Studies of the conversion of petroleum feedstocks to coke

Needle coke, produced by the delayed coking of petroleum-derived feedstocks, is a key raw material in the production of graphite electrodes as well as many other carbon and graphite products. The properties of these products are, to a large extent, determined by those of the precursor coke which are, in turn, related to the composition and coking reactions of the petroleum coke feedstock. For these reasons, we have carried out, over the years, extensive studies of the mechanism of coking and on the relation of petroleum feedstock composition to carbon and graphite properties. The results of some of these studies, and their relevance to carbonization chemistry, are presented in this paper. In Section II of the paper, we discuss some coking studies on model aromatic compounds and briefly review the general mechanisms of carbonization. Characterization data and Pilot Plant coking results for selected petroleum feedstocks are presented. A brief summary is also presented.