Plastic layer permeability estimation using a model of gas pressure in a coke oven

A simplified model of heat transfer and internal gas pressure (IGP) in a coke oven, based on the fundamentals of the process, is presented and validated by reference to pilot scale coke oven experiments. The model can be used to describe the generation of IGP at all stages of the coking process, and results developed at the pilot scale coke oven level can be scaled up to operational level using the model. The model is used to show that the permeability at the resolidification end of the plastic layer is a key determinant of the magnitude of the IGP, and ultimately coking pressure. The effect of bulk density on permeability is discussed and the vertical variation of gas pressure in the centre of the oven charge is illustrated.