| Abstract: | The importance of the porous structure of coke in industrial usage has been recognized for many years but the difficulties involved in determining by manual microscopic methods, quantitative details of the structure precluded comprehensive and detailed studies. With the advent of computerized image analysis systems it has become possible to overcome many of the practical difficulties associated with the determination of structural data for a material as heterogeneous as metallurgical coke. Techniques based on reflected light microscopy and automatic image analysis have been developed to the extent that representative and reliable structural characterization of coke can be achieved. The data so obtained have been used to derive strength/structure relationships which enable coke strength to be predicted with a standard error comparable with that of the experimental determination and the structural characterization now offers an additional means of defining coke quality with potentially significant industrial applications. |
