Research on the Combustion Characteristics and Kinetic Analysis of the Recycling Dust for a COREX Furnace

Thermogravimetric analysis of recycling dust (RD) from the melter gasifier of COREX, coke1 (C-1), coke2 (C-2) and coal char (CC) under 70% oxygen atmosphere was carried out using thermal balance. The chemical composition and physical structure of the samples were investigated. The characteristic temperatures and comprehensive combustion characteristic indexes were calculated and kinetic parameters during the combustion process were calculated as well using a distributed activation energy model (DAEM). The results show that the carbon in the recycling dust originates from unconsumed CC and coke fines, and the average stacking height of carbon in RD is larger than that of C-1, C-2 and CC. The conversion curves of RD are different from those of C-1, C-2 and CC, and there are two peaks in the RD conversion rate curves. The combustion profiles of RD moves to a higher temperature zone with increasing heating rates. The average activation energies of their combustion process for RD, C-1, C-2 and CC range from 191.84 kJ/mol to 128.31 kJ/mol. The activation energy for recycling dust increases as the fractional conversion increases, but the value for C-1, C-2 and CC decreases with increasing conversion, indicating different combustion mechanisms.