SIMULATION OF CARBON GASIFICATION KINETICS USING AN EDGE RECESSION MODEL

An edge recession modeling method is proposed as a new approach to the prediction of carbon gasification kinetics. Using this method, the variations in reactive surface area (RSA) and specific reactivity (R) with conversion were simulated for several polynuclear aromatic molecules adopted as models of carbon crystallites. The effects of crystallite size and shape, edge site reactivity and vacancies on the changes in RSA and R with conversion were investigated. As a result, RSA and R were found to be essentially independent of crystallite shape, but to depend on crystallite size and the presence of vacancies. Good agreement was obtained between model predictions and experimental data for several kinds of model carbon crystallites. In the case of structurally disordered carbons (such as chars), simultaneous gasification of model crystallites of two different sizes gave better predictions than that of single-size crystallites. The edge recession model is proposed as an alternative, or at least complementary, approach to the more conventional (and, arguably, less physically meaningful) pore structure development models.