OPTIMUM CARBONIZATION CONDITIONS NEEDED TO FORM NEEDLE COKE.

The optimum conditions of pressure and temperature necessary to produce needle coke from various feedstock have been determined by laboratory studies. These optimum conditions vary with the characteristics, particularly the reactivity, of the feedstock used. Studies were conducted on lumps of needle coke produced in a tube bomb, using various feedstocks. To determine the optimum conditions for the formation of needle coke, different feedstocks were subjected to varying carboniztion pressure, temperatures, and heating rates. From the studies, the principles involved in optimizing carbonization conditions were revealed. It was found that each feedstock has an optimum carbonization temperature and pressure that leads to formation of high-quality needle coke. It was also found that feedstock reactivity, and its relationship to gas evolution, influences the optimum carbonization conditions.