Kinetic Modeling of Ilmenite Reduction with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Using MATLAB

Abstract

The reduction of ilmenite by a gas comprising of CNG, hydrogen and nitrogen mixture was investigated by experimental and kinetic modeling in MATLAB. The CNG flow time was varied from 15 to 45 minutes at the temperatures of 1100-1200°C for 1-3 hours. In order to predict the extent of reduction, a shrinking core model (SCM) and crackling core model (CCM) were employed for the kinetic modeling. The results showed that the extent of reduction of 80% was achieved by using a CNG flow time of 45 minutes at 1200°C for 1 hour. The kinetic modeling for non-isothermal SCM at the same conditions gave a predicted value of 87%. The CCM gave a predicted value of about 100% at the same conditions. The non-isothermal SCM showed a closer trend to the experimental results. The deviation between SCM and CCM with the experimental data was attributed to porosity, thermodynamic properties and minute thermal fluctuations within the sample during the reduction process.