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The strength of coke at high temperatures is of major importance for efficient blast furnace
operation. Despite this, there is little information regarding the hot strength of coke. In this
research, the hot strength of three industrial European coke grades was studied using a
Gleeble thermomechanical simulator. The hot strength was analyzed at three different
temperatures: room temperature, 1600 and 1750 8C by measuring the compressive strength
of roughly 50 coke samples at each temperature. A significant decrease in strength was
observed for all three coke grades at high temperatures. Notable differences between the
coke grades in compressive strength were observed at room temperature. At high
temperatures, differences were observed in strength and deformation behavior; however,
the order of magnitude of strength remained the same. The deformation behavior at high
temperatures was also studied and discussed based on stressstrain curves. Several
structural properties of coke such as total porosity, pore size distribution, pore shape factor,
amount of inerts, and degree of graphitization were determined in order to explain the
obtained strength results. Both hot and room temperature compressive strength values
were compared to industrial strength tests and discussed. The reliability of the results was
evaluated with statistical analyses.
1. Introduction
Coke as a raw material in the blast furnace provides fuel for
ironmaking, serves as a source of reductant gas, provides
structural support for the material bed and serves to
carburize hot metal. Its role as structural support is vital
and for this reason strength is one of the most important
properties of coke. Poor coke strength can cause many
operational problems, such as reduced permeability in the
shaft and hearth areas, undesirable gas and temperature
distribution, and the possibility of hanging of the burden.
In the near future, steel manufacturers worldwide are
faced with challenges regarding the quality of coke. The
availability of prime coking coals is decreasing and their
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2. Experimental
All of the coke samples used in the Gleeble experiments
were prepared beforehand and mixed in order to avoid
systematic errors caused by sample location. Coke lumps
were drilled with a hollow drill, cut to appropriate height
and polished to form cylindrical samples of 16 mm in
diameter and roughly 12 mm in height. This size and shape
has been found appropriate for use in the Gleeble device
using a standard sample holder. The largest coke lumps
were selected for sample preparation as small ones are
inadequate for producing a sufficient number of samples.
After machining, the coke samples were pre-graphitized
in a chamber furnace in order to speed up testing in the
Gleeble by reducing the required sample holding time. The
pre-graphitization was made at the sample temperature
that was subsequently used for testing in the Gleeble. It
was done in order to simulate the thermal stresses and
degree of coke graphitization brought about by the descent
of the coke in an actual blast furnace. The coke samples
were sealed in a graphite container and covered in graphite
powder to avoid gasification. In addition, the furnace was
operated in inert gas. The graphite container containing
the coke samples was placed in the furnace at 1200 8C after
which the temperature was raised up to the subsequent
test temperature and held for 60 min to ensure complete
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Coke 1
Irsid
> 20 mm
Irsid
< 10 mm
77.2
21.1
Micum
> 40 mm
Micum
< 10 mm
CRI
CSR
Volatiles
[%]
21.5
63.6
0.2
Coke 2
85.0
5.4
31.3
57.6
0.2
Coke 3
82.7
5.8
28.2
58.5
0.2
Coke 1
Total ash
[%]
SiO2
Al2O3
CaO
Fe
MgO
K2O
Ti
Na2O3
10.6
59.90
26.70
2.45
3.91
0.72
0.76
1.28
0.88
0.38
Coke 2
8.69
44.88
29.92
4.37
7.02
2.30
0.53
2.42
0.81
1.61
Coke 3
9.20
47.83
31.52
3.48
5.65
1.74
0.52
2.28
0.87
1.52
Number of
samples
Mean
ultimate
strength [MPa]
Strain
[%]
Standard
deviation
[MPa]
Room
50
16.67)
2.5
7.57)
1600 8C
50
12.17)
3.67)
27.0
1750 8C
50
10.78)
3.38)
35.5
Room
50
23.8
1600 8C
40
15.8
5.2
33.6
1750 8C
50
17.5
6.2
26.5
Room
49
13.3
1600 8C
50
9.1
3.2
31.5
1750 8C
50
9.7
3.3
27.1
Temperature
Coke 1
Coke 2
3.0
8.1
Coke 3
2.5
6.7
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Degrees of
freedom
Critical t
p-Value
Statistically
significant
70
3.790
1.994
0.000
Yes
67
5.043
1.996
0.000
Yes
97
2.019
1.985
0.046
Yes
84
5.648
1.989
0.000
Yes
91
4.328
1.986
0.000
Yes
87
1.443
1.988
0.153
No
68
3.955
1.995
0.000
Yes
70
3.394
1.994
0.001
Yes
97
0.872
1.985
0.386
No
Temperature
Coke 1
Coke 2
Coke 3
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Figure 2. General stressstrain curve types (AF) observed during the compressive strength tests for coke (see text for further details).
