A Review on Stamped Charging of Coals

Jorge Madias
Mariano de Cordova
metallon, San Nicolas, Argentina

Content

Introduction
Equipment and Operation
Blend Design and Coke Quality
Recent Research
Conclusions

Introduction

Drivers for this review

Start-up of a pilot coke oven
with stamped charging facility at
a steel plant in Peru, with
unexpected results
Dramatic expansion of stamped
charging capacity in China:
more than 100 Mtpa of installed
capacity (Dr. Q. Meng, ICSTI
2012)

Introduction

PCI calls for higher coke quality

Coking coal price volatility calls for use of
poorly coking coals
One of the answers has been stamped
charging
Introducing the coal blend previously ground
within a steel box, as successive layers that are
rammed mechanically
The higher the density, the higher the coke
quality (mostly for high volatile blends)

Introduction

Developed in Silesia
and Poland in the
early XX century
Extended to East
and West Europe
Germany
France
UK
Czech Republic
Ukraine

Introduction

1978 First 6 m high cake,

after long R&D effort
(Feuerfesten Coke Plant,
Germany)
1984 First 6 m high coke
stamp charged batteries
(ZKS, Vlklingen) by Didier
and Saarberg Interplan
1989 Battery #7 in Tata Steel
1995-2013 Expansion in
China and India

Introduction

Some coke plants with stamped charging

Company
ZKS

Location
Vlklingen

Country
Germany

Mta
1.3

ISD Alchevsk Coking Plant

Shanxi Changzhi
Shanxi Zhonghua
Zhongmei Jingda
Jincheng Qinhe
Shanxi Sanjia
Shanxi Luxin Energy Group
Xinjiang International
Jiangsu Zhuxi Activated C.
Shanxi Fenyang Longquan
Hunan Loudi Xinxing
Qingdao Steel
Taiyuan Gangyuan
Xinggao Coking Group

Alchevsk
Changzhi
Dali Village
Huian
Qinhe
Jiexiu City
Shanxi Prov.
Urumqi
Liyang City
Fenyang C.
Loudi
Qingdao
Donggaobai
Gaoping

Ukraine
China
China
China
China
China
China
China
China
China
China
China
China
China

2.0
1.5
1.2

0.75
0.4
0.6
0.6
0.4
1.0

Tata Steel
Sesa Goa
Bla Coke
JSW Steel
JSW Steel
JSL
JSPL
SISCOL
Lanco Ind. Ltd.
Hoogly Met Coke & Power
TK-CSA

Jamshedpur
Amona
Arambhada
Bellary
Bellary

India
India
India
India
India
India
India
India
India
India
Brazil

2.0
0.28
0.25
1.2
1.5
0.42
0.8
0.4
012
1.6
2.0

Raigahr
Tamil Nadu
Rachagunneri
Haldia
Santa Cruz

Year
2010 (#3)
2012 (#1)
1993/2006

1995
2000
2008
1989/2000

2008
2008-2013
2007
2005
2010

Builder
Paul Wurth-Saarberg

Oven type
Conventional

Azovintex-VeCon
MEPC
SPDCI
SPDCI
SPDCI
SPDCI
SPDCI
SPDCI
SPCDI
SPCDI
SPCDI
Saarberg
SPCDI
SPCDI
FLSmidth Koch

Conventional
Conventional
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Conventional
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Conventional
Conventional
Non-recovery
Non-recovery
Heat-recovery
Conventional
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery

Sesa Goa
Bla-VeCon
Sesa Goa-VeCon
Sinosteel
Sinosteel
Sinosteel
Sinosteel
Dasgupta-MEPC
MEPC
Sinosteel

Equipment & Operation

Stamping equipment
Location
Stationary (i.e. in a building below the coal tower)
In a stamping/charging/pushing machine

Densification
Ramming (several layers)
Vibration (as a complement, for horizontal ovens)

Cake properties
Densification
Mechanical properties

Equipment & Operation

Vertical stamping

Equipment & Operation

Horizontal stamping

Equipment & Operation

Cake preparation
Densification
Required by the coking process, for coke quality
Influenced by
Moisture
Grain size
Coal properties
Stamping energy

Mechanical properties
Required to handle cake (critical for vertical ovens)
Compressive strength, shear strength
Favored by densification (and additives)

