Thermodynamic modeling of Fe-Ni pentlandite

Gibbs energy modeling of iron-nickel pentlandite has been performed using experimental data of ternary phase equilibria. A three-sublattice approach in the framework of the Compound Energy Formalism is developed to refine a two-sublattice model of pentlandite recently applied within a complete assessment of the Fe-Ni-S system. Experimental data about the iron site fraction oil the octahedral sublattice at 523.15 K for the composition Fe5Ni4S8 as well as the enthalpy of formation at 298.15 K for the composition Fe4.5Ni4.5S8 are predicted satisfactorily by the novel model. New possibilities to interpret experimental phase equilibrium data on complex phase relations with pentlandite are discussed together on the basis of the recent extension of a second high-temperature heazlewoodite phase to a ternary solution phase. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.