Thermodynamic Model and Kinetic Compensation Effect of Spontaneous Combustion of Sulfur Concentrates

Abstract

The spontaneous combustion of the sulfur concentrate is the main hazard faced in ore storage bins. To understand the thermodynamic characteristics of spontaneous combustion of the sulfur concentrate and test whether the kinetic compensation effects are present in the spontaneous combustion process of the sulfur concentrate, typical sulfur concentrate samples were selected as the research object, and thermogravimetric experiments were carried out under an air atmosphere at heating rates of 5, 10, and 15 K/min. On this basis, the contributions of different reaction models to the mass change during the spontaneous combustion of the sulfur concentrate, as well as the thermodynamic model and kinetic compensation effect, are analyzed. The results show that solid-phase combustion contributes the most to mass loss among different mechanisms of the reaction between the sulfur concentrate and oxygen. The contributions of reaction models to mass loss are affected by the different heating rates, and the contribution of solid-phase combustion to mass loss increases with increasing heating rates. The Malek method is used to obtain the kinetic model of the spontaneous combustion of the sulfur concentrate, and its mechanism function changes from a chemical reaction model to a three-dimensional diffusion model. There is a kinetic compensation effect in the spontaneous combustion process of the sulfur concentrate, and the level of the kinetic compensation line may be one of the bases for distinguishing the spontaneous combustion tendency of the sulfur concentrate.