Met Coke Oven Facility Suppression Systems Handling Coal and Coke
Situation
The Middletown facility is one of 8 metallurgical coke plants operated by SunCoke Energy. Together, these facilities produce over 5 million tons of coke each year. As part of their overall mission, SunCoke is committed to operating each facility efficiently and responsibly, providing safe, reliable, and environmentally sound operations for their people and local communities. The Middletown facility is located near neighboring residential areas. With this in mind, SunCoke turned to Benetech to help ensure fugitive airborne dusting would not be an issue during the handling processes of both metallurgical coal and coke.
Benetech Solution – Coal Handling Process
Benetech assessed the situation and determined that during the coal handling process, 5
application points would be sufficient to keep fugitive dust at bay. Applying the BT-205W at the
following locations as needed:
- Rail Unloader
- Unloader Feeders
- Last Transfer before Stackout
- Reclaim Feeders
- Crusher Discharge
Benetech Solution – Coke Handling Process
During the coke handling process, Benetech paid special attention to strict limits on moisture addition. The material is hot-elevated temperature coke, so fine-tuning was done during startup to ensure effective dust control within the parameters given because the material is hotly elevated. Applying BT-205 W at two belt to belt transfers:
- Transfer Tower 1
- Transfer Tower 2
Moisture addition is 0.5%, and the applications are effective through several transfers.
Successful Results
The facility’s airborne fugitive dust issues have all been successfully addressed. Any initial concerns about adding chemicals or moisture to the material handling processes are now gone. The Benetech systems have solved their issue, effectively controlling airborne dust with NO negative effects.
