The company has a group of cooperation teams engaged in the graphite petroleum coke industry for many years, with dedication, innovation spirit and service awareness, and has established a sound quality control and management system to ensure product quality.
Petroleum Coke, or petcoke as it is sometimes commonly referred to, is a byproduct created in the refining process of heavy crude oil. During the distillation of the crude into the many various fractions and products (gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, jet fuel, kerosene, naphtha, lubricants, waxes, etc.), components of the crude known as bitumens which contain a higher number of carbon atoms than regular oil are left over as the final by-product residue. This residue is further processed by modern refineries in thermal cokers to extract additional gas and oil products with the final product being a carbon-rich solid material that we refer to as a coke.
Petroleum coke can be used in many different modern industrial applications depending upon the specific the type of coke produced and specific coking process employed to produce it. The majority of petcoke produced in the U.S. is exported to foreign countries for use in power stations or cement kilns.
Most of the petcoke produced in modern refineries is referred to as green petroleum coke, which can be in the form of sponge coke (or delayed coke) produced from what is called a delayed coking unit, or fluid petcoke which is produced in a fluid coking unit. Both coking units rely on holding the residue at increased temperatures and pressure to further drive off volatile components of the residual crude until the thermal cracking process is completed and only the solid coke remains.
The majority of the global petcoke supply is used for fuel. It is typically low-grade, containing high levels of heavy metals and sulfur. High-grade petcoke — which is low in heavy metals and sulfur — can be used to make electrodes for the aluminum and steel industry.
Most of the petcoke produced in the U.S. is exported to China and other foreign countries to supply coal-fired power stations.
Petcoke can contain high levels of sulfur and metals, which may damage refining equipment and the environment. The high sulfur and metal content can also reduce petcoke’s usefulness in certain applications, decreasing its value. Petcoke also has a high carbon content, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
When you test your petcoke sample, you can determine the concentrations of sulfur and metals present, helping you evaluate how safe and useful it will be to your application and the environment.
A third-party petcoke quality analysis is the best way to get unbiased results. Third-party testing labs like McCreath Laboratories don’t have any biased interest or investment in the results they produce. You’ll get an independent, reliable analysis that helps you protect your company and your investment.
At McCreath Laboratories, our International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17025-accredited facilities have provided unbiased, third-party testing for over 140 years. We offer a suite of testing services using fully compliant ASTM standard methods, ensuring you’ll receive some of the most accurate, precise and reliable results in the industry.
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