Petroleum Coke

Petroleum Coke

Petroleum coke is a solid byproduct of oil refinery processing. It is used to produce carbon electrodes for the aluminum industry, graphite electrodes for steel production, and as fuel in power plants (Table 5.7). As an alternative to fossil fuels, petroleum coke can be burned alone or blended with coal to form a combined cycle gas turbine fuel and burned in a conventional steam-cycle power plant. The blend is called “coke-blended coal” or “PC coke.”

Fuel grade petcoke, typically referred to as coke-derived fuel (CDF), has a volatile matter content of up to 14% and calorific value of 5 g/kg higher than that of pulverized coal. The higher calorific value makes it an attractive substitute for fossil fuels such as coal in electric generating units, particularly those that use a cyclone furnace. Fuel grade petcoke can also be used in industrial boilers to generate steam for various manufacturing processes.

The main production techniques for petroleum coke are delayed and fluid coking. During the delayed coking process, residual components of crude oil are heated to approximately 480oC to 500oC in a coke drum for thermal cracking reactions. During this reaction, the hydrocarbons in the crude oil are cracked to produce fuel oil, gasoline, and gaseous byproducts such as butane and propane. Fluid coking involves heating the coke to a higher temperature range and utilizing a continuous, fluidized bed system to maintain coke formation.

In addition to its high calorific value, petroleum coke is a source of useful byproducts such as sludge and alumina. It is also a good raw material for the production of graphite, which is mainly used as an abrasive in metallurgy and as a lubricant.

Testing petcoke is important to ensure quality and the safety of its use. The most commonly used test is the ASTM D-4285, which measures the coke’s physical properties and volatile matter content. Testing petcoke can help manufacturers ensure optimal results for their particular process, including reducing moisture content, ash, and impurity levels in the finished product.

In addition to its high calorific value, calcined petroleum coke is an excellent source of bauxite ore, which is then reshaped into anodes for the aluminium industry. It is also an important abrasive and flux for cement kilns. It can reduce the cost of producing cement by replacing more expensive raw materials such as limestone and sand. Mercury concentrations in petroleum coke are significantly lower than those of crude oil because of the thermal processes that occur during petroleum refining. This fact makes petroleum coke an important raw material for the production of sodium silicate glass, which has applications in manufacturing industries such as paper, brick, and steel. The low mercury content of petcoke is important for preventing corrosion in these manufacturing industries. A new annealing process that increases the electrical conductivity of petroleum coke has recently been developed. This technology has the potential to transform the energy sector by converting slurry or sludge oil-derived coke streams away from high-emission uses.

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