The Effect of Temperature and Gas Flow Rate on the Carbochlorination Process of ZrO2

Carbochlorination of ZrO2 is the main part of zirconium production process. In this research the effect of temperature and total gas flow rate on carbochlorination of ZrO2 in the presence of carbon black was investigated. The partial pressure of Cl2 in this study was kept at 0.3 atmosphere. The results showed that ZrO2 conversion is strongly affected by the temperature. It is also shown that at 1223 K, the process is affected by the gas flow rate. The activation energy of the process was 60kCal/mol and the chemical reaction on the oxide surface was the dominant controller of the reaction.