Microstructural Evolution of Blast Furnace Coke During Experimental Heating —The IFORS ApproachDie mikrostrukturelle Entwicklung von Hochofenkoks in einem vertikalen Retortenofen – der IFORS-Ansatz

Blast furnace coke has been experimentally heated between 850 °C and 1100 °C by varying the gas composition and the alkali content of the raw coke. Raman spectroscopy and “Iterative Fitting of Raman Spectra” (IFORS) evaluates the microstructural change of coke during the experiments. The obtained results indicate a significant microstructural variation within a bulk sample. This variation controls significantly the coke quality as estimated from standard experiments (23.9 < CRI > 38.3). A bulk sample with a CRI value <30 is composed dominantly of lumps showing a relatively low structural ordering. During experimental heating, the structural ordering of such lumps increases. A bulk sample with a CRI value >30 is composed dominantly of lumps showing a relatively high structural ordering. During experimental heating, the structural state of such lumps remains unchanged unless a strong reaction is induced by adding alkaline elements. It is supposed that, under laboratory conditions, thermal and chemical energy, affecting a microstructurally low-ordered coke, first reorganizes the structural state of the individual coke lumps, retarding the onset of the Boudouard reaction.