Kinetic study on the reaction of solid silica with molten matte

Quartz glass rods, 5.5 mm in diameter, were immersed in ternary Fe-S-O melts and quaternary Cu-Fe-S-O melts at 1493 K, and the decrease in rod diameter was measured. The rate of slag formation increased with the rotating speed of the rod and the FeO activity of the molten matte. A thin film of slag was formed on the rod surface when the FeO activity of the molten matte was higher than that of silica-saturated slag. The mass transfer coefficient of the FeO component in the boundary layer of the molten matte on the slag film was calculated on the assumption that the rate of slag formation was controlled by the mass transfer, and the results showed a dependency on the rotating speed of the rod close to the reported value. The rate of slag formation also increased with the Cu content of the molten matte, probably due to an accelerated upward movement of slag along the rod surface. At the time of lower FeO activity of the matte, the SiO₂ rod was thought to dissolve in the matte, and the rate of dissolution increased with the FeO activity and Cu content of the matte. Y. CHIBA, formerly Graduate Student.