Introduction
Coking is an important process in the chemical industry, and is a common method for producing coal products. Coking industry is an important part of metallurgical and chemical industry. Coking plants produce coke and coke-related products. The process of coking is called coking process, which is an industrial process of heating coal in the absence of air and then cooling it to produce a solid fuel with certain properties.
Process Description
The coking process is also known as dry distillation, coal coking, or cokeration. The basic steps in coking process are:
1. Preheating: The raw coal is preheated in a coke oven to a temperature of 700 to 1000℃ with the help of hot air. This is to drive off the volatile content from coal and reduce the mass of coal.
2. Coking: The preheated coal is then charged into a coking chamber (or oven) and is exposed to a temperature of about 800 to 1000℃. This allows the coal to break down into coke and other complex hydrocarbons.
3. Cooling: The hot coke is then cooled down by releasing it into cooling channels filled with water at about 0℃. The cooling channels allows the hot coke to quickly cool down to a temperature of about 50 to 150℃.
4. Quenching: The cooled coke is then quenched with water or steam to prevent re-ignition by cooling down its temperature.
5. Crushing: The cooled coke is then crushed and then stored for further use.
Equipment
The coking process requires a number of equipment and machinery such as coke ovens, crushers, dryers, separators, retorts and kilns.
1. Coke Ovens: Coke ovens are the most important equipment used in coking plants. They are used to preheat the coal, to cook it and then to quench it. The ovens can be of different sizes and structures depending upon the requirements.
2. Crushers: Crushers are used to break down the coke into its fine particles. This makes it easier to store the coke and facilitates its transportation.
3. Dryers: Dryers are used to dry the coal and coke after the coking process. This helps to reduce the moisture content of the coal.
4. Separators: Separators are used to separate non-coking compounds from the coking compounds which are the desired products.
5. Retorts: Retorts are used to capture the volatile gases produced during the coking process.
6. Kilns: Kilns are used to heat the coal in the absence of air. The coal is exposed to a temperature of about 800 to 1000℃. This is done to convert the coal into coke.
Conclusion
Coking is an important process in the chemical industry and is widely used to produce various coal products. It requires a number of equipment and machinery such as coke ovens, crushers, dryers, separators, retorts, and kilns. The coking process involves preheating, coking, cooling, quenching and crushing of coal to produce the desired coking products.
