BR112023022324B1 - FOUNDRY COKE PRODUCTS - Google Patents

Abstract

FOUNDRY COKE PRODUCTS AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS, DEVICES AND METHODS. Disclosed herein is a coke product configured for use in foundry cupolas to melt iron and produce cast iron products. In some embodiments, the coke product has a Coke Reactivity Index (CRI) of at least 30% and an Ash Melting Temperature (AFT) of less than 1316°C. Additionally or alternatively, the coke product may comprise (i) an ash content of at least 8.0%, (ii) a volatile matter content of not more than 1.0%, (iii) a Coke Strength After Reaction (CSR) of not more than 40%, (iv) a 2-inch spall of at least 90%, and/or (v) a fixed carbon content of at least 85%.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED ORDERS

[001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/275,896, filed November 4, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF TECHNIQUE

[002] This disclosure relates to foundry coke products and associated systems, devices and methods.

FUNDAMENTALS

[003] Coke can be divided into several subcategories. Foundry coke has a large size relative to explosive coke and is of exceptional quality, including relatively low impurities and relatively high carbon content, strength and stability. Foundry coke is used in foundry cupolas to melt iron and produce cast iron and ductile iron products. However, the production cost, including manufacturing cost, transportation cost and environmental cost, for foundry coke is high. Therefore, there is a need in the art to improve the production process to obtain high quality foundry coke with higher yield or lower cost.

[004] Coke is a solid carbon fuel and a carbon source produced from coal used in steel production. Coke can be obtained from a combination of different coal sources and often has very different qualities and compositions. These resources can be used as fuel or feedstock for a variety of applications, such as steel production, cement production, and electricity generation. In addition, varying regulatory environments or economic incentives may create additional requirements for the types of coal that a particular smelter, mill, or plant is permitted to use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[005] Features, aspects and advantages of the presently disclosed technology can be better understood with reference to the following drawings.

[006] Figure 1 shows an illustrative schematic system for obtaining coal parameters for multiple coal types and determining a coal blend formulation, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[007] Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional isometric view of a portion of a horizontal heat recovery coke plant in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[008] Figure 3 illustrates a coke particle configured to be heated in a casting cupola, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[009] Figure 4 represents an example of a foundry coke product and a table of foundry coke properties, according to one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[010] Figure 5 is a graph indicating the yield of foundry coke product according to one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[011] Figure 6 is a graph indicating particle size according to one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[012] Figure 7 is a graph indicating shrapnel properties from a 4-inch drop, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[013] Figure 8 is a graph indicating shatter properties from a 6-inch drop, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[014] Figure 9 is a graph indicating a mass fraction of ash, according to one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[015] Figure 10 is a graph indicating a mass fraction of humidification, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[016] Figure 11 is a graph indicating a mass fraction of sulfur, according to one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[017] Figure 12 is a graph representing the mass fractions of SiO2 vs. mass fractions of Al2O3 in the ash of foundry coke products, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[018] Figure 13 is a graph representing Fe2O3 mass fractions vs CaO mass fractions in the ash of foundry coke products, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[019] Figure 14 is a graph representing the Ash Softening Temperatures vs. Model Ash Fusion Temperatures of different batches of foundry coke products, according to one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[020] Figure 15 is a graph representing Ash Softening Temperatures vs. Ash Mass Fractions of different batches of foundry coke products, according to one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[021] Figure 16 is a graph representing the Observed Ash Fusion Temperatures vs. Model Ash Fusion Temperatures of different batches of foundry coke products, according to one or more embodiments of the present technology.

[022] One skilled in the relevant art will understand that the features shown in the drawings are for illustrative purposes, and variations, including different or additional features and arrangements, are possible.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. OVERVIEW

[023] Foundry coke is a relatively large coke of exceptional quality such as very low impurity content and very high fixed carbon content, strength and stability. Foundry coke is used in cupola furnaces to smelt recycled iron and steel and as a carbon source to produce cast iron and ductile iron products. However, the production cost, including manufacturing cost, transportation cost and environmental cost, for foundry coke is high. Therefore, there is a need in the art to improve the production process to obtain high quality foundry coke with higher yield or lower cost. Traditionally produced coke typically has an ash melting temperature (AFT) above 1454.4 degrees Celsius (°C) (2650 degrees Fahrenheit (°F)). Because of this high temperature, the ash melts deeper in the cupola, which reduces the surface area available for the coke exposed to the molten metal. As a result, less carbon is transferred to the iron.

[024] The coke products disclosed herein for the present technology have an AFT of less than 1426.7 °C (2600 °F) and therefore melt higher in the cupola, thereby increasing the amount of carbon surface exposed to the molten metal. Additionally, from a viscosity standpoint, a low AFT allows the molten ash to move through the carbon bed more rapidly and results in better phase separation in the cupola well section to allow for more carbon-molten metal contact. As used herein the term “molten metal” refers to molten iron, molten steel, or the final molten blend of molten iron and molten steel.

[025] An AFT can be obtained in a variety of ways and can be separated into different types of AFTs. In some embodiments, an AFT can be measured from an ash sample created by the complete burning of coal, coal slurry, or coke product. Elemental analysis of the ash can be performed on each element, e.g., individual silicon atoms create a signal in the analytical instrument. To obtain a mass percent value used for model ash fusion calculation, some embodiments of the present technology can treat all elements as fully oxidized and determine a mass percent based on the oxidized forms. For example, some embodiments of the present technology can determine the mass of SiO2 but not the mass of Si. In some embodiments, the mass percents of SiO2, Al2O3, FeO3, CaO, other compounds, etc., can be normalized to sum to 100%.

[026] Alternatively or additionally, an AFT may be measured by an AFT test, such as an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard method D1857. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may determine an initial deformation temperature (IDT), softening temperature (ST), hemispherical temperature (HT), and flow temperature (FT). These measured temperatures may have different values from each other and may be used to characterize a particular coal, coal blend, or coke product. Furthermore, as discussed elsewhere herein, the composition of the ash remaining from the combustion of a coal or coal blend is assumed to be the same as that of the ash remaining after the combustion of a coke product produced from the coal or coal blend. Some embodiments may characterize a coal blend ash composition as the weighted average of the ash compositions of the coal components weighted by their respective mass fractions in the coal blend.

[027] In addition, traditional operation may also add CaCO3-bearing rocks to the charge for use as a flux to remove ash. The CaCO3 leaches into the ash to lower the AFT, or the ash itself dissolves into the CaCO3-bearing rocks. Given the very low surface-to-volume ratio for fluxing to occur, this is an inefficient way to introduce a fluxing agent. Based on the unexpected finding of the impact of low AFT on desired carbon transfer disclosed herein, coke may be “prefluxed” by selecting coal or coal blends that have ash contents that are proportionally higher in the low-melting oxides such as CaO, MgO, Fe2O3, Na2O, and K2O than in the high-melting oxides of Al2O3 and SiO2.

[028] In a cupola, coke is used as a fuel and carbon source to produce molten iron. Coke performs four functions in the cupola: (1) providing combustion heat to melt the iron or steel; (2) supplying carbon to the iron; (3) providing structural support for the iron or steel charge; and (4) creating gas-permeable layers that allow gases to travel upward and spread to provide good contact with the iron or steel.

[029] Some embodiments may perform operations described in this disclosure to produce coke products that allow for a higher rate of carbon transfer to the iron or steel during smelting operations, which may result in improved cupola performance. Some embodiments may use one of several types of furnaces to produce coke products, such as a heat recovery furnace, a non-recovery furnace, a Thompson furnace, another type of horizontal furnace, a vertical by-product furnace, etc. Some embodiments may produce coke products described in this disclosure using one or more operations described in U.S. Patent Application No. 17/736,960, entitled “FOUNDRY COKE PRODUCTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

II. COAL MIXTURES FOR PRODUCTION OF FOUNDRY COKE PRODUCTS AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS

[030] Some embodiments of the present technology may perform operations to increase the efficiency of coke product production operations in a manner that may reduce energy consumption and increase yield. These operations may include determining the composition of coal blends used to produce a coke product, wherein the composition of a coal blend may include coals from different coal sources. Some embodiments may select specific coals for their VM content, wherein the VM content and distribution may determine the impact on coke product yield, coke product properties, etc. Some embodiments may further perform specific processes when producing a coke product with a coke oven, wherein such processes may include opening or closing valves of a coke oven to maintain certain temperature relationships within sections of the coke oven. These outputs may result in coking products that are unique compared to other coking products with respect to reactivity, size, or other properties.

[031] Figure 1 shows an illustrative system 100 for obtaining coal parameters for multiple coal types 112-116 (collectively referred to as “coals 110”) and determining a coal blend formulation 140, according to one or more embodiments. Various facilities and equipment may be used to blend the coals 110 from various sources to form the coal blend 140. In some embodiments, not all of the coal types shown in Figure 1 are used to form the coal blend 140 (e.g., only type A coal 112 and type B coal 113 are used). Each of the coals 110 may be tested using a coal parameter measurement system 120 to determine coal parameters such as mass fraction VM, ash composition measurement, sulfur composition measurement, inert matter composition, etc. Some embodiments may also use other properties of coal, such as coal tar flowability and AFT for coal, vitrinite reflectance, etc., when selecting the type or amount of coal to be used for a coal blend. Alternatively or additionally, some embodiments of the present technology may obtain coal parameters from a third party data source (e.g., a database application program interface (API) or a manual user input on an input device such as a keyboard or touchscreen, etc.).

