Global Fitting Functions for Kinetics of Fe-Selective Chlorination in Ilmenite and Successive Chlorination of Beneficiated TiO2

Abstract

Global fitting functions for Fe-selective chlorination in ilmenite(FeTiO2) and successive chlorination of beneficiated TiO2 are proposed and validated based on a comparison with experimental data collected from the literature. The Fe-selective chlorination reaction is expressed by the unreacted shrinking core model, which covers the diffusion-controlling step of chlorinated Fe gas that escapes through porous materials of beneficiated TiO2 formed by Fe-selective chlorination, and the chemical reaction-controlling step of the surface reaction of unreacted solid ilmenite. The fitting function is applied for both chemical controlling steps of the unreacted shrinking core model. The validation shows that our fitting function is quite effective to fit with experimental data by minimum and maximum values of determination coefficients of R2 as low as 0.9698 and 0.9988, respectively, for operating parameters such as temperature, Cl2 pressure, carbon ratio and particle size that change comprehensively. The global fitting functions proposed in this study are expressed simply as exponential functions of chlorination rate(X) vs. time(t), and each of them are validated by a single equation for various reaction conditions. There is therefore a certain practical merit for the optimal process design and performance analysis for field engineers of chlorination reactions of ilmenite and TiO2.