• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.495-500
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• 2007

The inside wall of a coal gasifier is lined with refractory, and the corrosion of the refractory is an important factor affecting the refractory lifetime and the replacement period. This paper examines the changes in microstructure of a chromia refractory due to chemical reactions with slag having varying amounts of $Fe_2O_3$. Slag samples were prepared by adding $Fe_2O_3$ to KIDECO slag, and static corrosion experiments were carried out at $1550^{\circ}C$. The layer of $(Fe,Cr)_3O_4$ formation and the depth of Fe depletion in the infiltrating slag were determined. In addition, FactSage equilibrium calculations were carried out in order to determine the conditions of formation, and to compare with the experimental observations. In the sample exposed to KIDECO slag, which has about 10 wt% $Fe_2O_3$, the formation of $(Fe,Cr)_3O_4$ was not observed. As the $Fe_2O_3$ concentration in slag increased, $(Fe,Cr)_3O_4$ formation and Fe depletion depth increased. Increasing $Fe_2O_3$ concentration also made the slag/refractory interface indistinguishable. Equilibrium calculations predicted that higher $Fe_2O_3$ concentrations favor chromite formation at gasification temperatures. The chromite formation was most favorable when the amount of $Cr_2O_3$ was limited, as in the case of dissolved $Cr_2O_3$ in slag. When the concentration of $Fe_2O_3$ in slag was less than 20%, the formation of chromite was least favorable in the system with equal amounts of slag and refractory.