[032] In some embodiments, the coal parameters may consider measurements of reactive components or subtypes of reactive components, such as vitrinite, liptinite, and reactive semifusinite. The coal parameters may also include measurements or selecting an amount of inert material to include in a coal blend, such as chaff, inert semifusinite, fusinite, macrinite, and mineral matter. In some embodiments, the inert content of a coal blend may be greater than or equal to 32.0% or may be restricted to a specific range, such as between 28.0% and 40.0% or between 33.0% and 35.0%. Some embodiments may determine the type and amount of coal, chaff, and other components of a coal blend to satisfy a set of target coal blend parameters or corresponding target coke blend parameter, such as a target coal blend parameter indicating strong and uniform coke. For example, some embodiments of the present technology can select the types of vitrinite that are present in a coal blend, where the vitrinite types can include one or more of V9, V10, V11, V12, V13, V14, V15, V16, V17, V18, and V19. In addition, some embodiments of the present technology can produce coal blends that have parameters described in U.S. Patent Application No. 17/736,960, entitled “FOUNDRY COKE PRODUCTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS.”

[033] After obtaining coal parameters for coals 110, some embodiments of the present technology may determine combinations of coal types of the coals 110. For example, a first combination of coal types may include 20% coal type A 112, 30% coal type B 113, 40% coal type C 114, and 10% coal type D 115. Some embodiments may represent each combination of coal types with a vector in an n-dimensional blend space, wherein “n” may represent an integer equal to or less than the number of available coal types usable to generate a coal blend. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may represent the first combination with a vector [0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.1] to represent a blend point, wherein the blend point may indicate the proportional amount of each coal in the coal blend. Additionally, some embodiments of the present technology may add additives to a coal blend. Such additives may include calcium oxide, limestone, a calcium-containing material, trona, sodium carbonate, caustic soda, slag (e.g., low ash melting slag, basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag, cupola slag, etc.), iron, nickel, potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium sulfate, rock wool, biochar, or biomass (e.g., a low AFT biomass). Alternatively or additionally, some embodiments of the present technology may add mineral additives, such as dolomite, various other calcium-containing minerals, iron-containing minerals, magnesium-containing minerals, or sodium-containing minerals. Some embodiments may use metal oxides as additives to a coal blend, such as Al2O3, SiO2, Fe2O3, MgO, Na2O, or TiO, transition metal oxides, calcined minerals. Some embodiments may add metal halide additives such as CaCl2, MgCl2, NaCl. Some embodiments may add metal sulfate additives to a coal mix, such as CaSO4. Some embodiments may add aluminum or silicon mineral additives to a coal mix, such as Quartz, Muscovite, or Feldspar. Some embodiments may add additives from industrial waste or recycling streams, such as blast furnace slag, foundry cupola slag, metal fines, wall panel waste, flue gas desulfurization plant gas byproduct (e.g., fly ash), coal burning plant fly ash, heat recovery steam, generator wash sludge, or unwashed coal.

[034] Once an additive is added, the coal mixture may have a mass fraction of calcium, a mass fraction of lime, a mass fraction of trona, a mass fraction of sodium carbonate, a mass fraction of caustic soda, a mass fraction of low ash melting slag, a mass fraction of BOF slag, a mass fraction of cupola slag, an iron mass fraction, a nickel mass fraction, a potassium mass fraction, a magnesium mass fraction, a sodium mass fraction, a calcium sulfate mass fraction, a rock wool mass fraction, a biochar mass fraction, a biomass mass fraction, or other additive mass fraction that is greater than 0% but less than a predetermined limit. The limit may vary based on specific embodiments and may be configured such that the additive mass fraction is less than 10.0%, less than 5.0%, less than 3.0%, less than 1.0%, etc. By using a small amount of the additives, some embodiments of the present technology may significantly reduce an ash fusion value or other efficiency-enhancing property of a coke product. Alternatively or additionally, some embodiments of the present technology may include a larger amount of additives, wherein the coal blend may include greater than 10.0% of an additive. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may use an additive that has a calcium oxide mass fraction greater than 70.0%, wherein the inclusion of the additive may raise a calcium oxide mass fraction of a coal blend to be greater than 10.0%. Unless otherwise indicated, an element mass fraction may refer to the element itself, to compounds containing the element, or to both. For example, a calcium mass fraction may refer to a mass fraction of calcium alone in a material, a mass fraction of calcium oxide, or a mass fraction of another calcium-containing compound, or a combined mass fraction of any combinations thereof, etc.

[035] In many cases, the VM of the coal includes vitrinite, where vitrinite may be categorized based on its reflectance or other physical properties. Some systems may categorize vitrinite by vitrinite types V8 through V18, where different coals may include different distributions of vitrinite types. As used in this disclosure, a high volatility coal may be characterized by having a VM mass fraction that is greater than a VM mass fraction threshold, where different systems may define a high volatility coal using different thresholds. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may characterize a high volatility coal as a coal that has a VM mass fraction that is greater than or equal to 28.0%. Some embodiments may use other VM mass fraction thresholds to characterize a high volatility VM, such as 25.0%, 27.0%, 30.0%, 31.0%, or some other threshold greater than or equal to 25.0%.

[036] As used in this disclosure, a low volatility coal may be characterized by having a VM mass fraction that is less than a VM mass fraction threshold, where different systems may define a low volatility coal using different thresholds. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may characterize a low volatility coal as a coal that has a VM mass fraction that is less than or equal to 20.0%, although a value other than 20% may be used, such as 14.0%, 15.0%, 17.0%, 21.0%, etc. Some embodiments of the present technology may use other VM mass fraction thresholds to characterize a high volatility VM as a VM greater than the mass fraction threshold. The mass fraction limit can be equal to a value such as 14.0%, 15.0%, 21.0%, 22.0%, 23.0%, or some other limit less than or equal to 25.0%.

[037] Some embodiments of the present technology may characterize or partially characterize a low volatility coal relative to a high volatility coal using a predetermined difference, wherein the predetermined difference may include a value greater than 1.0%, such as 2.0%, 3.0%, 4.0%, 8.0%, or some other value. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may define the difference between a first threshold used as a threshold for a high volatility coal and a second threshold used as a threshold for a low volatility coal as being equal to 4.0%, wherein a selection of 30% as the first threshold may cause a system to automatically select 26% as the second threshold. Alternatively, some embodiments of the present technology may determine or allow an alternative value to be the second threshold, such as 21%. By establishing the limits used to define a high volatility coal and a low volatility coal or defining a difference between the two limits, some embodiments of the present technology can also automatically define a medium volatility coal as those coals that are not high volatility coals or low volatility coals.

[038] This disclosure relates to the AFT of coal blends or coke products. The AFT of a coke product can be determined in a variety of ways, such as through experimental observation (observed AFT) or determined using an empirical model (AFT model). Unless otherwise indicated, the term “ash fusion” can refer to an empirical ash fusion model or an observed ash fusion. As will be discussed elsewhere in this document, an AFT may be less than or equal to 1426.7 °C (2600 °F), less than or equal to 1343.3 °C (2450 °F), less than or equal to 1315.6 °C (2400 °F), less than or equal to 1287.8 °C (2350 °F), less than or equal to 1260 °C (2300 °F), less than or equal to 1232.2 °C (2250 °F), less than or equal to 1204.4 °C (2200 °F), less than or equal to 1176.7 °C (2150 °F), less than or equal to 1148.9 °C (2100 °F), less than or equal to 1121.1 °C (2050 °F), less than or equal to 1093.3 °C (2000 °F), less than or equal to 1065.6 °C (1950 °F), less than or equal to 1037.8 °C (1900 °F), less than or equal to 1010 °C (1850 °F), or less than or equal to 982.2 °C (1800 °F).

[039] In some embodiments, an empirical AFT model can be determined from compounds remaining from an ash generated from the combustion of a coke product. When the AFT value is constrained to a range, these empirical models can serve to form a compositional boundary in a multidimensional compositional parameter space. The compositional parameters of the parameter space can represent quantities of an element or compound in a material or group of materials, where the quantities can include mass fractions composed of their corresponding compounds, volumetric fractions, etc. By using different empirical models or different ranges for an AFT, some embodiments constrain the ash of a coke product to different regions in a compositional parameter space, which can then constrain the composition of the coke product itself. For example, empirical models for ash fusion can be defined in Equations 1-3 below, where “AFT” can be a model ash fusion temperature in degrees Celsius (°C), “SiO2_mass_fraction” can be a SiO2 mass fraction of the coke product ash (“coke product ash”), “Al2O3_mass_fraction” is an Al2O3 mass fraction of the coke product ash, “Fe2O3_mass_fraction” is an Fe2O3 mass fraction of the coke product ash; “CaO_mass_fraction” is a CaO mass fraction of the coke product ash; “MgO_mass_fraction” is a MgO mass fraction of the coke product ash; and “K2O_mass_fraction” is a mass fraction of K2O from the coke product ash:AFT = 19 x (Al2O3_mass_fraction) + 15 x (SiO2_mass_fraction Equa-tion + TiO2_mass_fraction) + 10 x (CaO_mass_fraction + tion 1 MgO_mass_fraction) + 6 x (Fe2O3_mass_fraction + Na2O_mass_fraction)AFT = 19 x (Al2O3_mass_fraction) + 15 x (SiO2_mass_fraction Equation + TiO2_mass_fraction) + 10 x (CaO_mass_fraction + tion 2 MgO_mass_fraction) + 6 x (Fe2O3_mass_fraction + Na2O_mass_frac- tion + K2O_mass_fraction)AFT = 401.5 + (26.3 x SiO2_mass_fraction + 40.7 x Equa- Al2O3_mass_fraction) - 11.0 x Fe2O3_Mass_Fraction - 7.9 x tion 3 CaO_mass_fraction - 112 x MgO_mass_fraction

[040] Some embodiments may apply different models based on different compositions. For example, based on a determination that a mass fraction of Al2O3 and SiO2 in the ash composition of a coal blend is between 65% and 80%, some embodiments of the present technology may use Equation 3 to calculate an AFT model and otherwise use Equation 2 to calculate the AFT model. Some embodiments may use different models for different optimization operations. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may use Equation 3 to optimize a coal blend selected for coke production to have a lower Al2O3 and SiO2 content while having a higher Fe2O3 and CaO content. Furthermore, while some embodiments of the present technology may use a known AFT model, some embodiments of the present technology may use novel AFT equation models. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may use Equation 1 to determine an AFT, where Equation 1 can be found in Chapter 8 of the Cupola Handbook, 6th ed., © 1999, American Foundrymen's Society, Inc., which is incorporated herein by reference; some embodiments of the present technology may use other AFT models, such as those described by Equation 2 or Equation 3. Various other limitations on the mass fractions of the components of a coal blend may be imposed. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may produce a coal blend that has a coal blend ash alumina Al2O3 content of less than 10.0%, less than 7.0%, less than 6.0%, less than 5.0%, etc.

