Carbon baking furnace with system for controlling movement of sacrificial medium and anodes through the baking path

Abstract

A carbon baking furnace has at least one vertical baking shaft with a system and method for positioning green carbon bodies to be baked at the tops of the vertical baking paths and ringing the green carbon bodies with a sacrificial medium such as packing coke. The disclosure provides a carbon baking furnace having a system and method for unloading baked carbon bodies at the bottom of an array of baking paths while supporting the column of carbon bodies remaining in the baking path. The disclosure provides a volatile extraction system that extracts volatile fumes from the upper portion of the furnace and introduces the volatile fumes to the burners in the baking portion of the furnace. This system allows the volatile fumes to be selectively directed to an afterburner and automatically delivered to the afterburner during an emergency.

1 . A vertical path carbon baking furnace for baking green carbon articles; the furnace comprising:
 a furnace body defining a substantially vertical baking path adapted to receive the carbon article; the vertical baking path having a volatile extraction zone disposed above a baking zone;   the furnace body defining a volatile extraction inlet in communication with the baking path; the volatile extraction inlet being disposed in the volatile extraction zone of the baking path;   the furnace body defining baking fume channels disposed on opposite sides of the baking path to receive baking fumes;   a burner associated with each the baking fume channel; and   the volatile extraction inlet in fluid communication with a burner such that volatile fumes extracted from the baking path through the volatile extraction inlet are delivered to the burner for combustion.   
     
     
         2 . A vertical path carbon baking furnace for baking green carbon articles; the furnace comprising:
 a furnace body defining a substantially vertical baking path adapted to receive the carbon article; the baking path having upper and lower ends;   a sacrificial medium delivery system disposed at the top of the baking path;   the sacrificial medium delivery system including a pair of channels disposed on opposite sides of the baking path; each of the channels defining outlets adapted to deliver sacrificial medium from the channel to the baking path; and   a sacrificial medium conveyor disposed in the channels; the conveyor having movable elements that deliver sacrificial medium to the channel outlets along the length of the channels.   
     
     
         3 . A vertical path carbon baking furnace for baking green carbon articles; the furnace comprising:
 a furnace body defining a substantially vertical baking path adapted to receive the carbon articles in a stacked column wherein the stacked column has a lowermost article and a second lowermost article; the baking path having upper and lower ends;   an unloading device disposed under the baking path to control the movement of the column through the baking path;   a holding mechanism associated with the baking path; the holding mechanism having elements that selectively support the second lowermost article independent of the lowermost article; and   the holding mechanism including a plurality of grabs that selectively rotate downwardly and inwardly relative to the article from a disengaged position to an engaged position; the plurality of grabs including grabs disposed on opposite sides of the article such that the weight of the article causes the article to be pinched and held by the opposed grabs.