Production Of Nbc from Nb₂O₅ in a rotating cylinder reactor: Kinetic study of reduction/carburization reactions

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Vol. 175; pp. 534 - 538
• Main Authors: Fontes, F.A.O, de Sousa, J.F, Souza, C.P, Bezerra, M.B.D, Benachour, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Chemical engineering; equations; Exact sciences and technology; Reactors; temperature; Kinetic model; Niobium carbide; Rotating cylinder reactor; Production; Kinetic study; Kinetics; Rotating cylinder; Reactor; Modeling; Rotation; Avrami's model; Material balance
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2011.09.105

The present work aims at a kinetic model for converting NbO₂ into NbC in the isothermal region of the second reduction/carburization reaction. The model presented for the solid phase was based on the variation of the mass obtained for experiments with reactions interrupted at different times and processed at temperatures of 1148, 1173 and 1223K. The reaction took place in a rotating cylinder reactor, with rotation velocity of 5rpm, gas phase flow of 4.033×10⁶m³/s and initial mass of Nb₂O₅ 0.004kg (nominal). The conversion of NbO₂ was found from the mass balances performed based on the set of stoichiometric equations of the reduction/carburization of Nb₂O₅ into NbC and used to validate the nucleation model using two parameters (N, M) which indicate, respectively, the tridimensional growth of the nuclei formed and a fourfold increase in the growth velocity of the nuclei.