A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Interactions of sulfur-containing gas with magnesia-chromite refractory in nickel flash smelting furnace
Authors: Lehmusto, Juho; Söyrinki, Saara; Lagerbom, Juha; Jokiaho, Tuomas; Que, Zaiqing; Määttä, Jorma; Hupa, Leena; Huttunen-Saarivirta, Elina; Lindgren, Mari
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Ceramics International
Journal name in source: Ceramics International
Volume: 51
Issue: 9
First page : 11363
Last page: 11371
ISSN: 0272-8842
eISSN: 1873-3956
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2024.12.555
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2024.12.555
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/485105783
As-received and spent magnesia-chromite refractories from a nickel flash smelting furnace were analyzed and compared to shed light on the interactions between the gas phase and the refractory material, a topic that has not received previous research effort. Based on the results, process-originated gaseous sulfur-containing species, such as SO2 and SO3, played a key role in the refractory reactions. In the absence of a surface deposit, the hot end of the refractory underwent attack by SO2, resulting in sulfation of both the periclase and chromite phases, which has not been reported before. In the presence of a surface deposit, the sulfation of main phases in the near-surface regions did not occur, but sulfur-bearing species diffused deeper into the refractory material, where they reacted with MgO and CaO, forming MgSO4 and CaSO4. In addition to the detected sulfur penetration, impurity elements, e.g., As; K, and Pb, had diffused towards the cold end of the refractory. This suggests these elements could have entered the refractory as gaseous species and then condensed at low enough temperatures.
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Funding information in the publication:
The research has been funded by Business Finland, Åbo Akademi, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, and Metso via the TOCANEM project (Register numbers 41752/31/2020 for Åbo Akademi, 36409/31/2020 for VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, and 40513/31/2020 for Metso). The financial support is acknowledged. This work has been carried out partly within the Research Council of Finland project “Initiation and propagation of high-temperature corrosion reactions in complex oxygen-containing environments” (Decision no. 348963).
