Clark Testing
Coal and Coke Division

As a Laboratory Analyst for the Coal and Coke Division of Clark Testing, my team and I managed a laboratory which product tested various coal blends for their suitability in the safe and efficient production of coke. Coke is a carbonaceous material used as a source of carbon monoxide for the production of iron ore. The CO is used to reduce iron(III) oxide to its elemental form.

The coking process involves heating coal to very high temperatures in a coking oven. The efficiency of the coking process, the durability of the coking oven, and the desired qualities of the final coke product all depend upon an intelligent and well informed selection of the coal blends used in the coking process.

We also tested the final coke product for physical and chemical properties which affect it’s suitability for use in a blasting furnace.

During my time with Clark Testing, I coordinated the development of our wet chemistry laboratory and launched the first chemical procedure conducted by our division; the measurement of phosphorous content in coke through acid digestion and spectroscopy. This involved the physical construction of our laboratory, the writing Standard Operating Procedures, the creation of QC/QA and safety protocols, and data analysis.

I also piloted our division’s first CSR(Coke Strength after Reaction) analysis(CSR simulates the environment of the blasting furnace and tests the final coke product’s durability in a high temperature, carbon dioxide/carbon monoxide rich environment). This involved setting up the miniature blast furnace, programming its controller, writing procedures and QA/QC/safety protocols, and data analysis.

I trained several employees to conduct these procedures and was responsible for all of the data they produced, ensuring that it adhered to our standards of quality and that the data would withstand robust scrutiny from our auditors.

Our division was started less than a year before I was hired. Considering the start-up environment in which we worked, I wore many hats. Along with my laboratory duties, I performed routine maintenance on our instrumentation, helped schedule and manage employees, communicated daily with our clients, performed janitorial duties, and picked up samples from coal and coke production sites.

For more information on coke and coal quality requirements, see:

Diez, M.A., Alvarez, R, and Barriocanal, C.. “Coal for metallurgical coke production: predictions of coke quality and future requirements for cokemaking.” International Journal of Coal Geology. 50 (2002): 389 – 412