Optimizing Utilization of Petroleum Coke in Nigerian Metallurgical Industry

E.J. Akpabio, O.W. Obot

Chemical & Petroleum Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Uyo,Uyo, Nigeria..
Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Uyo, Uyo,Nigeria..

DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2011.103018                

Abstract

Utilization of petroleum coke in the rejuvenating Nigerian metallurgical industry is currently satisfied by importation from more industrialized nations of the world such as the USA, Brazil and Venezuela where delayed coking plants operate and grow in number. The sad years of poor planning have revealed lapses in integration and synergic planning of our industrial complex. The sources of petroleum coke feedstock have been identified and confirmed as atmospheric and vacuum residues of Nigerian refineries. Analysis has portrayed a symbiotic relationship between the metallurgical industry as one of the major end users of various petroleum coke grades, the shot coke, the sponge coke and the needle coke, and the petroleum industry on its part benefiting while providing ready market for steel sheet metals for even coke drum manufacture. This effort shall greatly increase the Nigerian content in these key industrial sectors, with the resultant reduction in capital flight through importation, if rethinking, and re-strategizing are injected into our industrial planning, and revamps models. Redesign options of existing refineries and reengineering of newly proposed refineries should contain resid processing units such as Delayed Coking Plant which will deepen conversion of residual petroleum feed stocks and produce various petroleum coke grades for utilization in power generation sector and our growing metallurgical and electrode industries.

Keywords

petroleum, coking, plant, ore, residue, cracking

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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