Abstract:
To examine the solution loss reaction properties of cokes with Ca/Fe additives in a hydrogen-rich blast furnace, the solution loss reactions of cokes were performed using a CO
2 (N
2) carrier gas with various percentages (0–30%) of H
2O vapor, and the effect of Ca/Fe additives on the Boudouard reaction (C + CO
2 = 2CO) and water–gas reaction (C + H
2O = CO + H
2) of cokes in a H
2O + CO
2 atmosphere was studied by examining the content of CO and H
2 in the off-gas. The results demonstrate that the coke reactivity has a positive linear relationship with the percentages of H
2O vapor in H
2O + CO
2 and H
2O + N
2 atmospheres, and the fitting slope
k could be used to characterize the rate constant for the solution loss reaction of cokes in H
2O + CO
2 and H
2O + N
2 atmospheres. The
k value for the solution loss reaction of the coke in the H
2O + CO
2 atmosphere is smaller than that of the coke in the H
2O + N
2 atmosphere, which shows that there is a competition between the reactions of H
2O and CO
2 with cokes in the H
2O + CO
2 atmosphere. Furthermore, the experimental reactivities of coke are smaller than their theoretical reactivities in the H
2O + CO
2 atmosphere, and the difference between the experimental and theoretical reactivities of the basic coke (BC) is less than those of the cokes with Ca/Fe additives (BC + Ca, BC + Fe), which shows that the Ca/Fe additives affect the competitive relationship of the reactions of CO
2 and H
2O with coke. Two inhibition factors,
\alpha_\rmCO_2/\rmH_2\rmO and
\alpha_\rmH_2\rmO/\rmCO_2 , are proposed to measure the degree of inhibition based on the difference in the
k value for the cokes in H
2O + CO
2 and H
2O + N
2 atmospheres. The inhibition factor
\alpha_\rmCO_2/\rmH_2\rmO could quantitatively characterize the inhibition degree of CO
2 on C + H
2O reaction in the H
2O + CO
2 atmosphere, and the inhibition factor
\alpha_\rmH_2\rmO/\rmCO_2 could quantitatively characterize the inhibition degree of H
2O on the C + CO
2 reaction in the H
2O + CO
2 atmosphere. The
\alpha_\rmCO_2/\rmH_2\rmO factors of BC, BC + Fe, and BC + Ca cokes are 0.260, 0.251, and 0.170, respectively, and the
\alpha_\rmH_2\rmO/\rmCO_2 factors of BC, BC + Fe, and BC + Ca are 0.121, 0.217, and 0.263, respectively. The Ca/Fe additives in cokes reduce the
\alpha_\rmCO_2/\rmH_2\rmO factor and increase the
\alpha_\rmH_2\rmO/\rmCO_2 factor, showing that Ca/Fe additives can attenuate the inhibition degree of CO
2 on the C + H
2O reaction and improve the activity of the C + H
2O reaction, and the Ca additive has a greater impact on the competitive relationship between the reactions of CO
2 and H
2O with coke than the Fe additive. The catalytically active substances in Ca/Fe additives in cokes could be CaFe
2O
4 and Ca
2Al
2SiO
7, and the difference in the existing states of Ca/Fe elements in cokes causes the difference in the catalytic effect of Ca/Fe additives on the solution loss reactions of cokes.