Challenges

CLOSED ON: 27 MAR 2019  |  REWARD: INR 6,00,000
Reward money is paid in exchange of legally acquiring the solution, implementing it to solve the problem and meeting the success criteria. Milestones for paying the reward money would depend upon the complexity of challenge and maturity of the proposed solution, which would be discussed with the solver as soon as the proposed solution is selected by us.
Closed

Short Description:

Solutions are sought to ensure smooth coke oven battery operation by arresting settlement of track foundation

Challenge Details

Our plant was constructed over lowland filled up with flyash and dredged sand. It has 4 rows of heat recovery type coke oven Batteries. Each row has 88 ovens, having 480 m long rail track on either side for Pusher and Quenching Car. Pusher car track foundation was constructed on 33m piles having staggered spacing of 3.0m, with the gauge of track being 12m. Quenching car track foundation was constructed on 18m piles having spacing of 2.06m, with the gauge of track being 10m.

From past few years we are facing problem in maintaining both the tracks due to settlement of track foundation upto an extent of 120mm in some areas. As a result of the rail track undulation/settlement our coke oven battery operation is getting hampered. Also, due to settlement of rail track, we are facing problem in positioning of pusher and quenching car during pushing operations due to rolling of car. There is damage of power collector and failure of Pusher and Quenching car components. Moreover, there is also bending of press plates below rail track due to cracking of underlying concrete. Hence, the challenge is to eliminate this problem of settlement of rail track foundation in order to have a smooth operation of Pusher and Quencher cars.

Options tried to solve before:

1. Dismantling the cracked concrete and filling up the void below rail track by non-shrink free flow high strength cement/epoxy grout material.

2. Fixing of Packer Plates below rail track to maintain the desired level.

The solution MUST fulfil the following requirements:

1. To arrest settlement of Rail Track Base and eliminate the cracking of underlying concrete.

2.  Elimination of bending of press plates, failure of Pusher and Quenching Car components and damage of power collector.

3. No pushing delay due to rail track settlement.

4. No damage of power collector or failure of machine components.

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