[041] By constraining an AFT to a specific limit, some embodiments of the present technology may constrain the composition of an ash. In some embodiments, the specific limit may encompass a temperature region such as 982 °C (1800 °F) to 1204 °C (2200 °F), 1204 °C (2200 °F) to 1426 °C (2600 °F), or 982 °C to 1426 °C. If the ash is an ash product generated by the combustion of a coke product, the constraints on the ash composition result in a constraint on the coke product of the coke product itself. For example, some embodiments of the present technology can generate a coke product with certain amounts of Al, Si, Ti, Ca, Mg, Fe, Na, or K, such that combustion of the coke product results in an ash having a composition that satisfies Equation 2. Various compositional limits on a coke product ash can be used. For example, some embodiments of the present technology can generate a coke product such that an AFT model of the coke product, as determined by Equation 3, falls within an AFT limit. For example, the AFT limit can be a temperature range between 1260 °C (2300 °F) and 1427 °C (2600 °F), between 1260 °C and 1371 °C (2500 °F), between 1260 °C and 1316 °C (2400 °F), or between 1260 °C and 1427 °C. In some embodiments, a lower temperature limit may be a different value, such as 982 °C (1800 °F) or a value less than 1288 °C, such as 816 °C (1500 °F), 649 °C (1200 °F), or some other value less than 1288 °C.

[042] Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology may constrain an AFT to be approximately a target value, wherein a parameter is approximately a target value if the parameter is within 10% of the absolute value of the target value. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may constrain an AFT to be approximately 982 °C (1800 °F), 1204 °C (2200 °F), 1260 °C (2300 °F), 1288 °C (2350 °F), 1316 °C (2400 °F), 1343 °C (2450 °F), 1371 °C (2500 °F), 1399 °C (2550 °F), or 1427 °C (2600 °F).

[043] In some embodiments, a coal blend formulation may include specific properties, such as an ash fusion value less than or equal to 2400°F, which is equivalent to being less than 1316°C. Some embodiments may recommend or produce a coal blend that contains low VM mass fraction coals and high VM mass fraction coals without necessarily including medium VM mass fraction coals. For example, a coal blend may have a bimodal profile of high VM and low VM coals within the coal blend. In this bimodal profile, the coals of a coal blend may include only the first and second sets of coals, wherein a first set of coals of the coal blend may include only high VM coals having a VM mass fraction greater than 30.0%, and a second set of coals of the coal blend may include only low VM coals having a VM mass fraction less than 22.0%.

[044] Some embodiments may map the blend point to a corresponding coal parameter point in a coal parameter space (“coal parameter point”), where each dimension in the coal parameter space may represent a coal parameter. In some embodiments, a dimension of a coal parameter point may be determined as a linear combination of the coals 110 weighted by the values of the corresponding blend point. For example, a coal blend may include a blend of two coal types that includes 50% type A coal 112 and 50% type B coal 113. If type A coal 112 has a VM mass percentage equal to 15% and type B coal has a VM mass percentage equal to 25%, the VM mass percentage of the coal blend may be equal to the averaged mean of the two VM mass percentages, 20%.

[045] Some embodiments may obtain a set of target coal parameters, wherein a target coal parameter may be provided as a default value, provided by manual data entry, obtained from a third party data store, provided via an electronic message, etc. For example, the target coal parameter may include a coke reactivity index (CRI) or a coke strength after reaction (CSR) value. In some embodiments, the CRI or CSR may be manually entered by a user, obtained from a database, received via an API, etc. Some embodiments may use a model based on a set of coal parameters to determine a corresponding set of coke parameters. The model may include a statistical model, a semi-empirical analytical model, a neural network model, a physical simulation model, etc. As described elsewhere in this disclosure, some embodiments of the present technology may use a model that takes into account non-linear relationships between coal parameters and coke parameters. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may use a neural network, such as a feed-forward neural network, to predict a set of coke parameters.

[046] In some embodiments, the neural network may be trained with past data. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may train a neural network based on past mixes and mix results where the results may include coke properties such as a CSR, a percent weight loss, a CRI, or another coke parameter that is non-linear with respect to a related coal parameter. Alternatively or additionally, some embodiments of the present technology may use a physics-based analytical model or a semi-analytical model to predict a coke parameter. The use of a neural network or other non-linear methods to predict coke parameters based on coal parameters may be advantageous due to the associated non-linear effects between coal parameters and coke parameters. Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology may provide additional inputs to the neural network model such as a mill parameter, an amount of mill used, etc.

[047] Some embodiments may adapt to changes in the availability of different types of coal. For example, a mine source of type A 112 coal may be decommissioned, a transportation line carrying type A 112 coal may be significantly slowed, a regulatory environment may make the use of certain coals infeasible for use, etc. In response to a determination that a type of coal used in a coal blend is unavailable or expected to become unavailable, some embodiments of the present technology may generate an alternative coal blend formulation that maps to a position in a coal parameter space that is within a threshold distance of a first point in the coal parameter space. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may originally use a first coal blend that is 20% Type A coal by weight, wherein the first coal blend maps to a first point in a coal parameter space that includes a VM mass ratio of 25%, a sulfur mass ratio of 0.4%, and an ash mass ratio of 6%, etc. Upon receiving a message indicating that Type A coal is restricted to 5% (e.g., as a result of a stock shortage), some embodiments of the present technology may perform a set of operations to determine one or more additional combinations that satisfy the coal type usage constraints and the coal parameter space. In cases where the first coal parameter point is not achievable while limited by coal type availability, some embodiments of the present technology may determine an alternative coal blend formulation that maps to a coal parameter point that is within a coal parameter spatial distance limit of the first coal parameter point.

[048] Some embodiments may use the blend point to determine the blend of coals to be added and processed into the coal blend 140. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may use operations described in this disclosure to determine a blend point that indicates a coal blend that includes 20% Type A coal 112, 30% Type B coal 113, 40% Type C coal 114, and 10% Type C coal 114 and 10% Type D coal 115, and combine the coal in these respective proportions into the coal blend 140. Some embodiments may then feed the blended coal into a coke oven 150, wherein some embodiments of the present technology may add coke mill 111 to the coke oven 150 to create a coke product that has coke properties similar to or the same as a set of target coke properties.

[049] Figure 2 is a partially cross-sectional isometric view of a portion of a horizontal heat recovery coke plant in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology. A furnace 200 of the coke plant may include various ducts, chambers, valves, sensors, or other components described in U.S. Patent Application No. 17/736,960, entitled “FOUNDRY COKE PRODUCTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS.” For example, the furnace 200 may include an open cavity defined by a furnace floor 202, a pusher side furnace door 204, a coke side furnace door 206 opposite the pusher side furnace door 204, opposing side walls 208 extending upwardly from the furnace floor 202 and between the pusher side furnace door 204 and the coke side furnace door 206, and a furnace crown 210, which forms a top surface of the open cavity of a furnace chamber 212. In addition, the furnace 200 may include a set of crown air inlets 214 that permit primary combustion air to enter the furnace chamber 212. In some embodiments, the set of crown air inlets 214 may penetrate the furnace crown 210 and permit open fluid communication between the furnace chamber 212 and the environment outside the furnace. 200. In some embodiments, air flow through air inlets or air ducts (e.g., an absorption duct) may be controlled by dampers, which may be configured in any of a number of states between a fully open state and a fully closed state to vary an amount of air flow. For example, crown air inlets 214 may include a damper that may be configured in different states to allow air flow into furnace crown 210, such as a crown inlet air damper 216 that operates in a similar manner. Although embodiments of the present technology may use crown air inlets 214 exclusively to provide primary combustion air to furnace chamber 212, other types of air inlets, such as door air inlets, may be used in specific embodiments without departing from aspects of the present technology.

[050] As discussed above, control of airflows in furnace 200 or other operations in furnace 200 may be implemented by control systems using operations described in U.S. Application No. 17/736,960, entitled “FOUNDRY COKE PRODUCTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS.” Such operations may include operations of a coking cycle, which may include charging a coal slurry into furnace 200, controlling absorption damper 236 to be set in any of a number of states between fully open and fully closed, etc. Upon completion of the coking cycle, some embodiments of the present technology may coke a coal slurry to produce a coke product useful for steel production with a cupola furnace. In some embodiments, foundry coke products may be used in a cupola furnace using operations described in U.S. Patent Application No. 18/052,739, entitled “FUNDRY COKE PRODUCTS AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND PROCESSING METHODS VIA CUPOLAS,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. In some embodiments, the coke product may be removed from furnace 200 through coke oven side door 206 with a ram or other mechanical extraction system. In some embodiments, the coke may be quenched (e.g., wet or dry quenched) and sized prior to distribution to a user.

III. FOUNDRY COKE PRODUCTS AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS, DEVICES AND METHODS

[051] Figure 3 illustrates a coke particle 300 configured to be heated in a casting cupola, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology. As shown in Figure 3, C(b) = bulk carbon, S(b) = bulk sulfur, Ash(b) = bulk ash, C(s) = surface carbon, S(s) = surface sulfur, Ash(s) = surface ash (which accumulates from the shrunken core), Fe(s) = surface Fe, C*(s) = surface active carbon, FeC, S*(s) = surface active sulfur, FeS, C(l) = carbon in liquid, and S(l) = sulfur in liquid. The coke particle 300 includes a core 305 that shrinks due to the dissolution of carbon in a dome, wherein the coke particle 300 may be surrounded by a bulk liquid 320. As the core 305 of the coke particle 300 shrinks, for example due to the oxidation and/or combustion of the carbon of the coke particle 300, diffusion layers comprising ash and iron that are radially outward from the core 305 begin to form. For example, coke particle 300 may include a first ash diffusion layer 310 (“first diffusion layer 310”) comprising ash radially outward from core 305 and at least partially surrounding core 305, and a second iron diffusion layer 315 (“second diffusion layer 315”) that is radially outward from core 305 and first diffusion layer 310 and at least partially surrounding first diffusion layer 310.

