower in our company’s 1 million tons per year coking unit; fortunately, it was detected in time and addressed, so no accident took place. Our unit currently uses metal octagonal gaskets combined with graphite paper for sealing. May I ask what kind of seal is used for the bottom covers of the coke towers?
Currently, the seals used at the bottom of coke towers are mostly steel ring gaskets, which has significantly reduced leakage incidents. The main reasons for leakage with steel ring gaskets are either incomplete cleaning of the coke in the sealing groove or damage to the sealing surface of the gasket. In such cases, protective steam can be applied promptly; once the sealing surface is covered with coke, leakage will no longer occur.
The poster might consider using an automatic bottom cover loading/unloading machine! Hehe:lol
We also use octagonal gaskets; in the event of a leak, there won’t be any major problems. The octagonal gaskets don’t cause issues, and if a leak occurs, steam can be used for cooling, followed by tightening it again.
Our factory also uses steel rings for sealing; there are no steam seals.
Do the octagonal gaskets wrapped in graphite paper need to have the graphite paper re-applied each time they are used?
My units also use metal octagonal gaskets; leaks are very rare. If a leak does occur, steam is used for protection, and once the sealing surface is scorched, the leak stops. In some units, the bottom cover needs to be heated and tightened one hour before each tower change. I heard it works well.
We also use octagonal gaskets; using some graphite powder would be better. Using an automatic bottom cover machine still leads to leaks, and the main solution is to use manual bolts
We are planning to install an automatic bottom cover machine; we’re not sure what the results will be. The price seems too high – around four million for one unit, which is unaffordable. However, it should be able to reduce the time required to install and remove the bottom covers
Our factory is building a coking plant, and we have also installed an automatic bottom cover machine.
Currently, metal octagonal gaskets are generally used in coking processes, and the bottom cover of the tower is still installed manually, which results in a high degree of randomness. The reasons for the leakage are as follows: 1. The gasket has been used too many times, resulting in slight deformation that went unnoticed. 2. The coke powder in the upper and lower gasket grooves at the bottom was not cleaned thoroughly before inserting the gaskets. This is related to the workers’ operating habits; some workers clean the gasket grooves early, so by the time they start working, the inside of the tower has not yet been cleaned thoroughly, and more coke dust falls into those gasket grooves. 3. After tightening with the pneumatic wrench, the tightening done with the manual wrench is uneven. 4. If the new tower is preheated too quickly, it may also cause leakage at the top cover of the tower bottom. The key is to detect and address issues early; it’s best to have someone closely monitor the process during the pressure testing and preheating stages. It’s ideal to identify leaks at that stage, and tightening the relevant parts slightly when the leakage is minor usually resolves the problem.
Hello: Do you know the dimensions of the octagonal pad?