The silica brick will become damaged if allowed to cool. Every day, patching crews repair oven cracks that are detected by transmissometers. Coal preparation also is important in maintaining the batteries. Charging the wrong blend into an oven causes increased pressure and irreparable damage. Maintaining doors Properly maintaining the plant's 1,732 doors is key to keeping the batteries operating reliably and to cutting emissions.
Doors weigh three to eight tons.
A door repair requires about 32.5 manhours of work. Door coordinators at the batteries determine which ones need repairs. Much of the work involves keeping a tight seal between the door and battery to prevent emission leakage. Repairman Ron Lucci runs a feeler gage 0.002 inch thick between the door and a smooth piece of steel to make sure there are no gaps. The environmental standards have become more stringent throughout the years.