[052] The first diffusion layer 310 may be solid or liquid and may effectively block the coke surface or decrease the area of mass transfer through the coke surface to the surrounding liquid metal. Additionally or alternatively, the first diffusion layer 310 enables the oxidation and/or combustion of the carbon of the coke particle to be delayed in time and/or temperature so that the coke does not produce carbon monoxide in the drying region and is instead oxidized and burned in the reaction region of the cupola. The first diffusion layer 310 comprising ash is formed in part due to the melting temperature of the coke product ash, which is directly correlated to the composition of the coke particle 300. As described elsewhere herein, the melting temperature of the coke ash is lower than that of traditional coke products and cannot exceed 1454.4°C (2650°F), 1426.7°C (2600°F), 1398.9°C (2550°F), 1371.1°C (2500°F), 1343.3°C (2450°F), 1315.6°C (2400°F), 1287.8°C (2350°F), 1260°C (2300°F), 1232.2°C (2250°F), 1204.4°C (2200°F), 1176.7°C (2150°F), 1148.9°C (2100°F), 1121.1°C (2050°F), 1093.3°C (2000°F), 1065.6°C (1950°F), 1037.8°C (1900°F), 1010°C (1850°F) or within a range of 982.2-1426.7°C (1800-2600°F), 982.2-1371.1°C (1800-2500°F), 1037.8-704.4°C (1900-1300°F) or 1093.3-1204.4°C (2000-2200°F). This relatively low ash melting temperature may enable the formation of a diffusion ash layer, for example in the drying region of the cupola, which prevents the coke, or more particularly the core 305, from cooking prior to the reaction region. Additionally or alternatively, this relatively low ash melting temperature may optimize the contact time between the coke 300 and the metal within the cupola as the metal melts and becomes molten in the reaction region of the cupola. As a result, more carbon may be transferred from the coke 300 to the metal. This is in contrast to conventional coke products, which may have a higher ash melting temperature, which results in ash formation deeper (i.e., downstream) from the reaction region and therefore limits the contact time between the coke and the molten metal, thereby resulting in relatively less carbon transfer.

[053] The second diffusion layer 315 is formed as the coke particle 300 is heated within the dome and the coke core 305 shrinks. The second diffusion layer may further limit the cooking of the coke within the drying region and/or help ensure that the vast majority of the combustion and oxidation of the coke does not occur until the coke 300 reaches the reaction region. Additionally or alternatively, carbon and sulfur may compete with each other to pass through the second diffusion layer 315. That is, the presence of sulfur may undesirably decrease the rate of carbon transfer to and from the coke 300. In some embodiments, the coke may be pre-melted and/or include (e.g., doped with) an additive (e.g., calcium, iron, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, iron oxide, sodium oxide, and potassium oxide, and/or other oxides with a relatively low melting point) that acts as a catalytic material. For example, sodium may act as a pre-flux agent and iron may act as both a pre-flux and catalytic agent. The catalytic material may trap the sulfur and be used to melt the sulfur out of the coke. In some embodiments, pre-melted coke is the result of selecting coals to produce the coke that have ash materials proportionally higher in the oxides described above. This is in contrast to coke products that may add calcium oxide or calcium carbonate particles/rocks as a flux to remove ash, as such methods are inefficient due to the very low surface-to-volume ratio for fluxing to actually occur. Additionally, pre-melted coke and/or catalytic agents may promote carbon deposition via the Boudouard reaction, thereby generating more heat and increasing the amount of carbon that is present within the reaction region (e.g., the combustion zone) of the cupola. Without being limited by theory, preflow agents can change the liquid temperature of the slag (e.g., slag 116; Figure 1) or, more particularly, they can change the liquid temperature of the ash on the surface or within the coke that is mixed with the bulk slag.

[054] Improved coke chemistry aims to increase the dissolution of carbon from the coke particle 300 into the metal (i.e., iron or steel) within the cupola. In operation, as carbon dissolves into the bulk liquid iron within the cupola, the coke core 305 shrinks and ash and impurities accumulate on the surface. In addition, both carbon and sulfur dissociate from the surface, which may be aided by the catalytic activity of Fe, Ni, and other metals. A lower ash melting temperature, represented by an ash melting temperature (as described elsewhere herein), allows for improved ash removal through faster conversion of ash to a liquid phase and reduces ash resistance. Carbon and sulfur diffuse through the thin iron diffusion layer. In addition, carbon and sulfur are competitive and resistant to dissolving or transferring to each other. As such, a low sulfur content in coke enhances carbon transfer. In addition, coke products that have a high coke reactivity index (CRI) or a low coke resistance after reaction (CSR) (as described elsewhere in this document) allow more reactive carbon forms to dissociate from the surface, thereby increasing the rate of carbon dissolution.

[055] Various metals added to a foundry coke product produced from a coal mix by ash in the coal mix or otherwise introduced into the foundry coke product can provide catalytic functions that increase the rate of carbon dissolution. In some embodiments, a multi-oxidation state element (e.g., a metal) can change oxidation states in a coke product to provide catalytic activity. For example, a coke product can include sodium, which can transition from an unoxidized Na state to a first ionic oxidation state Na+. Alternatively or additionally, a coke product can include iron, which can transition from an unoxidized Fe state to the oxidized Fe2+ or Fe3+ states. In addition, the coke product can include the multi-oxidation state elements in an oxidized form. For example, the coke product may include Na+ in the form of salt or Fe3+ in the form of Fe2O3. The coke product may also include other types of metals, such as nickel, copper, etc. Catalytic material embedded in the coke product enhances carbon dissolution during steelmaking because at least some of the catalytic material will remain in contact with the interface between the coke product and a liquid iron bath during steelmaking.

[056] Figure 4 represents an example of a foundry coke product and a table of foundry coke properties, according to one or more embodiments of the present technology. Some embodiments may use a coke oven, such as oven 200 of Figure 2, to produce a foundry coke product 400. In some embodiments, the foundry coke product 400 may be generally oblong in shape and may have different or similar dimensions along a first length 412, a second length 414, or a third length 416. For example, the first length 412 may be greater than 6.0 inches (e.g., 9.0 inches (22.86 cm)), the second length may be greater than 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) (e.g., 4.0 inches (10.16 cm)), and the third length may be greater than 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) (e.g., 4.0 inches (10.16 cm)). In some embodiments, one or more lengths of the foundry coke product shape 400 may be limited to a maximum value. For example, the first length 412 may be between 6.0 inches (15.24 cm) and 12.0 inches (30.48 cm).

[057] Due to variations in the specific shape of foundry coke products, a foundry coke product may be characterized by a range of hydraulic diameters. For example, foundry coke product 400 may have a hydraulic diameter that is greater than or equal to 1.0 inches (2.54 cm), greater than or equal to 2.0 inches (5.08 cm), or greater than or equal to 3.0 inches (7.62 cm), etc. In some embodiments, the hydraulic diameter of a foundry coke product may be larger than the actual diameter of the foundry coke product due to the cross-sectional geometry of the foundry coke product.

[058] Table 450 includes a set of foundry coke product attributes 400. The foundry coke product attributes shown in table 450 may characterize coke products produced by the operations described in this disclosure. Such attributes may be advantageous to foundry operations, such as having lower AFT values compared to conventional coke products. These lower AFT values may be represented in various forms, such as IDT or ST values. For example, sample “S4” shown in table 450 has an ash melt IDT of 1177 °C (2150 °F). Some embodiments may perform operations to reduce a low ash melt to a coke product based on an AFT limit or target ash melt range.

[059] In some embodiments, a target AFT value or AFT range may vary based on the type of ash fusion value used. In some embodiments, a coke product produced may have an IDT that is between 1148.9 °C (2100 °F) and 1315.6 °C (2400 °F). Some embodiments may include more stringent limits for coke products. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may include a coke product with an IDT that is between 1149 °C (2100 °F) and 1232 °C (2250 °F). Some embodiments may alter coal blends, absorption times, or durations at different damper positions to satisfy a target IDT. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may select a coal blend or determine furnace operations based on a target TDI value of approximately 2100°F (1148.9°C), approximately 2150°F (1176.7°C), approximately 2200°F (1204.4°C), approximately 2250°F (1232.2°C), approximately 2300°F (1260°C), approximately 2350°F (1287.8°C), or approximately 2400°F (1315.6°C). In some embodiments, a soak time may be set to begin after a peak corona temperature or other peak temperature is reached. Alternatively, a soak time may be set to begin after the single flue gas temperature, or the corona temperature, begins to decrease without any gas flow. Furthermore, the soak time may be reduced due to increasing the coking time of a pyrolysis duration, where the soak time may be less than 10.0 hours, less than 5.0 hours, or even less than 1.0 hour. Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology may use multiple total cycle times and may characterize an operation based on a ratio of a soak time to a pyrolysis duration, where the ratio may be less than 33.0%, less than 15.0%, less than 5.0%, or less than some other limit less than 50%.

