Coke Loads

[Philip H]

First - laugh it up at the title . . .. I'm looking at you Russ . . .

Second, I am planning to implement a short dedicated Petroleum coke load service on the layout from my "refinery" (really a polyolefins plant) to the Devils Swamp loading dock.  The idea is that pet coke generated at Exxon goes to the dock and gets loaded on barges to go up the mississippi . . . which the KCS used to do by train until the mid-1990's . . . so I have acquired a few dedicated hoppers for this purpose.

Being a coke/coal nephytie I wonder if anyone can opine as to whether the Hay Brothers metalurgical coke load would look close enough to pet coke so I can use them for the service.  If not, doeas anyone have another idea about how to make them in an appropriate shade of grey/black?

Thanks!

[ljudice]

i thought petroleum coke had to be covered,  al la the Deluxe bethgons with covers???

[Philip H]

maybe . . . but I found a couple of papers on line that show it needs to be in clean cars (eg no sand or gravel) but nothing about covering.

[BCR751]

Phillip,

The petroleum coke that goes through here is very fine, almost powdery.  I could be wrong but I think it's sprayed with some sort of sealer as it's being loaded at the plant.  I know the regular coal that ships through here is coated that way and it's slightly heavier in texture.  I made my coal loads by shaping a chunk of construction Styrofoam to fit the car, coated the top with a 50/50 mix of matte medium and water and sprinkled on some black Tempera paint powder.  I don't have a photo but it looks pretty good to me. Oh, and I first painted the styrofoam chunk with black acrylic paint just in case some of the "coal" wears off it doesn't look crappy.

Doug

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You need loads of coke?

I got a guy...

[carlso]

The refinery that I retired from used to ship pet coke in open top 100 ton hoppers. It was usually very wet because it was loaded as it was drilled. I do think they sprayed the topside with some sort of product to keep the very fine from blowing out of the cars.

carl

[chicken45]

I'm modeling a small coal mine and a few battery coke ovens. I know back in the day it wasn't covered. They piled it higher in hoppers because it was lighter.

[Philip H]

SO it looks like we've settled the open hopper questions, and I'll keep the ones I have.

Still doesn't really answer the aesthetic question as to whether the Hay Brothers loads are close enough to pet coke for me to use, or do I need to pursue another option.   

[Blazeman]

Phil: What stage of it would you be "shipping?" Right out of the coker or after calcining? The photo of it in Wikipedia actually resembles WS ballast that has been glued but without the wetting agent step.  I don't know if that's what you are contemplating.

http://petcoke-gms.com/multimedia.html

[Philip H]

so the reference material I have for the KCS in Baton Rouge just lists it as aproduct of Exxon and "calcined coke" so I'm assuming stuff that went out of the plant at the end of the process.  It was transloaded to barges on the Mississippi (Pete Nolan I'm looking at you) and shipped north to aluminum manufacturers and others.

[haybros]

First - laugh it up at the title . . .. I'm looking at you Russ . . .

. . . . . . so I have acquired a few dedicated hoppers for this purpose.

Being a coke/coal nephytie I wonder if anyone can opine as to whether the Hay Brothers metalurgical coke load would look close enough to pet coke so I can use them for the service.  If not, doeas anyone have another idea about how to make them in an appropriate shade of grey/black?

In short...No. The coke loads we currently have listed on the website are the "chunky" Metallurgical Coke you see headed towards the steel furnaces.  We have made the finer "pet coke" / "coke breeze" loads many times, but it is not a cataloged load. We do have some in the warehouse but you did not mention what car(s) you have for this train....... Send me an e-mail at sales@nscaleloads.com and we might be able to supply your needs ...

Bill Hay
www.nscaleloads.com

[Philip H]

Bill,
Thanks. Will do.