Shisha Charcoal Quality Checking Procedures.
At our coconut shell charcoal briquettes factory, we have a 7-step quality process. Make sure that your hookah coals will be the same quality in each box and in each shipment.
Automatic Smoking Machine
Our factory was the first factory to introduce an automatic smoking machine for testing shisha charcoal. As you know the standard checking method is to burn the charcoal briquettes on the wire metal grid.
This method is widely used, and we also using it for testing. By burning your shisha charcoal and putting it on the wire you can check:
- burning time
- ash content (visually)
- ash color
- cracks
- color of the flame
But the downgrade from this method is that we use shisha charcoal differently. We put it in the bowl and smoke through it. This means that more air is going making burning faster and different compared to burning charcoal on the grid.
That is why we make, what I personally call “Smoking Joe” – the automatic smoking machine that simulates human smoking.
We put 8 shisha bowls and connected them with pipes to the air pump.
The air pump is automatically turned on every 40 seconds and works for 25 seconds, “inhaling” the air through the shisha bowls.
It makes airflow similar to if the shisha was smoked by 3-4 active smokers.
By using this automatic smoking machine we can see the real behavior of our coconut charcoal briquettes during smoking.
Very easy to see how ash content is growing during this time.
We also adjust the thermocouple to each of the shisha bowls, so we constantly measure the temperature inside the shisha bowl.
We use different types and sizes of bowls. We use turkey, type, “killer bowl, Vulcan bowl. Also, we use perforated foils to cover the bowls and colauds for checking too.
Instructions on how to measure shisha charcoal specifications
There are several methods on how to measure the different parameters of hookah coals. At our factory, we are using the following methods.
Ash Content of Charcoal Briquette
The Ash Content in charcoal briquettes consists of minerals that cannot be lost or evaporated during the washing process. Ash content is calculated based on SNI 06-3730-1995 as follows:
Ash Content (%) W1/W2 × 100%
W1 = Ash weight (g)
W2 = Sample weight (g)
The ash content test is the plates to be used in an oven with a temperature of 105°C for 30 minutes until the weight of the plates is constant. Then cooled in a desiccator and weighed. Put 1 g of the charcoal briquette sample into the cup. Furthermore, the plate containing the sample is put into a furnace with a temperature of 600°C for 3 hours. After that, it is cooled in a desiccator, and the resulting ash is weighed.
Volatile Content of Charcoal Briquettes
Levels of volatile substances are obtained by evaporating all volatile substances in a charcoal briquette powder other than water. The content of volatile substances is expressed in % based on SNI 01-6235-2000 as follows:
Volatile Content (%) = ((W1-W2)/W1)x100%
W1 = Original sample weight (g)
W2 = Weight after heating (g)
The method of testing for volatile substances, namely the plate to be used, is oven first at 105°C for 30 minutes until the weight of the plate is constant. Then it is cooled in a desiccator and weighed. Then 1 g of charcoal briquette sample was put into a cup and heated in a furnace at 950°C for 3 hours until the weight was constant. After that,t it is cooled in a desiccator and weighed.
Bonded Carbon Content of Charcoal Briquettes
Carbon is the fraction of carbon (C) in the briquette, apart from the fraction of water, volatile substances, and ash. Bound carbon content is stated in SNI 06-3730-1995 as follows:
Bound carbon content (%) =(100%)-(ash content+volatile substance content)%
Calorific value of Charcoal Briquettes
Calorific value test Charcoal briquettes are carried out using a bomb calorimeter. The equation used to determine the heating value is as follows:
Calorific Value (cal/g) = ((C x t)-(Pks x pk*)-(VNA2CO3 x V* NA2CO3))/A
C = Heat capacity of benzoic acid (cal/g)
T = Combustion temperature (℃)
Pks = Length of residual wire (cm)
Pk * = Correction of wire length (2.3 cal/cm)
𝑉NA2CO3 = Volume titration (mL)
𝑉∗NA2CO3 = Correction of the titration volume (1 cal/mL)
A = Sample mass (g)
The calorimeter tube is cleaned first. Then the empty capsule is weighed and the sample is inserted and then weighed again. After that, the capsule was tied using a 10 cm long nichrome wire and connected to the two electrodes of the calorimeter bomb. The prepared sample was put into the calorimeter bomb and closed tightly. Then O2 gas is injected into the calorimeter bomb until the pressure is 30 atm then put into a bucket filled with 2 liters of water. The chamber calorimeter bomb is closed and connected to the electrode and stirrer cable to the operating system. The operating system is switched on by pressing the on button, then the temperature is set to zero, and pressing the fire button marked sample burning begins, then the temperature is recorded every 15 seconds. The calorimeter bomb is removed from the chamber, then the gas is removed (until it is completely used up), and the lid. The remaining wire that is burned is measured and the combustion results are rinsed with distilled water and collected in the Erlenmeyer, then 3 drops of pp indicator are added and titrated with Na2 CO3 0.1 N. Recorded the volume of the titration.
Density of Charcoal Briquette
The principle of determining density or specific gravity is expressed in the results of the ratio between the weight and volume of charcoal briquettes using the formula ASTM D440-86:
Density = Sampling mass [g] / Sample Volume (cm3)
Compressive Strength of Charcoal Briquettes
A sample of briquettes under test is placed horizontally in the compression test fixture and is subjected to load until the charcoal briquettes crack. The compressive strength is calculated based on the following formula:
Kt (kg/cm2 ) = F[N] / A [cm2]
Kt – Compressive strength (kg / cm2)
F – Compressive force (N)
A = Sectional area (cm2)
kg /𝑐𝑚2 = 9.807 N /𝑐𝑚2
Moisture Content of Charcoal Briquettes
Content in principle is to evaporate part of the free water contained in the briquette until a balance of water content is achieved with the surrounding air. The formula used to determine water content based on SNI 06-3730-1995 is as follows:
Moisture Content (%) = ((W1-W2)/W1)x100%
W1 = Loss of sample weight (g)
W2 = Sample weight (g)
The method of testing the moisture content is that the cup to be used is put in an oven at a temperature of 105°C until the weight of the plate is constant ± 30 minutes and cooled in a desiccator then weighed as the weight of an empty cup. The charcoal briquette sample was put in as much as 2 g into a cup and then oven for 30 minutes at a temperature of 105°C. After that, it is cooled in a desiccator and then weighed. Repeat the steps until the sample weight is constant.
Size of the Briqiuttes
The very important parameter is the size and weight of the charcoal. Do not believe that your charcoal is 25 or 26 mm in size.
Take the caliper and measure it precisely. You will see that very often the real size of the charcoal briquettes can be instead of 25 mm – 24.5 mm. It is just half mm smaller. But it affects the burning time and temperature.
An additional 1 mm in the size of the hookah coals will make you enjoy and smoke it for 10-15 minutes longer.
And also the temperature is 15-25°C higher too.
The same goes for the total weight of the charcoal. For example, cube 25 mm is 72 pcs per kg. And we assume that we get 1000 grams of charcoal.
But in reality, the actual weight of 1 kg (72 pcs) can be 980 grams or 1060 grams.
So, every time you order your hookah coals from the factory – make sure what is the actual weight of the charcoal inside. Is it real size or small size/weight?
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