[060] Likewise, some embodiments of the present technology can produce coke products using operations described in this disclosure that have a ST that is within a specified range, such as between 1176.7 °C (2150 °F) and 1371.1 °C (2500 °F). Some embodiments can implement operations that satisfy a more restricted range for a ST, such as modifying operations to produce coke products that have a ST between 1176.7 °C (2150 °F) and 1260 °C (2300 °F). Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology can alter coal blends, soaking times, or durations at different damper positions to satisfy a target ST. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may select a coal blend or determine furnace operations based on a target ST value of approximately 2100 °F (1148.9 °C), approximately 2150 °F (1176.7 °C), approximately 2200 °F (1204.4 °C), approximately 2250 °F (1232.2 °C), approximately 2300 °F (1260 °C), approximately 2350 °F (1287.8 °C), approximately 2400 °F (1315.6 °C), approximately 2450 °F (1343.3 °C), or approximately 2500 °F (1371.1 °C). Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology may define a target RTD value as a function of a target ST value.

[061] Likewise, some embodiments of the present technology can produce coke products using operations described in this disclosure that have an HT that is within a specified range, such as between 1204.4 °C (2200 °F) and 1287.8 °C (2350 °F). Some embodiments can implement operations that satisfy a more restricted range for an HT, such as modifying operations to produce coke products that have an HT between 1176.7 °C (2150 °F) and 1260 °C (2300 °F). Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology can alter coal blends, soaking times, or durations at different damper positions to satisfy a target HT. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may select a coal blend or determine furnace operations based on a target HT value of approximately 2200 °F (1204.4 °C), approximately 2250 °F (1232.2 °C), approximately 2300 °F (1260 °C), approximately 2350 °F (1287.8 °C), approximately 2400 °F (1315.6 °C), approximately 2450 °F (1343.3 °C), or approximately 2500 °F (1371.1 °C).

[062] Likewise, some embodiments of the present technology can produce coke products using operations described in this disclosure that have a FT that is within a specified range, such as a FT between 1232.2°C (2250°F) and 1426.7°C (2600°F). Some embodiments can implement operations that satisfy a more restricted range for a FT, such as modifying operations to produce coke products that have a FT between 1232.2°C (2250°F) and 1315.6°C (2400°F). Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology can alter coal blends, soaking times, or durations at different damper positions to satisfy a target FT. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may select a coal blend or determine furnace operations based on a target FT value of approximately 2250 °F (1232.2 °C), approximately 2300 °F (1260 °C), approximately 2350 °F (1287.8 °C), approximately 2400 °F (1315.6 °C), approximately 2450 °F (1343.3 °C), approximately 2500 °F (1315.5 °C), approximately 2550 °F (1398.9 °C), or approximately 2600 °F (1426.7 °C).

[063] Some embodiments may produce coke products that meet multiple target ranges for different types of AFT values. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may include a coke product that has an IDT between 1149.9 °C (2100 °F) and 1232.2 °C (2250 °F), an ST between 1176.7 °C (2150 °F) and 1260 °C (2300 °F), an HT between 1204.4 °C (2200 °F) and 1287.8 °C (2350 °F), or an FT between 1232.2 °C (2250 °F) and 1315.6 °C (2400 °F). Alternatively or additionally, various other combinations of target ranges for a coke product are possible. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may include a coke product that has an RTD between 1149.9 °C (2100 °F) and 1232.2 °C (2250 °F), an ST between 1176.7 °C (2150 °F) and 1260 °C (2300 °F), an HT between 1204.4 °C (2200 °F) and 1287.8 °C (2350 °F), and an FT between 1232.2 °C (2250 °F) and 1315.6 °C (2400 °F).

[064] Some embodiments may generate coke products with AFTs that are within various compositional limits to satisfy an AFT value. For example, some embodiments produce coke products with an AFT that is greater than 1260 °C (2300 °F) or less than 1426.7 °C (2600 °F). Some embodiments may include tighter tolerances for the production or selection of coke products for downstream use, such as being between 1800 °F (982.2 °C) and 2600 °F (1426.7 °C), between 2200 °F (1204.4 °C) and 2500 °F (1371.1 °C), between 2300 °F (1260 °C) and 2400 °F (1315.6 °C), between 2400 °F (1315.6 °C) and 2600 °F (1426.7 °C), or between 2500 °F (1371.1 °C) and 2600 °F (1426.7 °C).

[065] Some embodiments may utilize operations described in this disclosure to produce a coke product characterized by specific types of AFT values. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may produce a coke product having an AFT ST between 982 °C (1800 °F) and 1427 °C (2600 °F), 1177 °C (2150 °F) and 1371 °C (2500 °F), or a coke product having an AFT HT between 1204 °C (2200 °F) and 1371 °C (2500 °F), or an AFT flow temperature (FT) between 1232 °C (2250 °F) and 1371 °C (2500 °F).

[066] As shown in Table 450, the CRI value of the foundry coke products may be 36.5% or another value that is greater than 35%. Some embodiments may implement coke production operations that produce batches of foundry coke that satisfy one or more CRI thresholds. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may alter durations between changes in damper settings or select between different damper positions based on a CRI threshold. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may produce castings that have a CRI that is at least 25.0%, at least 30.0%, at least 35.0%, at least 40.0%, at least 45.0%, or another value that is at least 30.0%. Some embodiments may perform operations to select coke products that have a CRI greater than a minimum CRI threshold for downstream use. In some embodiments, a CRI for a coke product may indicate a mass loss from a reaction, wherein a higher CRI for a coke product may indicate a higher efficiency or utility of the coke product. In some embodiments, the CRI may be computed using a model based on known properties of a coke product or the coal blend used to generate the coke product. Alternatively or additionally, a CRI may be obtained experimentally as a measured weight loss using an established test protocol. For example, some embodiments may use a CRI measurement method, such as the ASTM D5341 method, to determine a CRI value.

[067] As shown in Table 450, the CSR value of the foundry coke products may be 26%, 15.6%, or another value that is greater than a CSR limit, such as 7.0%. Some embodiments may implement coke production operations that produce foundry coke batches that meet one or more CSR limits. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may alter durations between changes in damper settings or select between different damper positions based on meeting a target CSR limit, such as a CSR limit that requires foundry coke to have a CSR that is less than or equal to 40.0%, less than or equal to 35.0%, less than or equal to 30.0%, less than or equal to 25.0%, less than or equal to 20.0%, less than or equal to 15.0%, less than or equal to 10.0%, or less than or equal to 7.0%.

[068] As shown in Table 450, a composition of SiO2 in coke product ash may include 49.4%, 48.9%, 48.8%, 49.1%, or 46.0%. Other embodiments may include other mass fractions of SiO2 in ash, such as other values less than 70%, less than 50.0%, less than 45.0%, etc. In some embodiments, a mass fraction of approximately 50.0% SiO2 in coke product ash may correspond to a low amount of SiO2 in the coke product itself.

[069] Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology can generate coke products with a fixed carbon content (e.g., a fixed carbon mass fraction) that is greater than or equal to a fixed carbon limit. For example, some embodiments of the present technology can produce foundry coke products with a fixed carbon mass fraction greater than 80.0%, 85.0%, 90.0%, 90.5%, 91.0%, or some other value. In some embodiments, the fixed carbon content can be a target range. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may perform a set of operations to generate coke products having a fixed carbon content that is less than or equal to 94.5% but greater than or equal to 85.0% (although other ranges of values are possible, such as between 94.5% and 85.0%). Various other target ranges are possible, such as coke products having a range between 90.0% and 95.0%, 85% and 99%, etc.

[070] Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology may generate coke products having an ash mass fraction within a target, limited or unlimited range. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may produce foundry coke products having an ash mass fraction greater than or equal to 1.0%, 5.0%, 8.0%, 9.0%, 10.0% or a value greater than 10.0%. Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology may include an upper limit to an ash mass fraction. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may produce foundry coke products having an ash mass fraction less than 1.0%, 5.0%, 9.0%, 10.0% or a value greater than 10.0%. Some embodiments may combine these upper and lower ash mass fraction limits so that a produced coke product has a range of 5.0% to 10.0%, 8.5% to 9.0%, 8.0% to 10.0%, 5.0% to 15.0%, etc.

[071] Figure 5 is a graph indicating the yield of foundry coke product in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology. As shown in graph 500, the foundry yield for different batches of coke products produced from a coal blend using operations described in this disclosure may vary. As shown by range 502, the yield may range from approximately 40% to 60% in some embodiments, wherein such yield may be a dry yield (i.e., the dry mass fraction of the foundry coke product may be 40% or 60% of the dry mass fraction of the total population of coke products). As shown by data point 553, some embodiments perform operations that result in a yield that is approximately 57%, although the yield may be lower in other cases. For example, as shown by data point 551, the yield in some coke production operations may be lower, such as as low as 41%. In many cases, some embodiments of the present technology may implement operations that satisfy a minimum yield threshold, such as operations that result in a yield that is at least 25%, at least 30%, at least 40%, at least 50%, at least 60%, etc. While some embodiments of the present technology may implement controller optimization operations to increase a yield, some embodiments of the present technology may allow a predicted yield to be lower than a maximum expected yield in order to satisfy other target coke product parameters.

[072] Figure 6 is a graph indicating particle size in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology. As shown in graph 600, the average batch lengths in inches for different batches of coke products produced from a coal blend using operations described in this disclosure may vary. As shown by a range 602, the average coke product length may range from approximately 5.5 inches (13.97 cm) to approximately 7.5 inches (19.05 cm) in some embodiments. As shown by a data point 653, some embodiments perform operations that result in an average coke product length that is approximately 7.4 inches (18.7 cm), although the average coke product length may be shorter in other cases. For example, as shown by data point 651, the average coke product length in some coke production operations may be shorter, such as as low as 5.5 inches (13.97 cm). In many cases, some embodiments of the present technology may implement operations that satisfy a minimum average coke product length threshold, such as operations that result in an average coke product length that is at least 2.5 inches (6.35 cm), 4.0 inches (10.16 cm), 5.0 inches (12.7 cm), 6.0 inches (15.24 cm), 7.0 inches (17.78 cm), 8.0 inches (20.32 cm), 9.0 inches (22.86 cm), or some other length. In some embodiments, a larger coke product may result in more efficient smelting operations. While some embodiments of the present technology may implement controller optimization operations to increase the average coke product length, some embodiments of the present technology may allow a predicted average coke product length to be less than an expected maximum average coke product length in order to satisfy other target coke product parameters.

