The Process

How it works

1. A gas or liquid fuel is burned with excess air providing heat for thermal decomposition of a feedstock oil. The combustion and cracking reaction takes place within one of our refractory lined reactors. Process air is furnished by centrifugal blowers and is preheated by an exchanger. When the reactor's' internal temperature reaches 1,315 to 1,750 degrees Celsius (depending on the type of product being produced) the feedstock oil is cracked, principally to carbon and hydrogen.

2. Upon leaving the reactor, the hot carbon-laden gases are cooled by direct water sprays to about 540 degrees Celsius before entering the process air heat exchanger.

3. The cooled reactor effluent passes through a cyclonic agglomerator and then to a silicone coated glass fabric bag which removes essentially 100% of the particulate matter. The gaseous effluent contains approximately 50% water vapor and 35% nitrogen. The remaining 15% is made up of C0, C0₂ and H₂ with trace amounts of hydrocarbons. These gaseous effluents are burned and the heat generated is recovered.

4. Outlet-header camper valves close at preset intervals (one at a time) and the reverse flow of clean effluent gas forces the collected carbon black to fall into the pre-pulverizing hopper.

5. From the bag filter, the black is collected into a pulverizing hopper. Pulverizers break up and disperse any agglomerates present.

6. Pulverized carbon black, light and fluffy, is conveyed to the tubular mixing box for pelletizing. Water with binder is sprayed in and the black plus water is whipped into tiny pellets by revolving pins.

7. Moisture is removed from the black in a dryer drum. Pelletized carbon black, very low in dust content and moisture at this point, is now ready for storage and final handling.

8. Magnetic separator eliminates any possible iron contamination.

9. In the screen-separator, large pellets are trapped by the coarse top screen. The desired pellet grade is trapped by the finer middle screen. Very fine material falls through both screens and is combined with the previously isolated larger pellets for reprocessing.

10. Pre-shipment tests define and assure exact quality of carbon black.

11. The finished carbon black is package to customer requirements which include specially designed metal bins, bulk bags, 25Kg paper bags and road tankers.