Modelling of a coke oven heating wall

This work deals with thermomechanical modelling of a coke oven heating wall. The objective is to define the safe limits of coke oven battery operating conditions compatible with a long service life in terms of thermal and mechanical stresses. For this purpose a 3D thermomechanical model of a heating wall taking into account the assembly of bricks and joints was developed with PRISME Laboratory. To build an efficient and complete model, different parameters must be taken into account: * complexity of the structure: heating walls include flues and are made of masonries with various types of bricks (with various shapes and materials). The presence of joints has a great influence on the wall behaviour since they can open in tension and close in compression; * brick and joint material behaviours: refractory materials have specific thermo-mechanical behaviours, temperature depending; * knowledge of thermo-mechanical loading: temperature field, weights of walls, roof and larry car, pre-stresses (anchoring system), lateral pressure due to coal pushing A 3D heating wall model was developed and allows to take all these parameters into account. The model was created in order to estimate the maximal lateral pressure and to understand mechanism of joints opening. Moreover, the model is based on Fos sur Mer coking plant geometry, and particularly on the battery 3 which was instrumented. Indeed several force sensors have been placed on tie rods, load transmitters and thermocouples on different positions in the brickwork.