[073] Figure 7 is a graph indicating 4-inch drop spall properties in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology. As shown in graph 700, 4.0-inch drop spall survival rates for different batches of coke products produced from a coal blend using operations described in this disclosure may vary. As shown by a range 702, the 4.0-inch drop spall survival rate may range from about 80% to about 95% in some embodiments. As shown by data point 753, some embodiments perform operations that result in a 4.0 inch (10.16 cm) drop spall survival rate that is approximately 93 percent, although the 4.0 inch (10.16 cm) drop spall survival rate may be lower in other cases. For example, as shown by data point 751, the 4.0 inch (10.16 cm) drop spall survival rate in some coke production operations may be lower, such as as low as 81 percent. In many cases, some embodiments of the present technology can implement operations that satisfy a minimum 4.0 inch drop spatter survival rate threshold, such as operations that result in a 4.0 inch drop spatter survival rate that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, or at least 95%, or at least some other 4.0 inch drop spatter threshold. In many cases, a higher drop spatter survival rate is useful for downstream smelting operations because more coke products survive downstream transportation and processing.

[074] Figure 8 is a graph indicating 6-inch drop spall properties in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology. As shown in graph 800, 6.0-inch drop spall survival rates for different batches of coke products produced from a coal blend using operations described in this disclosure may vary. As shown by a strip 802, the 6.0-inch drop spall survival rate may vary from about 30% to about 80% in some embodiments. As shown by data point 853, some embodiments perform operations that result in a 6.0 inch (15.24 cm) drop spall survival rate that is approximately 80 percent, although the 6.0 inch (15.24 cm) drop spall survival rate may be lower in other cases. For example, as shown by data point 851, the 6.0 inch (15.24 cm) drop spall survival rate in some coke production operations may be lower, such as as low as 30 percent. In many cases, some embodiments of the present technology may implement operations that satisfy a minimum 6.0 inch drop shrapnel survival rate threshold, such as operations that result in a 6.0 inch drop shrapnel survival rate that is at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, or at least some other 6.0 inch drop shrapnel threshold, wherein the 6.0 inch drop shrapnel threshold may be less than a 4.0 inch drop shrapnel threshold.

[075] Figure 9 is a graph indicating an ash mass fraction, according to one or more embodiments of the present technology. As shown in graph 900, the ash mass fractions for different batches of coke products produced from a coal blend using operations described in this disclosure may vary. As shown by a range 902, the ash mass fraction may range from approximately 7% to approximately 10% in some embodiments. As shown by a data point 953, some embodiments perform operations that result in an ash mass fraction that is approximately 9.7%, although the ash mass fraction may be lower in other cases. For example, as shown by a data point 954, the ash mass fraction in some coke production operations may be 8.8%. Additionally or alternatively, as shown by data point 951, the ash mass fraction in some coke production operations may be lower, such as as low as 7.2%.

[076] In some embodiments, an ash content of a coke product produced using operations described in this disclosure may be less than an ash mass fraction limit, wherein the ash mass fraction limit may be 10.0%, 9.0%, 8.5%, 8.0%, 7.5%, or another value less than 50.0%. In some embodiments, the ash mass fraction may be unconventionally high, such as greater than 10.0%. Alternatively or additionally, some embodiments of the present technology may produce a coke product having an ash mass fraction limit that satisfies an ash mass fraction limit that is less than 10.0%, less than 9.0%, less than 8.5%, less than 8.0%, less than 7.5%, or less than 7.0%. Some embodiments may include ash within a range, such as between 5.5% and 7.0%, 6.0% and 6.5%, between 8.0% and 10.0%, or between some other values. Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology may produce a set of coke products that meet a target mass fraction value. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may produce a coke product that has an ash mass fraction that meets a target ash mass fraction, wherein the target ash mass fraction may be approximately 9.0%, approximately 8.5%, approximately 8.0%, approximately 7.5%, or approximately 7.0%.

[077] In some embodiments, some embodiments of the present technology may implement operations that produce coke products that meet a minimum ash mass fraction threshold, such as coke products that have an ash mass fraction that is at least 7.0%, at least 8.0%, at least 9.0%, or at least some other ash mass fraction. Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology may determine coal blend formulations or perform coke oven operations that have an ash mass fraction that is within a predefined range, such as between 7.0% and 10.0%.

[078] Figure 10 is a graph 1000 indicating a mass fraction of wetting, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology. As shown in graph 1000, the mass fractions of coke product wetting for different batches of coke products produced from a coal blend using operations described in this disclosure may vary. As shown by a range 1002, the mass fractions of coke product wetting can range from approximately 0% to approximately 15% in some embodiments. As shown by data point 1053, some embodiments perform operations that result in a mass fraction of coke product wetting that is approximately 15%, although the mass fraction of coke product wetting may be lower in other cases. Additionally, as shown by data point 1051, the coke product wetting mass fraction in some coke production operations may be lower, such as being as low as 0.5%. In many cases, some embodiments of the present technology may implement operations that satisfy a minimum coke product wetting mass fraction threshold, such as operations that result in a coke product wetting mass fraction that is at least 7.0%, at least 8.0%, at least 9.0%, or at least some other coke product wetting mass fraction. Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology may determine coal blend formulations or perform coke oven operations that have a coke product wetting mass fraction that is within a predefined range, such as between 7.0% and 10.0%. Furthermore, some embodiments of the present technology may determine coal blend formulations or perform coke oven operations that have a coke product wetting mass fraction that is less than a predefined value, such as less than or equal to 10.0%, less than or equal to 8.0%, less than or equal to 7.0%, less than or equal to 5.0%, etc.

[079] Figure 11 is a graph 1100 indicating a sulfur mass fraction in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology. As shown in graph 1100, the sulfur mass fractions for different batches of coke products produced from a coal blend using operations described in this disclosure may vary. As shown by a range 1102, the sulfur mass fractions may range from approximately 0.60% to approximately 0.75% in some embodiments. As shown by a data point 1153, some embodiments perform operations that result in a sulfur mass fraction that is approximately 0.73%, although the sulfur mass fraction may be lower in other cases. Additionally, as shown by data point 1151, the sulfur mass fraction in some coke production operations may be lower, such as as low as 0.63%.

[080] In some embodiments, the sulfur content of the coke product may be less than a sulfur mass fraction limit. For example, the sulfur content of a coke product may be less than 1.0%, less than 0.9%, less than 0.8%, less than 0.7%, less than 0.6%, less than 0.5%, less than 0.3%, less than 0.2%, or less than 0.1%. Some embodiments determine the formulation of a coal blend, determine a soaking time, or determine a damper control schedule to reduce the amount of sulfur in a coke product. Furthermore, a coke product may be produced based on a target sulfur content value, such as a target sulfur mass fraction of 0.65%. As described elsewhere herein, by reducing the sulfur content of coke products, some embodiments of the present technology can increase the efficiency of smelting operations.

[081] Figure 12 is a graph 1200 depicting SiO2 mass fractions vs. Al2O3 mass fractions in foundry coke product ash, according to one or more embodiments of the present technology. In some embodiments, a coke product can be characterized based on its SiO2 and Al2O3 mass fractions or ratios of these mass fractions. As shown in graph 1200, different coke ash samples can indicate different SiO2 and Al2O3 mass fractions or mass fraction ratios. For example, point 1250 indicates a sample that has a SiO2 mass fraction of approximately 48.0% and an Al2O3 mass fraction of approximately 24.3%, which suggests that some coke product ash may have a SiO2 to Al2O3 mass fraction ratio of approximately 2:1. As indicated by range 1201, the SiO2 mass fractions of different samples can vary between 48.0% and 51.0% in some embodiments. Furthermore, as indicated by range 1202, the SiO2 mass fractions of different samples can vary between 24.3% and 28.4% in some embodiments.

[082] Some embodiments may produce a coke product that minimizes the combination of Al2O3 and SiO2 or has a low amount of Al2O3 and SiO2. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may perform operations that produce coke products such that the ash of the coke products has a combined mass fraction of Al2O3 and mass fraction of SiO2 that is less than or equal to 65%. By reducing the amount of Al and Si in a coke product, some embodiments of the present technology may increase the efficiency of smelting operations by reducing their interference with carbon dissolution during smelting operations.

[083] Some embodiments may produce a coke product or a coal blend used to produce the coal blend that meets other limits for Al2O3 or SiO2. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may produce a coke product such that an Al2O3 mass fraction of the ash of the coke product, or an ash of a coal blend used to create the coke product, is less than or approximately 30%, less than or approximately 25%, or less than or approximately 20%. Alternatively or additionally, some embodiments of the present technology may produce a coke product such that an SiO2 mass fraction of the ash of the coke product, or an ash of a coal blend used to create the coke product, is less than or approximately 50%, less than or approximately 45%, less than or approximately 40%, or less than or approximately 35%.

[084] Alternatively or additionally, some embodiments of the present technology may produce a coke product such that the sum of a mass fraction of SiO2 and a mass fraction of Al2O3 of an ash of the coke product or of an ash of a coal blend used to create the coke product is less than or approximately 80%, less than or approximately 75%, less than or approximately 70%, less than or approximately 65%.

