How to Appreciate the Coal Tar Pitch Impregnation on Coke Material?

In recent years, anode property optimization has mainly been obtained through dry mix, mixing or forming process improvements. Another way to improve anode properties is to work on raw materials and study the ability of coal tar pitch to coat and penetrate coke porosities. To validate the use of a new binder, it is important to understand the chemical and physical interactions that occur when coke grains meet liquid pitch. Fives has developed a laboratory-based method to characterize pitch/coke interaction. Its principle is based on the dynamic penetration technique of sessile drops. Complex phenomena due to the porosity of the coke and the chemical composition of the pitch lead to the use of a fluid/substrate model to dissociate the physical and chemical interactions. This article summarizes the approach for characterizing pitch imbibition on porous coke medium. This is a first step to predict anode performance using different grade of pitch.