To
investigate the variation of true density and the sulfur removal
forms during the ultrahigh-thermal desulfurization process, two types
of delayed petroleum cokes with different sulfur contents were calcined
at temperatures up to 2500 °C at two distinct heating rates.
The influence of the desulfurization coefficient on the true density
growth was quantitatively discussed. Additionally, the removal forms
of sulfur in petroleum cokes during thermal desulfurization were also
investigated through a series of thermodynamic calculations. The results
revealed a continuous increase in the true density with the uninterrupted
release of sulfur during thermal desulfurization, and a maximum true
density of 2.3 g/cm3 was obtained at a temperature of 2500
°C. The growth rate of the true density was dependent on the
desulfurization coefficient of the petroleum cokes. The relationship
between the true density growth rate and the desulfurization coefficient
during thermal desulfurization was an exponential function, which
can be presented as γTD = −117 × 10–5 exp(−104βD–S/1.45) + 9.07 × 10–5. Furthermore, the calculated
results indicated that gaseous elemental sulfur (S2) was
released by the pyrogenic decomposition of ferrous disulfide into
inorganic sulfur. Organic sulfur was initially degraded into H2S and SO2 through thiophene decomposition, and then free COS, S2, and CS2 were released via a carbon reduction
reaction.