[085] Figure 13 is a graph 1300 depicting mass fractions of Fe2O3 vs. mass fractions of CaO in the ash of foundry coke products, according to one or more embodiments of the present technology. In some embodiments, a coke product can be characterized based on its mass fractions of Fe2O3 and CaO or ratios of these mass fractions. As shown in graph 1300, different data points representing coke ash samples can indicate different mass fractions and mass fraction ratios of Fe2O3 and CaO. For example, point 1351 indicates a sample having a mass fraction of Fe2O3 of approximately 12.1% and a mass fraction of CaO of approximately 2.4%. Additionally, point 1352 indicates a sample having a mass fraction of Fe2O3 of approximately 15.0% and a mass fraction of CaO of approximately 2.8%. Furthermore, point 1352 indicates a sample having a Fe2O3 mass fraction of approximately 12.0% and a CaO mass fraction of approximately 4.5%. Collectively, points 1351 indicate that the Fe2O3 to CaO mass fraction ratios for some samples can range from approximately 5:1 to approximately 5:2 in some embodiments. Furthermore, as indicated by track 1301, the Fe2O3 mass fractions of different samples can range from 11.0% to 15.0% in some embodiments. Furthermore, as indicated by track 1302, the Fe2O3 mass fractions of CaO can range from 2.5% to 4.5% in some embodiments.

[086] Some embodiments may produce a coke product using operations to increase the amount of CaO in a coke product. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may perform operations that produce coke products such that the ash of the coke products has a mass fraction of CaO that is greater than or equal to 3.0%. Alternatively or additionally, other maximum CaO limits may be used. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may produce coke products such that the ash of the coke products has a mass fraction of CaO that is greater than or equal to 10.0%, greater than or equal to 9.0%, greater than or equal to 8.0%, greater than or equal to 7.0%, greater than or equal to 6.0%, greater than or equal to 5.0%, greater than or equal to 4.0%, greater than or equal to 3.0%, greater than or equal to 2.0%, greater than or equal to 1.0%, etc. Some embodiments may create a coke product from a coal mix that has a high CaO content, wherein this content may be determined by an ash composition. Such a high CaO content may increase the rate of carbon dissolution from the coke product.

[087] Figure 14 is a graph 1400 depicting the Ash Softening Temperatures vs. Model Ash Fusion Temperatures of different batches of foundry coke products, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology. In some embodiments, a coke product can be characterized based on its ash ST values, AFT model values, or ratios of these two values. As shown in graph 1400, different coke ash samples can have different ST and AFT model values. For example, point 1451 indicates a sample that has an ash ST value equal to approximately 1260°C (2300°F) and an AFT model value equal to approximately 1343.3°C (2450°F). Furthermore, point 1452 indicates a sample that has an ash ST value equal to approximately 1398.9 °C (2550 °F) and an AFT model value equal to approximately 1415.5 °C (2580 °F). Furthermore, as indicated by a range 1401, the ash ST value of different samples can range between 1260 °C (2300 °F) and 1426.7 °C (2600 °F) in some embodiments. Furthermore, as indicated by a range 1402, the AFT model values of some samples can range between 1343.3 °C (2450 °F) and 1426.7 °C (2600 °F) in some embodiments.

[088] Figure 15 is a graph 1500 depicting Ash Softening Temperatures vs. Ash Mass Fractions of different batches of foundry coke products, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology. In some embodiments, a coke product may be characterized based on its ash mass fractions or observed ash ST values. As shown in graph 1500, different coke ash samples may indicate different ash mass fractions and observed STs for the different ash samples. For example, point 1551 indicates a sample that has an ST value equal to approximately 1287.8 °C (2350 °F) and an ash mass fraction of approximately 7.8%. Furthermore, point 1352 indicates a sample having an ST value of approximately 1404.4 °C (2560 °F) and an ash mass fraction of approximately 8.1%. Furthermore, point 1353 indicates a sample having an ST value of approximately 1371.1 °C (2500 °F) and an ash mass fraction of approximately 8.8%. Some embodiments may produce coke products with lower ash content and lower AFT than coke products using conventional coal blends or conventional operations. By reducing the ash of a coke product available for accumulation on a coke surface, some embodiments of the present technology may thereby improve the rate of carbon dissolution during a smelting operation. Similarly, by reducing the melting temperature of the ash of a coke product, some embodiments of the present technology can improve the rate of ash dissolution by reducing the temperature required to ash a coke surface during a smelting operation.

[089] In some embodiments, as indicated by range 1501, the ash content values of different samples can range from 1260 °C (2300 °F) to 1404.4 °C (2560 °F). Further, as indicated by range 1502, the ash content can range from approximately 7.8% to 8.8%. As shown in graph 1500, some embodiments of the present technology can produce a coke product that has an ash mass fraction that is less than 10.0%, less than 9.0%, or less than another maximum ash mass fraction limit. Further, some embodiments of the present technology can perform operations to maintain a minimum amount of ash product. For example, some embodiments of the present technology may implement coke oven operations to produce coke products with at least 1.0% ash, 5.0% ash, 7.0% ash, etc.

[090] Figure 16 is a graph 1600 depicting Observed Ash Melting Temperatures vs. Model Ash Melting Temperatures of different batches of foundry coke products in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present technology. Graph 1600 includes a first range 1601 indicating the range of observed AFT values in the range of approximately 1087.7°C (1990°F) to approximately 1537.7°C (2800°F). Graph 1600 includes a second range indicating the range of model AFT values in the range of between 1037.8°C (1900°F) and 1510°C (2750°F). As shown by plot 1600, coke products can show an approximate direct correlation between model AFT values and observed AFT values.

[091] From the following, it will be appreciated that although specific embodiments of the technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the technology. Furthermore, certain aspects of the new technology described in the context of specific embodiments may be combined or eliminated in other embodiments. Furthermore, although advantages associated with certain embodiments of the technology have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to be encompassed within the scope of the technology. Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology may encompass other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein. In this regard, the technology is not limited except by the appended claims.

IV. CONCLUSION

[092] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes can be made to the details of the embodiments described above without departing from the underlying principles of the present disclosure. In other examples, well-known structures and functions have not been shown and have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of embodiments of the present technology. Although the steps of the methods may be presented herein in a particular order, alternative embodiments may perform the steps in a different order. Likewise, certain aspects of the present technology disclosed in the context of particular embodiments may be combined or eliminated in other embodiments. Furthermore, although advantages associated with certain embodiments of the present technology may have been disclosed in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages or other advantages disclosed herein to fall within the scope of the technology. Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology may encompass other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein, and the invention is not limited except by the appended claims.

[093] Reference in this document to “one (1) embodiment”, “one embodiment”, “some embodiments” or similar formulations means that a specific feature, structure, operation or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present technology. Thus, appearances of such phrases or formulations in this document do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, multiple specific features, structures, operations or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[094] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing weight percentages, concentrations, compositions and other numerical values used in the specification and claims should be understood as being modified in all cases by the term “approximately”. Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and the appended claims are approximations that may vary depending on the desired properties intended to be obtained by the present technology. As used in this disclosure, unless otherwise disclosed, a value may be considered to be approximately a target value if a difference between the value and the target value is less than or equal to 10% of the target value. At a minimum, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be interpreted in light of the number of significant digits reported and by applying common rounding techniques. Furthermore, all ranges disclosed herein should be understood to encompass any and all subranges included therein. For example, a range of “1 to 10” includes any and all subranges between (and including) the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10 (i.e., any and all subranges that have a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and a maximum value equal to or less than 10, e.g., 5.5 to 10).

[095] Although the present invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration based on what are currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it should be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but rather is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the scope of the appended claims. For example, it should be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment may be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.

[096] As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than in the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). The words “comprise,” “comprises,” “include,” “includes,” “including,” and the like, mean including, but not limited to, but not limited to. As used throughout this application, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” “the” include plural references unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “an element” or “an element” includes a combination of two or more elements, notwithstanding the use of other terms and phrases for one or more elements, such as “one or more.”

[097] Various other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the detailed description of this disclosure and the accompanying drawings. It should also be understood that the description of this disclosure is exemplary and not restrictive of the scope of the invention. As used in the specification and claims, the singular forms of “a,” “an,” and “the” or “a,” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Furthermore, as used in the specification, “a portion” refers to either a part or the entirety (i.e., the entire portion) of a given item (e.g., data), unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Furthermore, a “set” may refer to a singular form or a plural form, such that a “set of items” may refer to one item or to a plurality of items.

[098] The term “or” is not exclusive (i.e., it encompasses both “and” and “or”) unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms that describe conditional relations (e.g., “in response to X, Y,” “upon X, Y,” “if X, Y,” “when X, Y,” and the like) encompass causal relations in which the antecedent is a necessary causal condition, the antecedent is a sufficient causal condition, or the antecedent is a contributory causal condition of the consequent (e.g., “state X occurs upon the attainment of condition Y” is generic to “X occurs only in Y” and “X occurs in Y and Z”). Such conditional relations are not limited to consequences that instantaneously follow the attainment of the antecedent, for some consequences may be delayed, and in conditional statements, antecedents are linked to their consequents (e.g., the antecedent is relevant to the probability of the consequent occurring). Statements in which a plurality of attributes or functions map to a plurality of objects (e.g., one or more processors that perform steps/operations A, B, C, and D) encompass all such attributes or functions that map to all such objects and subsets of attributes or functions that map to subsets of objects (e.g., all processors that each perform steps/operations A-D and a case where processor 1 performs step/operation A, processor 2 performs step/operation B and part of step/operation C, and processor 3 performs part of step/operation C and step/operation D), unless otherwise indicated. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, statements that a value or action is “based” on another condition or value encompass both instances in which the condition or value is the sole factor and instances in which the condition or value is one factor among a plurality of factors.

[099] Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, statements that “each” instance of some collection has some property should not be read to exclude cases where some identical or similar members of a larger collection do not have the property (i.e., each does not necessarily mean each and every). Limitations on the sequence of recited steps should not be read into the claims unless they are explicitly specified (e.g., with explicit language such as “after performing X, perform Y”), as opposed to statements that could be improperly argued to imply sequence limitations (e.g., “perform X on items, perform Y on items X”) used for the purpose of making the claims more readable rather than specifying sequence. Statements regarding “at least Z of A, B, and C” and the like (e.g., “at least Z of A, B, or C”) refer to at least Z of the listed categories (A, B, and C) and do not require at least Z units in each category. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, it is noted that throughout this specification, discussions using terms such as “process,” “compute,” “calculate,” “determine,” or similar terms refer to actions or processes of a specific device, such as a special-purpose computer or similar special-purpose electronic processing/computing device.

