Experimental investigation of phase equilibria and thermodynamic modeling of the CaO–Al2O3–CaS and the CaO–SiO2–CaS oxysulfide systems

Abstract

Phase equilibria of the CaO–Al2O3–CaS and the CaO–SiO2–CaS systems were experimentally investigated using equilibration and quenching techniques. Equilibrium phases were analyzed by means of electron probe X-ray microanalysis, X-ray diffraction analysis and differential thermal analysis. Solubility limits of all solid phases in these liquid oxysulfide phases were successfully constructed in the temperature range investigated in the present study (1500–1600°C). In order to supplement understanding the phase equilibria, a thermodynamic modeling of these liquid oxysulfides was conducted by taking into account strong chemical short-range ordering (SRO) in the framework of the modified quasichemical model in the quadruplet approximation. As for the solubility of CaS in the liquid oxysulfides, the solubility increases with increase in CaO in the case of the CaO–Al2O3–CaS system, whereas it decreases with increase in CaO in the case of the CaO–SiO2–CaS system. Such opposite behavior is explained by differences in the effect of the SRO in different liquid phases. It is shown that consideration for the SRO in the thermodynamic modeling is essential in order to properly describe the Gibbs energy of the liquid oxysulfide phase. Using the thermodynamic model and the database developed in the present study, liquidus projections of these oxysulfide systems are proposed for the first time.