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JOURNAL OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCES
ISSN 1001-0742
CN 11-2629/X
Journal of Environmental Sciences 2013, 25(Suppl.) S205–S209 www.jesc.ac.cn

Effect of bulk density of coking coal on swelling pressure

Jinfeng Bai1, ∗, Chunwang Yang1 , Zhenning Zhao1 , Xiangyun Zhong1 ,
Yaru Zhang1 , Jun Xu1 , Bai Xi1 , Hongchun Liu2

1. Key Laboratory of Advanced Coal & Coking Technology, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan 114051, China.
2. ACRE Coking & Refractory Engineering Consulting Corporation, MCC, Anshan 104002, China

Abstract
Coking coals are the important raw materials for the iron and steel industries and play an important role on its sustainable development,
especially on the stamp-charging coke making with the characteristics of increasing the bulk density. There is a significance on the
reasonable usage of the coking coal resource with the reduced production cost, improved efficiency of the economy to develop the
stamp-charging coke making technology. Important effects of the density of coking coal on the coking and caking properties were
investigated. In the article, the maximum values of swelling pressure and variation of Laowan gas coal and Xinjian 1/3 coking coal,
Longhu fat coal and Didao coking coal, which were mined at Shenyang and Qitaihe respectively, were investigated under different bulk
densities during the coking. The results showed that when the values of density increased from 0.85 ton/m3 to 1.05 ton/m3 , for the
Laowan gas coal, swelling pressure variation and even the maximum value changed slightly. The swelling pressure was 3.63 KPa when
the density was improved to 1.05 ton/m3 ; for the Xinjian 1/3 coking coal, the values of swelling pressure changed significantly and the
maximum values was 82.88 KPa with the density improved to 1.05 when the coal was heated to 600°C. The coke porosity, which was
investigated by automatic microphotometer, decreased from 47.4% to 33.1% with the increasing of the density from 0.85 ton/m3 to 1.05
ton/m3 , and the decreased value was 14.3%. Meanwhile, the pore structures of four cokes were characterized by an optical microscope.
Key words: coking coal; bulk density; swelling pressure

Introduction coke oven wall and extend coke oven life. Recently, scien-
tist investigated the swelling properties of different coking
Iron and steel industry is the pillar industry of China’s coal by small coking reactor; they found that swelling
economic development, which has become a significant pressure of the feed coal related to the plastic layer in
signal of the national industrial growth. For the current pyrolysis process and the resistance to the exhalation gas,
level of development, there are many problems in the and the permeability of the material, which was located
industry including high resource consumption, high energy away from the wall of the coke oven and near the feeding
sources and high pollution, etc. So far coke is still the coal, was poor (Barriocanal et al., 1998a, 1998b). Others
main raw material in the blast furnace operation, and studied the pressure characteristics of coking coals in both
according to the economic factors this phenomenon will box charging and top charging methods and they found
be continued for a long time. In order to reasonable use that when high volatile coking coal, semianthracite and
the coal resource, reduce the cost of production and realize coke powder was added to low volatile coal respectively,
the sustainable development of the coal resources, it is the permeability of the exhalation gas in the plastic body
of practical significance to actively carry out the stamp- became higher, and the swelling pressure of the feeding
charging coke making technology with the characteristics coal became lower, and the decrease of swelling pressure
of increasing the bulk density. Now, the production of causing by adding semianthracite was bigger than that of
coking coal from stamp-charging coke is more than eighty high volatile coking coal (Mahoney et al., 2010; Nomura et
million tons (Zhong, 2011). Coke production in China al., 2010). Fu et al. (2007) investigated the morphological
accounts for 60% in the world’s total output, and China structure change of feeding coal in pyrolysis process by
now is becoming the biggest factory and trading center of using Shanxi coal. The scientists mentioned above have
coking coal for the world. The study of the effects of bulk devoted a lot of efforts to study the expansion character
density on the swelling properties in the coking process is of the coking coal in the coking process, and obtained
significant to effectively improve the coke quality, protect many meaningful experimental results. However, the study
of the effects of stamp charged coking, which can improve
* Corresponding author. E-mail: Jinfengbai@tom.com
S206 Journal of Environmental Sciences 2013, 25(Suppl.) S205–S209 / Jinfeng Bai et al. Vol. 25