[0100] The present technology is illustrated, by way of example, according to various aspects described below as numbered embodiments (1, 2, 3, etc.) for convenience. These are provided as examples and are not limited to the present technology. It is appreciated that any of the dependent embodiments may be combined in any combination and placed in a respective independent embodiment. 1. A coke product comprising: a Coke Reactivity Index (CRI) of at least 30%; and an ash melting temperature (AFT) of not more than 1316°C. 2. A coke product comprising:an ash having a composition satisfying the following equation:Ash Melting Temperature (AFT) = 19 * (Al2O3_mass_fraction) + 15 * (SiO2_mass_fraction + TiO2_mass_fraction) + 10 * (CaO_mass_fraction + MgO_mass_fraction) + 6 * (Fe2O3_mass_fraction + Na2O_mass_fraction) where:the AFT is a value between 1204 °C and 1426 °C;the SiO2_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of SiO2 of the ash;the Al2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of Al2O3 of the ash;the Fe2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of Fe2O3 of the ash;the CaO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of CaO of the ash; and the MgO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of MgO in the ash.3. A coke product comprising:an ash having a composition satisfying the following equation:Ash Fusion Temperature (AFT) = 19 * (Al2O3_mass_fraction) + 15 * (SiO2_mass_fraction + TiO2_mass_fraction) + 10 * (CaO_mass_fraction + MgO_mass_fraction) + 6 * (Fe2O3_mass_fraction + Na2O_mass_fraction + K2O_mass_fraction)where:the AFT is a value between 982 °C and 1426 °C;the SiO2_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of SiO2 of the ash;the Al2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of Al2O3 of the ash;the Fe2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of Fe2O3 of the ash; CaO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of CaO in the ash; MgO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of MgO in the ash; and K2O_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of K2O in the ash.4. A coke product comprising:an ash having a composition that satisfies the following equation:Ash Melting Temperature (AFT) = 401.5 + 26.3 * SiO2_mass_fraction + 40.7 x Al2O3_mass_fraction) - 11.0 x Fe2O3_Mass_Fraction - 7.9 x CaO_mass_fraction - 112 x MgO_mass_fraction),where:the AFT is a value between 982 °C and 1204 °C;the SiO2_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of SiO2 of the ash;the Al2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of Al2O3 of the ash;the Fe2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of Fe2O3 of the ash;the CaO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of CaO of the ash; MgO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of MgO in the ash.5. The coke product of any of embodiments 1 through 4, wherein the AFT is approximately equal to at least one of 1204 °C, 1260 °C, 1288 °C, 1316 °C, 1343 °C, 1371 °C, 1399 °C, or 1427 °C.6. The coke product of any of embodiments 1 through 5, wherein the coke product has an initial deformation temperature between 1149 °C and 1316 °C.7. The coke product of any of embodiments 1 through 6, wherein the coke product has a softening temperature between 1177 °C and 1371 °C.8. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the coke product has a hemispherical temperature between 1204 °C and 1371 °C. 9. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the coke product has a fluid temperature between 1232 °C and 1427 °C. 10. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein an ash mass fraction of the coke product is not greater than 10.0 %. 11. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein a sulfur or sulfur oxide mass fraction of the coke product is not greater than 1.0 %. 12. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 to 11, wherein: the coke product is produced from a coal mixture comprising ash that includes Al2O3 and SiO2; and a combined mass fraction of the Al2O3 and SiO2 of the ash is not more than 65%. 13. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 to 12, wherein the AFT is approximately 1204 °C. 14. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 to 13, wherein: the coke product is produced from a coal mixture comprising ash that includes Al2O3 and SiO2; and a combined mass fraction of Al2O3 and SiO2 of the ash is between 65% and 80%. 15. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 to 14, wherein the AFT is between 1204 °C and 1260 °C. 16. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 through 15, wherein: the coke product is produced from a coal mixture comprising ash that includes CaO; and a CaO mass fraction of the ash is at least 2.0%. 17. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 through 16, wherein the coke product has a coke reactivity index (CRI) of at least 25.0%. 18. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 through 17, wherein the coke product has a Coke Strength After Reaction (CSR) of not more than 40.0%. 19. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 through 18, wherein the coke product has a 2-inch drop fracture of at least 90%. 20. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 through 19, wherein the coke product has a 4-inch fall break of at least 80%. 21. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 through 20, wherein an ash mass fraction of the coke product is at least 8.0%. 22. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 through 21, wherein a volatile matter mass fraction of the coke product is not greater than 1.0%. 23. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 through 22, wherein a fixed carbon content of the coke product is at least 94.5%. 24. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 through 23, wherein a fixed carbon content of the coke product is at least 85.0%. 25. The coke product of any one of embodiments 1 to 24, wherein the coke product comprises at least Na+1, Fe2+ or F3+.

Claims (25)

1. Coke product CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: a Coke Reactivity Index (CRI) of at least 30%; and an ash fusion temperature (AFT) not exceeding 1316 °C. 2. The coke product of claim 1, wherein the coke product has an initial deformation temperature between 1149°C and 1316°C. 3. The coke product of claim 1, wherein the coke product has a softening temperature between 1177°C and 1371°C. 4. The coke product of claim 1, wherein the coke product has a hemispherical temperature between 1204°C and 1371°C. 5. The coke product of claim 1, wherein the coke product has a fluid temperature between 1232°C and 1427°C. 6. The coke product of claim 1 wherein the AFT is between 1204°C and 1260°C. 7. The coke product of claim 1 wherein a fixed carbon content of the coke product is at least 85.0%. 8. Coke product CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: ash having a composition that satisfies the following equation: Ash Fusion Temperature (AFT) = 19 * (Al2O3_mass_fraction) + 15 x (SiO2_mass_fraction + TiO2_mass_fraction) + 10 * (CaO_mass_fraction + MgO_mass_fraction) + 6 x (Fe2O3_mass_fraction + Na2O_mass_fraction + K2O_mass_fraction),where: the AFT is a value between 982 °C and 1426 °C;the SiO2_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of SiO2 of less than or equal to 50% of the ash;the Al2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of Al2O3 of less than or equal to 30% of the ash; Fe2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of Fe2O3 greater than or equal to 11% of the ash; CaO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of CaO greater than or equal to 1% of the ash; MgO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of MgO less than or equal to 10% of the ash; and K2O_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of K2O less than or equal to 10% of the ash. 9. The coke product of claim 8, wherein a mass fraction of the ash of the coke product is not greater than 10.0%. 10. The coke product of claim 8, wherein an ash mass fraction of the coke product is at least 8.0%. 11. The coke product of claim 8, wherein a mass fraction of volatile matter of the coke product is not greater than 1.0%. 12. Coke product according to claim 8, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that a mass fraction of sulfur or sulfur oxide of the coke product is not greater than 1.0%. 13. The coke product of claim 8, wherein: the coke product is produced from a coal mixture comprising ash including Al2O3 and SiO2; and a combined mass fraction of the Al2O3 and SiO2 of the ash is not greater than 65%. 14. The coke product of claim 8, wherein: the coke product is produced from a coal mixture comprising ash including Al2O3 and SiO2; and a combined mass fraction of the Al2O3 and SiO2 of the ash is between 65% and 80%. 15. The coke product of claim 8, wherein the AFT is 1204 °C. 16. The coke product of claim 8, wherein the AFT is between 1204°C and 1260°C. 17. The coke product of claim 8, wherein: the coke product is produced from a coal mixture comprising ash including CaO; and a mass fraction of the CaO in the ash is at least 2.0%. 18. The coke product of claim 8, wherein the coke product has a coke reactivity index (CRI) of at least 25.0%. 19. The coke product of claim 8, wherein the coke product has a Coke Strength After Reaction (CSR) that is not greater than 40.0%. 20. The coke product of claim 8 wherein the coke product has a 2-inch (5.08 cm) drop shatter of at least 90%. 21. The coke product of claim 8 wherein the coke product has a 4-inch drop shatter of at least 80%. 22. The coke product of claim 8, wherein a fixed carbon content of the coke product is at least 85.0%. 23. The coke product of claim 8 wherein the AFT is equal to at least one of 1260 °C, 1288 °C, 1316 °C, 1343 °C, 1371 °C, 1399 °C, or 1427 °C. 24. Coke product CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: ash having a composition that satisfies the following equation:Ash Fusion Temperature (AFT) = 19 * (Al2O3_mass_fraction) + 15 x (SiO2_mass_fraction + TiO2_mass_fraction) + 10 * (CaO_mass_fraction + MgO_mass_fraction) + 6 x (Fe2O3_mass_fraction + Na2O_mass_fraction),where:the AFT is a value between 982 °C and 1204 °C;the SiO2_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of SiO2 of less than or equal to 50% of the ash;the Al2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of Al2O3 of less than or equal to 30% of the ash;the Fe2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of Fe2O3 of greater than or equal to 11% of the ash; the CaO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of CaO of greater than or equal to 1% of the ash; and the MgO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of MgO of less than or equal to 10% of the ash. 25. Coke product CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: ash having a composition that satisfies the following equation: Ash Fusion Temperature (AFT) = 401.5 + 26.3 * SiO2_mass_fraction + 40.7 * Al2O3_mass_fraction) - 11.0 * Fe2O3_Mass_Fraction - 7.9 * CaO_mass_fraction - 112 * MgO_mass_fraction),where: the AFT is a value between 1204 ° C and 1426 ° C; the SiO2_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of SiO2 of less than or equal to 50% of the ash; the Al2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of Al2O3 of less than or equal to 30% of the ash; the Fe2O3_mass_fraction is a mass fraction Fe2O3 mass of greater than or equal to 11% of the ash; the CaO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of CaO of greater than or equal to 1% of the ash; and the MgO_mass_fraction is a mass fraction of MgO of less than or equal to 10% of the ash.