Evolution of Porosity Profiles of Magnetite Phase during High Temperature Reduction of Hematite.

Abstract

The reduction of initially nonporous hematite to porous magnetite by CO+CO2 (3:97) mixture was monitored thermogravimetrically at 850°C. For the series of six kinetic runs the grains of diameter ca. 1.5 mm were used. The final reduction degree varied from 13 to 100%. After each kinetic run the microscopic observations of the central cross-section of grains were done in quantitative way. The observations yielded the values of local porosity. The empirical equations were found describing the continuous exponential decrease of local porosity with the distance from the external surface of the grain. The value of total porosity obtained by mercury porosimetry agrees in a reasonable way with microscopic data. The classical shrinking core model (SCM) was fitted to kinetic data. The model took into account the gas-solid reaction occurring at sharp defined interface as well as the pore diffusion phenomena occurring inside the magnetite layer. The model was also modified. The local value of porosity was introduced to the definition of effective diffusivity (Deff). In this way Deff was allowed to vary with the distance from the external surface of the grain. The corrected three parameter SCM yielded slightly worse results. It implies that apart from the spatial variation of Deff the temporal one should be also considered. Indeed, it was found that the local porosity of the already reduced layer varied also with time. However, the data are not accurate enough to permit the temporal variation of Deff to be included in the model calculation.