Role of Image Analysis on Coke Strength Prediction: A Survey

The metallurgical coke consists of different qualitative and quantitative properties. Qualitative properties defining the varied structure of a coke sample have visible influence on the strength of the coke and coke strength is a topic of study in view of its application areas. Image analysis provides a very reliable method for the quantification of these coke properties and establishes a direct link to the strength prediction of coke. With time, the different available microscopic imaging technologies have also evolved a lot and cater an extremely wide range of imaging requirements. The aim of this survey is to study the scope of image analysis in the field of the coke mineralogy. It tries to outline the properties of coke in two aspects, first are the established metrics that have been traditionally used to quantify the coke strength indexes and next are the qualitative properties engraving the structural complexity of coke. It also provides an idea of the different imaging modalities that have been applied in the area of study of coke behaviour, and their feasibility as per the requirements of the research. It has been tried to congregate an otherwise more scattered information into a single frame, that is available through various research work that has already been done. This survey covers the different structural features of the coke sample and their role in determining the coke quality, the influence of different carbon forms constituting the solid region of the coke body on the reactivity of coke, the role of the constituent coal blends of coke on its reactivity. It also provides a comparison of the different microscopic imaging technology available that will be helpful in making a choice as per the requirement of the experiment.