Analysis of the behavior of magnesium and CO vapor in the carbothermic reduction of magnesia in a vacuum

The aim of this paper is to experimentally investigate the behavior of magnesium and carbon monoxide vapor in the carbothermic reduction of magnesia at condensing zone temperatures ranging from 923 K to 1223 K. The phase, surface morphology, and composition of the condensates obtained were examined by means of scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The main findings of this paper include: the reverse reaction products, carbon and magnesium oxide, were formed following the process of magnesium vapor condensation, preventing two metal clusters from mutually combining. Moreover, the nearer the temperature of the condensation zone approached the liquid transformation temperature (810-910 K), the lower the rate of the reverse reaction between carbon monoxide and magnesium vapor. Decrease in the rate of the reverse reaction of magnesium was possible by controlling the condensation temperature. Copyright 2014, National Engineering Research Center for Magnesium Alloys of China, Chongqing University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.