Preheating and Pipeline Charging of High Illinois Coal Blends for Byproduct Coking

A full-scale operational test was conducted on the Coaltek preheating and pipeline charging system at the Semet-Solvay Div. of Allied Chemical at Ironton, Ohio, for the purpose of determining whether a high-quality blast furnace coke could be made from blends containing at least 75% Illinois No. 6 Coal and at the same time reduce air pollution during the charging of the ovens. The coke produced had similar physical characteristics as compared to our conventional wet-charged coke, with the exception of smaller size for the preheat coke. Air pollution during charging was con- trolled and there were no serious operating problems. The coking time was reduced 25% from our normal 17 hr for wet charging to 12.8 hr for preheated charges. The blast furnace performance with preheat coke was satisfactory.