A Study of Nickel and Iron Reduction Silicothermic Process by Thermodynamic Simulation

Abstract:

The results of studying the effect of silicon concentration of ferrosilicon: FeSi5 (5% Si), FeSi20 (20% Si), FeSi35 (35% Si), FeSi50 (50% Si), FeSi65 (65% Si) on the degree of nickel (η_Ni) and iron (η_Fe) reduction of the CaO-SiO₂-MgO-Al₂O₃-FeO-NiO-P₂O₅ multicomponent oxide system at a temperature of 1500 °C by thermodynamic simulation are given². The HSC Chemistry 6.12 software package developed by Outokumpu (Finland) was used for the simulation. The chemical compounds Ni₃Si and Ni₅Si₂ with the corresponding thermodynamic characteristics are entered into the database. The calculations were performed by the “Equilibrium Compositions” subroutine at a gas pressure of 1 atm, containing 2.24 m³ N_2, as a neutral additive. The obtained modeling results indicate the thermodynamic possibility of nickel and iron reduction from the CaO-SiO₂-MgO-Al₂O₃-FeO-NiO-P₂O₅ oxide system by silicon of ferrosilicon. The degree of iron reduction increases from 88.8 to 91.4%, with an increase in the silicon concentration of ferrosilicon [Si]_FeSi from 5 to 65%. The degree of nickel reduction with an increase in the silicon concentration of ferrosilicon remains almost unchanged and amounts to 99.8-99.7%. The degree of use of silicon is 92.1–94.5%. The chemical composition of the complex alloy – ferrosiliconickel is determined. The obtained simulation results can be used to develop the technology for producing ferrosiliconickel from nickel ore by silicothermic method.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 989)
• Pages: 511-516
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.989.511
• Online since: May 2020
• Authors: V.A. Salina*, Vladimir I. Zhuchkov, Oleg V. Zayakin
• Keywords: Complex Alloy, Degree of Reduction, Ferrosilicon, Nickel Ore, Oxide System, Thermodynamic Simulations

References

[1] M.A. Ryss, Proizvodstvo ferrosplavov (In Russian), Moscow: Metallurgiya, (1985).

[2] N.P. Lyakishev, M.I. Gasik, Metallurgiya khroma (In Russian), Moscow: Moskva Eliz,, (1999).

[3] O.V. Zayakin, R.N. Statnykh, V.I. Zhuchkov, Study of the possibility of obtaining non-decomposing slag during low-carbon ferrochrome production, Metallurgist. 62(9-10) (2019) 875-881.

DOI: 10.1007/s11015-019-00744-8

[4] Information on https://ussa.su/news/1898,2019 (date of the application: 17.05.2019).

[5] V.I. Zhuchkov, L.I. Leont'ev, E.N. Selivanov, O.V., Zayakin, A.A. Babenko, Perspektivy proizvodstva nerzhaveyushchei stali s ispol'zovaniem otechestvennykh khromovykh i nikelevykh ferrosplavov (In Russian), Covremennye tendentsii v oblasti teorii i praktiki dobychi i pererabotki mineral'nogo i tekhnogennogo syr'ya: sb. tr. Mezhdunarodnoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferencii, Ekaterinburg, 2 (2014) 210-215.

[6] A. Roine, Outokumpu HSC Chemistry for Windows. Chemical reactions and Equilibrium software with extensive thermochemical database, Pori: Outokumpu research OY. (2002).

[7] H. Lukas, G. Suzana, Computational Thermodynamics: The Calphad Method, Cambridge University Press, (2007).

[8] N.A. Vatolin, G.K. Moiseev, B.G. Trusov, Termodinamicheskoe modelirovanie v vysokotemperaturnykh neorganicheskikh sistemakh (In Russian), Moscow: Metallurgiya, (1994).

[9] I.A. Rybenko, Termodinamicheskoe modelirovanie protsessov v elementarnykh sistemakh: monograph (In Russian), Novokuznetsk: izd. Tsentr SibGIU, (2016).