bulk density of coking coal, on the swelling pressure of the Pressure Pressure and temperature
sensor Control system
feeding coal is rarely reported. In this work, the swelling
pressure of Laowan gas coal and Xinjian 1/3 coking coal,
Longhu fat coal and Didao coking coal, which were mined
at Shenyang and Qitaihe respectively, were investigated, Thermocouple
this work has very important practical significance for un-
derstanding of the swelling pressure of coking coal mined Heating
device
in Northeast of China, expanding coking coal resources for
stamp charged coking and optimizing suitable coking coal
resources. Meanwhile, the pore structures of four cokes
were characterized by an optical microscope.

1 Experimental
Fig. 1 Coking pressure test apparatus.
1.1 Coal samples
2 Results and discussion
Four feed coals used in the experiment were gas coal of
Laowan of Fushun of Liaoning, 1/3 coking coal of Xinjian
2.1 Effect of bulk density of coking coal on swelling
and Fat coal of Longhu of Qitaihe of Heilongjiang and
pressure
coking coal of Didao coal of Jixi of Heilongjiang. As
determining the swelling pressure during the coking, the The swelling pressure was investigated using three bulk
feed coal needs to break less than 1.5 mm. The results density values for: gas coal of Laowan 0.8 ton/m3 , 1/3
of Proximate analysis, caking index, Plastic layer indices, coking coal of Xinjian 0.95 ton/m3 , Fat coal of Longhu
Dilatometry Audibert-arnu, mean maximum vitrininte re- and coking coal of Didao 1.05 ton/m3 . As can be seen
flectance for the coals used in this study are shown in Table from Fig. 2, there were large difference of influence of
1. density on density of coking coal among the different rank
coal. The swelling pressure of Laowan gas coal could not
1.2 Experimental apparatus
be determined during coking with bulk density of 0.70
Figure 1 shows the schematic of the one-way heating test ton/m3 , and the swelling pressure was with bulk density
coke oven used in the experiment. The loading vessel is a of 1.05 ton/m3 at the range of 450°C–500°C. As seen from
metallic-cup of 60 mm inner diameter and 110 mm high Table 1, the Laowan gas coal had a low caking index value,
and the sample mass was approximately 100 g. Moisture which made the swelling pressure change slightly.
content of coal is controlled within 10%. The pressure In the heating range of 500°C–600°C, the swelling
sensor is set up on the top of the coal sample to study pressure of 1/3 coking coal of Xinjian reached the max-
the change of the swelling pressure of coking coal during imum value. The swelling pressure values rose from 6.4
the coking. The temperature of oven and the swelling to 82.9 KPa with the bulk density values of 0.70 to 1.05
pressure of coking coal during the coking process are ton/m3 . Moreover, the swelling pressure of Xinjian coal
controlled by computer. In the experiment, the heating rate with bulk density of 1.05 ton/m3 increased by a factor of
was 8°C/min up to 250°C, therefore the heating rate is 13 comparing with that of coal with bulk density of 0.70
3°C/min and heating was stopped at 730°C. The caking ton/m3 . For the fat coal of Longhu, the swelling pressure
index and the Arnu dilatation indices are determined by increased by 214.3 kpa from the 384.6 to 598.9 KPa with
caking index drum and Arnu dilatation meter respective- the bulk density variety of 0.70 to 1.05 ton/m3 .
ly. The mean max reflectance of vitrinite and the coke By analyzing the influence of bulk density on the
pore structure parameters are all determined by the Leitz swelling pressure, the values exhibit that, for Laowan
polarizing microscope with the type of ORTHOLUX-II- gas coal with the characteristic of weakly caking index,
POL-BK produced in Germany and the HD automatic the swelling pressure has been influenced slightly by
micro photometer. increasing the bulk density; for the Xinjian 1/3 coking
coal with the characteristics of strongly caking index, the
1.3 Characteristics of the coal and coke samples
swelling pressure has the largest volatility, especially at
The coal and coke simples test methods for proximate the bulk density of 0.95 ton/m3 , the swelling pressure
analysis, Caking Index, plastometric Indices, Arnu Dilata- increased up to the 11.8 kPa, but the volatility of swelling
tion, the vitrinite reflectance of the coal and the coke pore pressure decreased to a certain degree when the bulk
structure parameters were in accordance with the current density increased up to 1.05 ton/m3 and the temperature
Chinese Standard Methods. of the oven is over 450°C, the values exhibit that the gas,
Suppl. Effect of bulk density of coking coal on swelling pressure S207