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Type A
[%]
Type B
[%]
Type C
[%]
Type D
[%]
Type E
[%]
22.0
14.0
Type F
[%]
Room temperature
Coke 1
76.0
24.0
Coke 2
88.0
12.0
Coke 3
72.0
28.0
1600 8C
Coke 1
2.0
Coke 2
Coke 3
40.0
22.0
15.0
18.0
67.5
17.5
46.0
16.0
16.0
4.0
1750 8C
Coke 1
42.0
18.0
4.0
30.0
6.0
Coke 2
4.0
10.0
4.0
62.0
20.0
56.0
12.0
22.0
6.0
Coke 3
4.0
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Grade
1600 8C
[%]
1750 8C
[%]
Coke 1
7.2
10.1
Coke 2
4.9
7.6
Coke 3
6.2
8.7
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Mean
strength
[MPa]
Standard
deviation
[MPa]
Strain
[%]
Youngs
modulus
[MPa]
Non-graphitized
23.75
8.09
3.0
1337.1
15.32
5.42
3.1
724.3
Change in
strength
[%]
35.5%
Table 7. Compressive strength values of coke 2 before and after heat treatment at 1750 8C.
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Lc A
0:9l
B cos uB
1
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Figure 5. Shapes of the 002 peaks from the XRD spectra of the
studied coke grades. The background intensities of each curve are
scaled for clearer recognition of the shapes.
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Coke 2
[A ]
Coke 3
[A ]
Untreated
21.8
20.0
16.9
1600 8C
59.8
62.5
62.8
1750 8C
93.2
81.9
88.9
Porosity
[%]
Inerts
[%]
Reactive
texture
[%]
Coke 1
49.0
17.4
33.6
Coke 2
46.0
17.6
36.5
Coke 3
48.1
16.8
35.2
4. Conclusions
The compressive hot strength of three industrially
produced coke grades was analyzed by testing 50 coke
samples at room temperature, 1600 and 1750 8C. Statistical
reliability of the obtained strength results was analyzed.
The strength testing was performed with a Gleeble 3800
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Coke 1
[A ]
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Pore edge
length [mm]
Number of pores
Coke 1
Coke 2
Coke 3
Coke 1
Coke 2
Coke 3
0.200.41
51.52
65.12
72.08
0.97
0.97
0.98
0.410.82
22.44
30.12
32.44
0.85
0.84
0.86
0.821.22
6.20
8.12
7.24
0.72
0.73
0.73
1.221.63
3.39
3.72
4.32
0.67
0.66
0.66
1.63
5.64
6.12
5.56
0.55
0.54
0.55
Table 10. Pore size distribution and pore shape factors obtained by image analysis.
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Acknowledgments
This research is a part of the Energy Efficiency & Lifecycle
Efficient Metal Processes (ELEMET) research program
coordinated by the Finnish Metals and Engineering
Competence Cluster (FIMECC). The Finnish Funding
Agency for Technology and Innovation (TEKES) is
acknowledged for funding this work. The authors would
also like to thank Mr. Tommi Kokkonen for assisting with
sample preparation and experimental work.
Received: December 4, 2013;
Published online: April 28, 2014
Keywords: blast furnace; coke; high temperature;
strength; Gleeble
References
[1] V. Vasilev, Coke Chem. 2012, 55, 423.
[2] H. Haraguchi, T. Nishi, Y. Miura, M. Ushikubo,
T. Noda, Tetsu to Hagane 1985, 25, 190.
[3] J. Patrick, H. Wilkinson, Proc. of the 42nd Ironmaking
Conf., Atlanta, GA, USA 1983, p. 333.
[4] Y. Okuyama, T. Isoo, K. Matsubara, Fuel 1985, 64,
475.
[5] M. Grant, A. Chaklader, J. Price, Fuel 1991, 70, 181.
[6] M. Holowaty, C. Squarcy, JOM 1957, 4, 577.
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