ACARP ACARP ACARP ACARP
Technical Market Support

Elucidation of the Effects of Minerals on Coke Behaviour in the Blast Furnace

Technical Market Support » Metallurgical Coal

Published: August 02Project Number: C10054

Get ReportAuthor: Grant Quinn, Basim Faraj, Ruth Callcott, Tom Callcott | International Coal Consultants, Faraj Consultants, Callcott Consulting

The objectives of this project were to determine whether minerals in coke have an effect on hot coke strength, and if so, elucidate the mechanism(s) by which this occurs under blast furnace conditions. A secondary objective was to demonstrate the use of the Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) for the study of coal and coke. The basic working hypothesis was that coking coals with minerals containing alkali, alkali earth and transition elements such as Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn suffered detrimental effects during coking that resulted in cokes that were more reactive and lower in hot coke strength than equivalent coking coals which had low concentrations of these elements. This hypothesis was confirmed by coking two coals that had sufficiently similar petrographic composition and rank but different ash chemistry and mineralogy.

Attempts were made to simulate the reaction of coke with blast furnace gas at high temperatures in the ESEM. Operational problems showed that the instrument is not yet sufficiently developed to simulate the higher temperature blast furnace environments. However a number of possibly important observations were made, especially the formation of mineral phase globules of glass on the coke surfaces above 1217°C. It was also observed that reaction between coke and gas occurred mainly on the interpore wall material and not the pore linings. This implies that coke is consumed from the outside in and may explain why coke retrieved from the raceway of blast furnaces is a smaller version of the charge coke.

SIROQUANTTM XRD was used extensively on coals, their cokes and their coke CRI residues, and clearly showed the mineralogy of each was different. The difference in mineralogy between coke and coke CRI residue is especially dramatic and shows that there is a lot of reaction occurring within the mineral phases of coke pieces during this test. This implies similar vigorous reaction of the mineral phase within coke inside the blast furnace.

Calculations were performed with the thermodynamic computer package F*A*C*T in order to determine whether gases evolved by minerals could affect coke porosity. The results showed that gas evolved by minerals in coal can be of the order of several litres per gram. Perhaps surprisingly, the main contributors were the clays ? in this case kaolinite and illite. Not surprisingly, the carbonates were also prolific gas producers but in some cases the gas was given off during the semicoke phase. It is shown however that mineral-derived gas is negligible when compared to the volume of volatile matter produced during the plastic phase and is an unlikely cause of higher porosity and therefore higher reactivity. It is possible that gases given off after resolidification by calcite for example, could increase porosity due to micro fissuring.

Underground

Health and safety, productivity and environment initiatives.

Recently Completed Projects

C34019Longwall Bretby Cable Handling Monitoring With Fibre Optics

This project examined the potential of using fibre optic sensing tec...

C27049Mine Machine Radar Sensor Integration

The aim of this project was to develop an integrated radar sensor an...

C29007Innovative Coal Burst System To Investigate The Influence Of Confinement Loss And Pre-Conditioning On Coal Burst Mechanism

The challenges associated with designing and operating a safe and pr...

Underground

Open Cut

Safety, productivity and the right to operate are priorities for open cut mine research.

Recently Completed Projects

C33035High Water Recovery, Low Cost Desalination Using PV-Powered Membrane Capacitive Deionisation (Mcdi)

Capacitive deionization is a robust, energy efficient and cost effec...

C28035Topsoil Deficits In Site Rehabilitation Accelerated Transformation Of Spoils To Functional Soils

The incorporation of commercial biological amendments (compost, worm...

C34036Tyre Handler Testing Rig Stage 2: Lifting Trials

Tyre handling is a major source of risk in surface mining operations...

Open Cut

Coal Preparation

Maximising throughput and yield while minimising costs and emissions.

Coal Preparation

Technical Market Support

Market acceptance and emphasising the advantages of Australian coals.

Recently Completed Projects

C34060In-Situ Investigation Of Coke Structure Formation Under Stamp Charged Coking Conditions

Stamp charged cokemaking has emerged as an effective technique to im...

C34062Improving The Classification Of Microstructure Distribution In Coke CT Images Using Deep Learning And Lineal Path Calculations

This project builds on a number of earlier projects that have helped...

C29071Source Of Variability Of Reactivity Of Coke In The CSR Test

The Coke Strength after Reaction (CSR) test is used worldwide to det...

Technical Market Support

Mine Site Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the production of coal.

Recently Completed Projects

C28076Selective Absorption Of Methane By Ionic Liquids (SAMIL)

This third and final stage of this project was the culmination of a ...

C29069Low-Cost Catalyst Materials For Effective VAM Catalytic Oxidation

Application of ventilation air methane (VAM) thermal oxidiser requir...

C23052Novel Stone Dust Looping Process For Ventilation Air Methane Abatement

This multi‐phase project is concerned with the mitigation of m...

Mine Site Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Low Emission Coal Use

Step-change technologies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Recently Completed Projects

C17060BGasification Of Australian Coals

Four Australian coals were trialled in the Siemens 5 MWth pilot scale ga...

C17060AOxyfuel Technology For Carbon Capture And Storage Critical Clean Coal Technology - Interim Support

The status of oxy-fuel technology for first-generation plant is indicate...

C18007Review Of Underground Coal Gasification

This report consists of a broad review of underground coal gasification,...

Low Emission Coal Use

Mining And The Community

The relationship between mines and the local community.

Recently Completed Projects

C16027Assessing Housing And Labour Market Impacts Of Mining Developments In Bowen Basin Communities

The focus of this ACARP-funded project has been to identify a number...

C22029Understanding And Managing Cumulative Impacts Of Coal Mining And Other Land Uses In Regions With Diversified Economies

The coal industry operates in the context of competing land-uses that sh...

C23016Approval And Planning Assessment Of Black Coal Mines In NSW And Qld: A Review Of Economic Assessment Techniques

This reports on issues surrounding economic assessment and analysis ...

Mining And The Community

NERDDC

National Energy Research,Development & Demonstration Council (NERDDC) reports - pre 1992.

Recently Completed Projects

1609-C1609Self Heating of Spoil Piles from Open Cut Coal Mines

Self Heating of Spoil Piles from Open Cut Coal Mines

1301-C1301Stress Control Methods for Optimised Development...

Stress Control Methods for Optimised Development and Extraction Operations

0033-C1356Commissioned Report: Australian Thermal Coals...

Commissioned Report: Australian Thermal Coals - An Industry Handbook

NERDDC