Table 1 Properties of the coal samples

Coal samples Proximate analysis G value Plastic layer indices Dilatometry audibert-arnu Mean maximum
vitrinitereflectance
Mad (%) Ad (%) Vdaf (%) Y (mm) X (mm) b (%) a (%) R̄max (%)
Laowan gas coal 3.54 – 40.42 75 7.1 29.3 – 43.8 0.564
Xinjian 1/3 coking coal 1.13 9.35 30.87 90 15.1 23.8 92.8 29.5 0.963
Longhu fat coal 1.16 9.06 28.18 97 20.6 4.3 163.75 32.3 1.165
Didao coking coal 0.83 10.39 25.68 82 16.5 12.3 45.9 26.4 1.327
Experimental coke is derived from geometric center of the coke block.

40 140
1 0.85 ton/m3 a 1 0.70 ton/m3 b
2 0.95 ton/m3 120 2 0.85 ton/m3
Swelling pressure (kPa)

3 1.05 ton/m3

Swelling pressure (kPa)

30 3 0.95 ton/m3
100 4 1.05 ton/m3

80 4
20
60
3
10 40
3 2 20 2
1 1
0 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Temperature (°C) Temperature (°C)
650 140
4 1 0.70 ton/m3
600 1 0.70 ton/m3 c d
550 2 0.85 ton/m3 120 2 0.85 ton/m3
Swelling pressure (kPa)

500 3 0.95 ton/m3 3 3 0.95 ton/m3 4

Swelling pressure (kPa)

450 4 1.05 ton/m3 100 4 1.05 ton/m3

400 2 3
80
350
300 1
250 60
200
40
150
100 2
20
50 1
0 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
300 400 500 600 700 800 0 100 200
Temperature (°C) Temperature (㷄)
Fig. 2 Swelling curve of different bulk density on Laowan gas coal (a), Xinjian 1/3 coking coal (b), Longhu fat coal (c), Didao coking coal (d).

Table 2 Porosity of coke at different coal buck density

liquid and solid three-phases of 1/3 coking coal effect more
fully at high bulk density, which benefit to increase the Coal sample 0.85 (ton/m3 ) 0.95 (ton/m3 ) 1.05 (ton/m3 )
pore wall thickness of coke and decreased the porosity
Xinjian 1/3coking coal 63.4% 53.1% 41.5%
of coke. The volatility of the swelling pressure of Didao Longhu fat coal 46.0% 35.1% 20.4%
coking coal is lager than that of Longhu fat coal with the Didao coking coal 58.3% 50.6% 32.5%
increasing of the oven temperature, but the volatilities of Experimental coke is derived from geometric center of the coke block.
the two coals are lower than that of Xinjian 1/3 coking coal.
The volatility of Longhu fat coal is the smallest among the pressure appeared in the range of 550°C–650°C and the
four coals, but it change more frequently than that all the swelling pressure increased from the 8.8 KPa to 107.6 KPa
others, which benefits to form the compact coke structure. with the bulk density variety of 0.70 ton/m3 to 1.05 ton/m3 ,
The fat coal of Longhu had the stronger caking property 98.7 KPa increased.
due to a large G value and b value, 97 and 163.8% These studies determined the swelling process were
respectively. Much plastic mass could be produced from determined to be: Longhu > Didao > Xinjian > Laowan.
the coal during pyrolysing and coal the coal particles had It is thus clear that the Longhu fat coal had the biggest
good meltbility. influence on the oven wall of all the coal studied, which
For the Didao coking coal, the maximum value of can be explained by the G value and b value (shown
S208 Journal of Environmental Sciences 2013, 25(Suppl.) S205–S209 / Jinfeng Bai et al. Vol. 25

700 being the coke fines, in this experiment Xinjian 1/3 coking
0.7 ton/m3 coal, Longhu fat coal and Didao coking coal were used
600 0.85 ton/m3 to investigate the porosity change of coke. As can be seen
0.95 ton/m3 from Table 2, the densities of the cokes were 0.85, 0.95
Swelling pressure (%)

