Reduction of Industrial Nickel Oxides with a Hydrogen Bearing Gas Between 523 and 673K

Reduction of three industrial nickel oxides (Goro, Tokyo and Sinter 75) with a hydrogen bearing gas was revisited in the temperature interval from 523 to 673 K (250 to 400°C). A pronounced incubation period is observed in the temperature interval tested. This period decreases as the reduction temperature increases. Thermogravimetric data of these oxides were fitted using the Avrami-Erofeyev kinetic model. The reduction of these oxides is controlled by a nucleation and growth mechanism of metallic nickel over the oxides structure. Rate kinetic constants were re-evaluated and the activation energy for the reduction of these oxides was re-calculated.