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Particle packing effect on natural hematite thermal reduction for industrial applications

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Abstract

Reduction behavior of commercial natural hematite with respect to degrees of particle packing was studied using a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) approach. Understanding of temporal mass variations of oxygen carriers such as hematite during reduction is critical to enabling successful industrial applications including ironmaking and chemical looping combustion processes. Gravimetric evolutions of carrier particles as a whole are influenced by how individual particles are physically configured in relation to a reaction gas, especially when the particles are stacked on top of each other, leaving bottom particles less reacted or in some cases unreacted in a static environment. This work reports effects of particle stacking on reduction behaviors of commercial natural hematite isothermally at 800 °C in 10 CO–90% N2 gas environment. Current results indicated, mass evolution kinetics were slowed with more initial mass as stacking layers tended to decrease the available surface area to mass ratio with depth and impeded gas diffusion to particles at deeper locations. Post-SEM analysis revealed an interesting phenomenon where the commercial natural hematite particles subjected to the present experimental approach resulted in a reversed reduction sequence; more reduced phase (metallic iron) was produced inside surrounded by less reduced phase (wüstite). The present work suggested the design of reactors may benefit by considering how the particles are arranged in the reactors.

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Acknowledgements

Authors acknowledge Mr. Hugh Thomas (NETL) for TGA experimental. This research was performed in part by an appointment to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Postgraduate Research Program at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).

Funding

This project was funded by the Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory an agency of the US Government, through a support contract. Neither the US Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of its employees, nor the support contractor, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressor implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the US Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the US Government or any agency thereof.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory, 1450 Queen Ave, Albany, OR, 97321, USA

    Jack Widmer, Jinichiro Nakano, Anna Nakano & James Bennett

  2. Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, 100 ORAU Way, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA

    Jack Widmer

  3. NETL Support Contractor, 1450 Queen Ave, Albany, OR, 97321, USA

    Jinichiro Nakano & Anna Nakano

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  1. Jack Widmer
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Contributions

The study conception and design were performed by Jinichiro Nakano, Anna Nakano and James Bennett. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Jack Widmer. Data analysis was performed by Jinichiro Nakano, Jack Widmer and Anna Nakano. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Jack Widmer and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Anna Nakano.

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Widmer, J., Nakano, J., Nakano, A. et al. Particle packing effect on natural hematite thermal reduction for industrial applications. J Therm Anal Calorim 148, 3273–3281 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-023-12010-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-023-12010-w

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