ADVANCED CARBON PRODUCTS, LLC
Advanced Carbon Products (ACP) specializes in the research, development, and production of advanced carbon-based materials from low-value carbon sources, such as petroleum and coal oils. ACP's low-cost, state-of-the-art, patented new processes for making isotropic and mesophase pitches can be further manufactured into carbon fiber, foams, graphitic microbeads, anodes, electrodes, and other carbon materials. ACPT works closely with ACP to utilize these advanced, U.S.-sourced materials to deliver a variety of lower cost, lighter weight, optimized components that are designed to improve the survivability and combat effectiveness of our warfighters.
ACP produces low-cost isotropic and mesophase pitch-based materials that are used in the development of products that help reduce vehicle weight and fuel consumption, increase vehicle range, enable signature reduction, and improve heat dissipation.
ACP PROCESSES
OUR MATERIALS
ACP10 ISOTROPIC PITCH
ACP10 Isotropic pitch is a high carbon content pitch produced from low-cost petroleum or coal oils. It is the feedstock for the ACP20 process, where it is converted into mesophase pitch. Isotropic pitch is also used to make anodes and electrodes for the aluminum and steel industries, respectively. Many manufactured carbon and graphite materials use isotropic pitch as their starting material.
ACP20 MESOPHASE PITCH
Mesophase pitch is a unique high carbon content, crystalline structured material. ACP produces mesophase pitch in the ACP20 process by converting the ACP10 isotropic pitch into ACP20 mesophase pitch. The ACP20 mesophase pitch is the starting material used to make carbon fiber, graphitic foam, graphitic microbeads and other graphite materials.
CARBON FIBER
Mesophase pitch-based carbon fiber is very lightweight and exhibits high strength and stiffness. These properties make carbon fiber a key material for light-weighting vehicles and many other applications. When graphitized, carbon fiber has excellent electrical and thermal properties. They can be produced by melt spinning or melt blowing and graphitizing ACP20 mesophase pitch.
CARBON FOAM
Carbon foam has very low thermal conductivity and is primary used for thermal insulation. They are produced from isotropic pitch.
GRAPHITIC FOAM
Graphitic foam offers very high thermal and electrical conductivity while maintaining a low weight. Graphitic foams can be used in application where thermal management and minimum weight are key requirements.
ANODES
Anodes are made by mixing and pressing together isotropic pitch and anode-grade coke. The anode is then heated to around 1100°C to carbonize it. The anode is used to produce aluminum from alumina.
ELECTRODES
Electrodes are made by mixing and pressing isotropic pitch and needle coke into a rod. The rods are graphitized to as high as 3000°F to maximize electrical conductivity. The steel industry uses these electrodes to melt scrap steel in electric arc furnaces (EAF). The electrodes can be up to 60” in diameter.