Structural Analysis by X-ray Diffraction and Optical Microscopy of Calcined Petroleum Coke for the Manufacture of Electrodes for the Iron and Steel Industry.

Two laboratory methods of characterizing petroleum coke used in the manufacture of electrodes for the iron and steel industry are described. They are, respectively, the X-ray diffraction method for determining the crystal structure parameters, which can be used to calculate the degree of graphitization of the material, and the optical microscopy method for analyzing the types of microstructure observed on a polished section of coke. With the aid of these two methods qualitative and quantitative data can be obtained concerning the degree of anisotropy of the petroleum coke, i. e. , the similarity of its structure to that of graphite.