Petroleum Coke Preheater
In carbon anode production for aluminum smelting, dry aggregate of calcined petroleum coke must be heated before it meets hot liquid pitch in the kneader or mixer. A petroleum coke preheater raises the coke from ambient temperature (as low as 32°F / 0°C in winter) to about 390°F (200°C). Pitch then wets the coke evenly, the green paste is consistent, and anode blocks formed from it have uniform density.
TiERMAX preheaters are screw heat exchangers built on the hollow-flight principle. Thermal oil or steam flows through the flights, the shafts and the trough, so the heating surface is large while the machine stays compact. The design aims for long service life, easy maintenance and the smallest practical footprint in the paste plant.
Petroleum Coke Preheater - Benefits
High Thermal Efficiency −
The heat transfer design gives fast, uniform heating with lower energy use.
Improved Anode Quality +
Reduced Operating Costs +
Maximum Performance in Minimal Space +
Long Equipment Service Life +
Easy Maintenance +
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Contact us todayPetroleum Coke Preheater - Features
The petroleum coke preheater uses a hollow-flight screw heat exchanger to heat coke before anode paste mixing. Its modular construction is engineered to each plant's capacity and operating conditions.
- Hollow Flight Heat TransferHollow-flight screws for fast, uniform heating.
- Modular InsulationRemovable insulation limits heat loss and speeds maintenance.
- Carbon Bearing DesignCarbon bearings absorb thermal expansion.
- High-Capacity OperationUp to 66 short tons/h and 430°F (220°C) product temperature.
- Heavy-Duty ConstructionHeavy-duty frame with integrated piping and instruments.
- Custom Engineered DesignEngineered for your process and plant layout.
Why Preheat Petroleum Coke in Anode Production?
Cold coke chills the pitch, raises its viscosity and leads to dry spots in the paste. Preheating coke to a stable temperature lets the binder coat every particle, improves paste homogeneity and reduces scrap anodes. It also takes thermal load off the mixer.
How the Hollow-Flight Preheater Works
Coke enters at the inlet and is carried forward by hollow-flight screws. Heat transfer oil or steam circulates inside the flights and shafts, so every surface the coke touches is a heating surface. The constant turnover of the bed gives fast, uniform heating at the outlet.
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Maintenance-Friendly Construction
Shaft thermal expansion is absorbed by carbon bearings that need very little attention. Individual shafts can be removed without dismantling the end wall. Modular insulation panels come off quickly for inspection. The complete unit ships on its own support frame with piping and instrumentation, which shortens installation.
Related Equipment
The preheater is part of a family of thermal screws. See the heating screw conveyor for other heating duties and the cooling screw conveyor for cooling hot calcined coke.
Frequently Asked Questions
A petroleum coke preheater heats calcined coke before it is mixed with hot pitch to make carbon anode paste. Preheating improves mixing, process efficiency and final anode quality.
Coke is preheated to about 390°F (200°C) so pitch keeps its low viscosity and wets every particle. The result is a more uniform paste and anodes with consistent density.
They are used mainly in the aluminum industry, in paste plants that produce carbon anodes for Hall-Héroult smelting cells.
Benefits include lower energy use, uniform heating, low heat loss, higher capacity in less space, and anodes with consistent properties.
Hollow-flight screws convey the coke while thermal oil or steam circulates through the flights and shafts. Heat moves directly from those surfaces into the coke as it travels to the outlet.
The heating medium flows inside the hollow screw flights, creating a much larger heating surface than a jacketed trough alone. That raises efficiency and reduces the size of the machine.
Standard designs cover about 5.5 to 66 short tons/h (5 to 60 t/h). Larger capacities are engineered on request.
Yes. Throughput, number of shafts, trough length, heating medium, insulation and instrumentation are all engineered to your plant's requirements and existing utilities.
We need throughput, inlet and outlet temperatures in °F, coke size distribution and bulk density, available heating medium, operating conditions and the plant layout.
