A SEMIINDUSTRIAL SCALE STUDY OF PETROLEUM COKE AS AN ADDITIVE IN COKEMAKING

The addition of petroleum coke to a typical industrial coal blend used in the production of metallurgical coke was studied. Cokes were produ ced at semi-industrial scale at the INCAR coking plant, using petroleu m coke of different particle size distribution as an additive. Special attention was paid to changes caused in the textural properties (poro sity, pore size distribution, fissures at the interface between metall urgical coke and petroleum coke) which have been found to be responsib le for variations in the metallurgical coke quality parameters (e.g., mechanical strength and reactivity towards CO2). Variation in porosity was found to depend on particle size and the proportion of the additi ve. The decrease in the microporosity (i.e., pore radius < 3.7 nm) of the metallurgical cokes observed when petroleum coke is added to the c oal blend, is postulated to be one of the main factors responsible for the decrease in the reactivity of these cokes. The variation of the m echanical strength indices can be explained by the changes in porosity and the quality of the interfaces between petroleum coke and metallur gical coke. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B,V. All rights reserved.