A MODEL TO EXPLAIN COMPOSITION EFFECTS IN SMELT-WATER EXPLOSIONS

A salt bridge model, which takes into account mass transfer of components between the two fluids, was developed and proved successful in interpreting the effects of composition on explosiveness in the smelt-water system. The model is based on the fact that the main smelt constituent, sodium carbonate, is not soluble in water at temperatures approaching the critical point, while certain other constituents are soluble. The soluble substances allow a substantial increase in the critical temperature of the solution, which in turn shifts the range of contact interface temperatures at which spontaneous explosions can occur (between the spontaneous nucleation temperature and the critical temperature of the coolant) to higher values. The model was able to provide an explanation of why sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide, and sodium sulfide act as smelt sensitizers and a semiquantitative definition of the concentration ranges in smelt and in the quench solution where spontaneous explosions are likely