[10] O.Yu. Kichigina, Vosstanovlenie nikelya iz ego oksida uglerodom (In Russian), Izvestiya vysshih uchebnyh zavedenij. Chernaya metallurgiya. 10 (2010), 20-23.

[11] V. Prostakova, Chen Jiang, Evgueni Jak, S.A., Decterov Experimental study and thermodynamic modeling of the MgO-NiO-SiO2 system (In Russian), J. Chem. Thermodynamics. 62(2013) 43-55.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jct.2013.02.019

[12] Y. Zhang, W. Wei, X. Yang, F., Wei, Reduction of Fe and Ni in Fe-Ni-O system, J. Min. Metall. Sect. B-Metall. 49(1) 2013 13-20.

DOI: 10.2298/jmmb120208038z

[13] M. Rao, G. Li, T. Jiang, J. Luo, Yu. Zhang, X. Fan, Carbothermic reduction of nickeliferous laterite ores for nickel pig iron production in China: A Review, JOM. 65(11) (2015) 1573-1583.

DOI: 10.1007/s11837-013-0760-7

[14] G. Li, J. Luo, Z. Peng, Y. Zhang, M. Rao, T. Jiang, Effect of quaternary basicity on melting behavior and ferronickel particles growth of saprolitic laterite ores in Krupp-Renn process, ISIJ Int. 55(9) (2015) 1828-1833.

DOI: 10.2355/isijinternational.isijint-2015-058

[15] K.K. Kaskin, Nepreryvnyi pereplav metallizovannykh i zhelezorudnykh okatyshei v rudnotermicheskoi pechi s polucheniem poluproduktov (In Russian), Vestnik JuUrGU. Serija Metallurgija,. 15 (2012) 82-84.

[16] V.A. Salina, V.I. Zhuchkov, O.V. Zayakin, Izuchenie silikotermicheskogo sposoba polucheniya kompleksnykh nikel'khromsoderzhashchikh ferrosplavov metodom termodinamicheskogo modelirovaniya (in Russian), Nauka i tekhnika Kazakhstana. 3-4 (2017) 85–90.

[17] V.A. Salina, V.I. Zhuchkov, O.V. Zayakin, Thermodynamic simulation of the manufacture of Fe-Si-Ni-Cr alloys, Russian Metallurgy (Metally). 2 (2019) 162–164.

DOI: 10.1134/s003602951902023x

[18] V.A. Salina, A.V. Sychev, O.V. Zayakin, V.I. Zhuchkov, Izuchenie protsessa vosstanovleniya khroma iz sistemy CaO-SiO2-Cr2O3-FeO-MgO-MnO-Al2O3 kremniem ferrosilitsiya metodom termodinamicheskogo modelirovaniya (in Russian), Butlerovskie soobshcheniya. 56(12) (2018) 131-135.

DOI: 10.1134/s0036029521020221

[19] V.A. Salina, O.V. Zayakin, V.I. Zhuchkov, Thermodynamic evaluation of the interphase distribution of elements in the chromium and nickel-containing system, Theoretical and practical conference with international participation and School for young scientists FERROALLOYS: Development prospects of metallurgy and machine building based on completed Research and Development,, KnE Materials Science, Ekaterinburg, (2019) 126-133.

DOI: 10.18502/kms.v5i1.3959

[20] H. Kobatake, J. Brillo, Density and viscosity of ternary Cr-Fe-Ni liquid alloys, J. Mater. Sci. 48 (19). (2013) 6818-6824.

DOI: 10.1007/s10853-013-7487-2

[21] Y. Sato, K. Sugisawa, D. Aoki, T. Yamamura, Viscosities of Fe-Ni, Fe-Co and Ni-Co binary melts, Meas. Sci. and Technol. 16(2) (2005) 363-371.

DOI: 10.1088/0957-0233/16/2/006

[22] Termodinamicheskie konstanty veshchestv: spravochnik (In Russian) / Pod red. Glushko V.P., Moscow: Nauka, (1972).

[23] A.G. Morachevskii, I.B. Sladkov, Termodinamicheskie raschety v metallurgii: spravochnik (In Russian), Moscow: Metallurgiya, (1993).