Development of a metallurgical coke analogue to Investigate the effects of coke mineralogy on coke reactivity

In this study the suitability of a laboratory analogue for coke for studying the effects of minerals on the reactivity of coke was evaluated. In addition to this, the effects of different physical properties and production conditions on the reactivity of the coke analogue were also tested. The coke analogue was used for control testing of specific mineral, and to some degree maceral, effects on reactivity. Such information would improve our fundamental understanding of coke reactivity behaviour and could be used to develop more accurate predictive models of coke strength after reaction (CSR) or associated indices and coke properties. The effect on reactivity of the addition of different simple minerals to the coke analogue was evaluated by conducting pseudo-coke reactivity index (CRI) tests. It was found that the addition of minerals to the coke analogue had an effect on its reactivity. While the addition of minerals also affected physical properties such as porosity, it was found that the minerals themselves played a role in determining the reactivity of the coke analogue. The principal conclusion of this study though is that the coke analogue has been identified as having potential to be a suitable tool for studying the effects of mineralogy on coke reactivity in a CSR/CRI like test.