Design and Validation of a Laboratory-Scale System for Investigating Coking Byproducts

Area of Science:

• Metallurgical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Metallurgical coke production byproducts are crucial for integrated steel mill economics.
• Understanding and optimizing these yields is essential for industrial efficiency and profitability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, construct, and validate a laboratory-scale system for investigating coke, coal tar, and coke oven gas (COG) yields.
• To compare laboratory-derived product yields and COG composition with industrial data using identical coking blends.

Main Methods:

• A laboratory apparatus was designed, featuring a coking retort and cracking column, based on existing literature.
• The coking process was conducted at 1000 °C with a 3 °C/min heating rate.
• Optimal cracking conditions were determined to be 800 °C and 30 min residence time for accurate industrial replication.

Main Results:

• Laboratory coke yields showed a minor 1.6% deviation from industrial values; coal tar yields were equivalent.
• Average volumetric yields of coke oven gas (COG) were 341 Nm³/t, closely matching the industrial 315 Nm³/t.
• Key COG components, methane and hydrogen, showed concentration differences under 5%, with high repeatability (99.7–100.2% mass balance).

Conclusions:

• The developed laboratory system effectively replicates industrial coking conditions and product yields.
• This validated methodology provides a reliable foundation for future research into factors influencing coking product yields and quality.