Direct reduction of celestite ores with carbon monoxide

Abstract

The results of a study of direct reduction of a celestite ore using CO as a reducing agent are presented. To explain the reduction rate a kinetic model consisting of three basic mechanisms was proposed: Chemical reaction at the solid/solid interface, diffusion through the porous product layer, and transport through the gaseous boundary layer. By an adequate handling of the experimental results in a computer, it was demonstrated that the controlling step of the global process depends of the conditions of the experiment. At a gas flowrate of 4.5 l/min, 600 ºC and grain size of -250 μm, the controlling step was the transport of CO through the external gaseous film. At a gas flowrate of 8.0 l/min, 800 ºC and a grain size of -420 μm the controlling steps were both the transport of CO through the external gaseous film and the diffusion through the porous media. For the same conditions as above, but for a grain size of -250 μm, the controlling step was the chemical reaction at the solid/solid interface.