Improvement of the Binary Phase Diagram Na₂CO₃−Na₂S

Abstract

Gasification of black liquor is an attractive alternative to the traditional recovery boiler. However, in process modeling of gasification, thermodynamic data for the key components are quite uncertain, which will reduce the reliability of the modeling of the chemical processes in a gasifier. The objective of this work was to experimentally re-determine and improve data on the binary phase diagram Na2CO3−Na2S, especially on the Na2CO3 side of the system, which is the region of interest concerning black liquor combustion and gasification, and also the region with the most significant uncertainties. Measurements were carried out in a dry inert atmosphere at temperatures from 25 to 1200 °C, using high-temperature microscopy (HTM) and high-temperature X-ray powder diffraction (HT-XRD). To examine the influence of pure CO2 atmosphere on the melting behavior, HTM experiments in the same temperature interval were made. This paper presents new data complementary to earlier published data on the binary phase diagram Na2CO3−Na2S. These include re-determination of liquidus curves, in the Na2CO3-rich area, melting points of the pure components, as well as determination of the extent of the solid solution, Na2CO3(ss), area.