Equipment & Operation

Influence of moisture on cake density

Equipment & Operation

Influence of stamping energy on cake density

Equipment & Operation

Influence of moisture
and stamping energy
on compressive and
shear strength

Equipment & Operation

Charging slot ovens

Equipment & Operation

Charging heat-recovery oven

Equipment & Operation

Wall pressure issues

Equipment & Operation

Wall pressure issues

ZKS
Didier batteries 1 & 2
started up in 1984,
6.25 m high
Battery 3 built by Paul
Wurth in 2010
Battery 1 demolished
and rebuilt in 2012
Battery 2 said to be
shut down in 2012

So, battery live was

28 years

Equipment & Operation

Wall pressure issues

Tata Steel
Jamshedpur
Oldest stamp charged
battery #7, built in
1989
Failures started in
2005
After long continuous
improvement work, all
ovens came back by
2010

Equipment & Operation

These examples suggests that with the

technology used for 6 m high stamp charged
batteries in the mid 80s, working life should
be around 30 years
This is less than what is expected for top
charged batteries (40-50 years)
But it is the same that for non-recovery/heat
recovery ovens, with or without stamped
charging

Blend Design & Coke Quality

ZKS blend
Content (%)
Volatile matter (%)
Dilatation (%)
FSI
Ash (%)
Sulphur (%)
Mean reflectivity

Local coal
72
38.6
100
8
6
0.72
0.89

Ruhr coal
5
17.3
-18
3
7
0.80
-

Imported coal
8
19.1
34
9
10
0.80
1.4

Pet coke
12
11.8
1
0.85-1.70
-

Blend
100*
31-32
10
6
1.14

Blend Design & Coke Quality

Tata Steel
Main blend component: West Bokaro
Volatile matter (%)

26.7

Ash (%)

17.5

FSI

Maximum fluidity (ddpm)

3900

Vitrinite reflectance

0.97

Complemented with hard and semi soft

Australian coals

Blend Design & Coke Quality

Tata Steel
Blend cost comparison

Blend Design & Coke Quality

Coke Quality (JSW Steel)

Coking coal (%)
Semi soft coal (%)
Non-coking coal (%)
Coking time (h)
CRI (%)
CSR (%)
MICUM 10 (%)
MICUM 40 (%)

100
0
0
62
23
67
5.6
85

95
0
5
60
24
67
5.7
86

90
0
10
59
25
66
5.5
87

85
0
15
61
24
66
5.8
85

80
0
20
58
24
65
5.3
88

65
15
20
61
25
64
5.3
89

65
10
25
61
25
64
5.7
89

75
0
25
56
26
65
5.3
87

70
0
30
56
26
63
5.9
87

65
0
35
62
27
62
5.7
89

Blend Design & Coke Quality

China
Committee of Coke and
Coal Resources of the
China Coke Industry
Association: by using
stamp charge, coking coal
and fat coal can be
decreased by 14%
So, there is emphasis on
full utilization of stamp
charging installed
capacity

Blend Design & Coke Quality

China
CRI and CSR comparison (three blends)

Blend Design & Coke Quality

China
Blends with anthracite
Coal
45% anthracite
20% coking coal
35% 1/3 fat coal
Blend

Coke

M40 (%)
85.6

Ash (%)
10.2
7.7
8.8
9.0

M10 (%)
6.6

Volatile Matter (%)

9.3
18.5
33.2
21.6

CSR (%)
62.1

Ash (%)
11.3

Sulphur (%)
0.41
0.44
0.45
0.42

Sulphur (%)
0.34

Blend Design & Coke Quality

Summary
Main blend component: high volatile local coal
Use of soft/semisoft coals
Use of low volatile inerts like anthracite and
petroleum coke, in some plants
For such blends, MICUM 10 and CSR improve in
comparison with top charging (less porosity)

Recent Research

Technical University of Berlin, Germany

Stampability, modeling of stamping operation

Tata Steel R&D, India

Tar pitch/molasses to improve cake strength
Fluid pet coke/anthracite to decrease cost

RDTE, China
Influence of coke structure on high temperature
behavior

Conclusions

With more than 100 Mtpa capacity installed,

stamped charging became one of the most
applied technologies to decrease blend cost
and/or to improve coke quality
Adoption by China and to a less extent by
India, suggests that further increase in
capacity may take place in the future
Some Universities, Institutes and Steel
Companies are supporting this technology
with R&D efforts

Thank You

Jorge Madias
Mariano de Cordova
metallon