The chlorination kinetics of beneficiated ilmenite particles by CO+Cl-2 mixtures

The chlorination kinetics of beneficiated ilmenite particles using carbon m onoxide as the reducing agent were studied in a shallow fluidized bed. The effects of temperature, carbon monoxide and chlorine partial pressures, and particle size were determined in the absence of mass- and heat-transfer in fluences. The kinetics can be represented by the following equation in the 1173-1323 K range and within the ranges of other experimental conditions us ed in this work: lambda[exp (X/lambda) - 1] - b = 69.0 exp (-18800/T)p(CO)(0.82)p(Cl2)(1.05) t where X is the fractional conversion, T the temperature in K, p the partial pressure in kPa, and t the time in min; b and lambda are given by b = 3.32d(p)(-0.8) (d(p) in mu m) and 1/lambda = 1.32 x 10(3)d(p)(0.36) exp (-11700/T) (d(p) in mu m) The results of this study on the chlorination kinetics of beneficiated ilme nite would be useful when evaluating the performance of TiCl4 production us ing beneficiated ilmenite as a raw material. It is shown in this study that the chlorination kinetics of beneficiated ilmenite are quite different fro m those of natural rutile, for which most previous chlorination studies wer e made. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.