Dissolution of refractories for gasification process of petroleum coke for the steel industry

The production of energizing gases such as H2 and CO by gasification process of solid fuels is a technology that has increased in recent years since it is an efficient and clean process. To enable the production of gases, it is necessary to use refractory materials capable of withstanding high temperatures, thermal shock and contact with aggressive media. Nowadays, there is not published literature on refractory materials used for furnaces lining for petroleum coke gasification at high temperatures (∼1900 °C). Therefore, this paper deals with the study of alumina and magnesium aluminate/alumina-based refractories as candidates for the furnace lining used in the petroleum coke gasification for steel production. Refractory samples were made with some designed formulations which were subjected to chemical interactions with pellets made of petroleum coke and petroleum coke ash at 1650 °C for 4 h. After completing the tests, the formulations were cut transversely and were characterized by SEM-EDS and XRD to evaluate the resistance to slag penetration and formation of low melting point phases. The results show that slag penetration and corrosion in the refractory formulations occur due to the formation of hibonite, spinels (Ni2+, Fe2+, Mg2+)(Al, Fe)2O4 and gehlenite phases. However, these phases together stop the molten slag penetration.