Method for converting coal to coke

Abstract

A coking method comprises in combination, the steps of providing a quantity of coals, providing a quantity of chemical change agents selected from the class of chemical change agents including: (i) acrylic latex, (ii) styrene-butadiene polymers, and (iii) natural and synthetic polymers, blending said chemical change agent with water in a ratio of about 40:60 to 60:40, spraying the provided quantity of lower quality coal with the blended water and chemical change agent in a ratio of about one ton of coal plus or minus ten percent to about four gallons of blended water and chemical change agent plus or minus ten percent, baking the coated coal in a reducing, heated, oxygen-free environment, including a heating element, at a temperature of about 1700 degrees Fahrenheit, cooling the resultant higher cold strength baked product by exposing said product to a water quench or cooling said product in a dry quench box.

1 . A coking method for increasing the cold strength (referred to as stability) of coke made from lower quality coals and reducing the period of time, energy, and cost necessary for converting a plurality of stockpiled coal to a coke product by driving off the volatile matter contained in the coal resultant coke product, a clean burning fuel used primarily in steel-making blast furnaces and other industrial applications, by driving off the volatile matter contained in the coals, comprising in combination, the steps of:
 a. providing a quantity of coal selected from the class of coals including (i) granulated lower quality metallurgical coals, (ii) pulverized lower quality metallurgical coals, and (iii) non-metallurgical coals,   b. providing a quantity of chemical change agents selected from the class of chemical change agents including: (i) acrylic latex, (ii) styrene-butadiene polymers, and (iii) natural and synthetic polymers,   c. blending said chemical change agent with water in a ratio of about 40:60 to 60:40;   d. spraying the provided quantity of coal with the blended water and chemical change agent in a ratio of about one ton of coal plus or minus ten percent to about four gallons of blended water and chemical change agent plus or minus ten percent,   e. baking the coated coal in a reducing, heated, oxygen-free environment, including a heating element, at a temperature of about 1700 degrees Fahrenheit,   f. cooling the resultant baked product by exposing said product to a water quench or cooling said product in a dry quench box.   
   
   
       2 . The coking method of  claim 1  wherein said water and chemical change agent are blended in a ratio of about 50:50. 
   
   
       3 . The coking method of  claim 1 , wherein said blended water and chemical change agent are coated upon said coal by spraying. 
   
   
       4 . The coking method of  claim 1  wherein said blended water and chemical change agent is coated upon said coal by introducing the additive into a coal blending or sizing device. 
   
   
       5 . A higher cold strength coked product produced in accordance with  claim 1 .