Low CRI, High CSR Coke Trials

To improve coke performance in the cupola, the authors discovered that coke used in blast furnaces [low coke reactivity index (CRI), high coke strength after reaction (CSR)] exhibits higher strength than foundry coke and may provide better performance due to larger coke pieces reaching the melt zone. Coke strength and sizing are extremely important in a cupola because the coke must reach the melt zone intact, stay in the melt zone long enough to replenish the coke bed, provide heat for melting and carbon pickup to the liquid iron. This research evaluates the cupola performance difference between cokes of high and low CRI. In addition, efforts were made to identify differences in characteristics of these cokes.