Inhibition of hydrogen production reactions in the wet dust removal system using CeCl3 solutions

Abstract

For treatment of aluminum dust, a wet dust removal system has been used worldwide. During treatment, aluminum dust is inhaled into a water tank of the dust collector. As hydrogen production reactions are likely to take place in the water tank, there exists a great risk of fire or explosion accidents associated with the wet dust removal system. Based on field research and laboratory experiments, Hydrogen Inhibition Method (HIM) by using CeCl3 solutions was proved capable of inhibiting reactions between aluminum dust and water. When the concentration of CeCl3 solutions reached 6.02 g/L, there was basically no hydrogen gas produced. SEM, EDS and XPS characterizations were used to assess the aluminum particles before and after being reacted with water or CeCl3 solutions, respectively. Shrinking core model was utilized to identify the corresponding chemical reaction kinetics. Additionally, a physicochemical mechanism was established to explain these phenomena.