500
1.05 ton/m3
and 1.05 ton/m3 respectively in this experiment. From
400 Table 2, the porosity of coke of Xinjian 1/3 coking coal,
Longhu fat coal and Didao coking coal decreased with the
300
increasing bulk density. When the bulk densities of coals
200
were increased from 0.85 to 1.05 ton/m3 , the porosity of
Xingjian coke decreased from 63.4% to 41.5%, reduced by
100 21.9%; the porosity of Longhu coke decreased from 46.0%
to 20.4%, reduced by 25.6%; and the porosity of Didao
0
0.80.4 0.6
1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 coke decreased from 58.37% to 32.5%, reduced by 25.8%.
Vitrinite mean maximum reflectance (%) The study established that the increasing bulk density had
Fig. 3 Swelling pressure curve of different bulk density on vitrinite mean significant effect on the pore structure of coke.
maximum reflectance The study established that the changes of pore wall
thickness of coke were greater than those of pore diameter
distribution. The proportions of different pore wall thick-
in Table 1). Figure 3 shows the results of combining ness were studied using four bulk density values for: 0.7
the maximum swelling pressure and the mean maximum ton/m3 , 0.85 ton/m3 , 0.95 ton/m3 , and 1.05 ton/m3 . The
vitrininte reflectance (R̄max ) value. When the R̄max value pore wall thicknesses were divided to two stages: ≤ 120
obtains 1.2%, the highest coking pressure is obtained. Fat µm and > 120–480 µm. As can be seen from Table 3,
coal provides a R̄max value of less than 1.2%, whereas when the bulk density was increased from 0.7 to 1.05
coking coal provides a R̄max value of greater than 1.2%. ton/m3 , the amount of Xinjian coke with the pore wall
From the results of this study, we can see that high swelling thickness of less than 120 µm was reduced by 23.4% and
pressure can be obtained from fat coal. Additionally, fat those of between 120 µm and 480 µm was increased 18.8%
coal can also increase the caking index and also improve and added about two times. The amount of Longhul coke
the interaction between gas, liquid and solid phases in the with the pore wall thickness of less than 120 µm was
parolysis system. reduced 49.9% and those of between 120 µm and 480
2.2 Effect of bulk density of coking coal on the porosity µm was increased 18.4%, the amount of Didao coke with
of coke the pore wall thickness of less than 120 µm was reduced
12.1% and those of between 120 µm and 480 µm was
The quality of pore structure and wall thickness signif- increased 10.2%. The study established that the increasing
icantly influences the physical and chemical properties bulk density of coal could decrease the amount of coke of
of coke. There are significant differences in coke pore thickness less than 120 µm, especially for the fat coal and
structure due to the differences in melting properties of the 1/3 coking coal; and the amount of coke of thickness
the active components during pyrolysis, gas release and of 120–480 µm increased sharply, except for coking coal.
the char contraction. But the increase of bulk density
and swelling pressure were beneficial to improve the 3 Conclusions
pore structure of coke. The porosities and the pore wall
thickness of cokes of gas coal of Laowan, 1/3 coking coal The result of these studies indicated that there are greater
of Xinjian, Fat coal of Longhu, coking coal of Didao coal different effects of bulk density of coal on the swelling
were investigated under different bulk density. Results can pressure of different rank coals. The influence on the bulk
be seen from Table 2. density of 1/3 coking coal is the largest among the four
As the caking index of Laowan gas coal was bad. It kinds of coal tested followed by the coking coal and the
could not be the whole coke as coking alone and only

Table 3 Pore wall thickness of coke block at different coal buck desity

Buck density Xinjian 1/3 coking coal Longhu fet coal Didao coking coal
(ton/m3 ) ≤ 120 µm (%) >120–480 µm (%) ≤ 120 µm (%) > 120–480 µm (%) ≤ 120 µm (%) > 120–480 µm (%)
0.7 89.9 10.3 88.3 12.0 77.6 21.8
0.85 88.5 12.0 69.5 28.1 74.1 22.8
0.95 84.1 15.5 50.3 38.4 76.3 21.2
1.05 66.5 19.1 38.4 30.4 65.5 32.0
Suppl. Effect of bulk density of coking coal on swelling pressure S209

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