Ilmenite thermal decomposition in a thermal plasma reactor

摘要

The thermal decomposition of ilmenite concentrates in a non-transferred arc; thermal plasma flow reactor was investigated. The plasma torch was operated using argon-helium and argon-nitrogen mixtures as plasma gases. The effect of power, feed rate and particle size was studied. Products were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and ICP techniques. Free energy minimization plots were used to predict the thermodynamic behavior of the system under different operating conditions. The results of thisinvestigation showed a significant segregation process where titanium-rich products are collected in the reactor, while iron-rich products are collected in the quenching box and filter. The average size of the product is in the submicron range. Titaniumnitride was formed and condensed in the reactor zone when using an argon-nitrogen mixture as the plasma gas.