The chlorination kinetics of zirconium dioxide in the presence of carbon

The kinetics of the chlorination of compacted spherical pellets of zirconium dioxide and carbon were studied over a particle temperature range of 1400 to 1950 K. A plasma of pure chlorine generated by an induction torch provided both the high‐enthalpy field and the reacting gas. The influence on the rate of conversion of temperature, chlorine concentration and carbon content were determined experimentally. Based on both experimental and theoretical studies, rate equations were developed. The rate of chlorination was influenced by the separation distance between ZrO 2 and carbon particles in the pellets, hence a shrinking‐core model was not obeyed. Instead, a new reaction model was proposed. The experimental results provided adequate information for the selection of optimum conditions with respect to reactor type, temperature and carbon content for an industrial process.