Effect of Ash Composition (Ca, Fe, and Ni) on Petroleum Coke Ash Fusibility

Ash fusion behavior is closely associated with ash-related problems including fouling, sintering, and slagging, which results in a negative effect on the utilization of petroleum coke (petcoke). Petcoke ash contains high levels of vanadium (V), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), and calcium (Ca). The chemical composition of ash plays an intrinsic role in determining ash fusibility. To better understand the modification mechanism of the ash fusion temperatures (AFTs), this study investigates the influences of ash composition (CaO, Fe2O3, and NiO) on the synthetic petcoke ash fusibility from the perspectives of ash composition change and temperature rising. The AFTs of synthetic ash samples were identified by the ash fusibility tester. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) were applied to explore the relationships between the experimental AFTs and the variation of mineral composition and microstructure of high-temperature ash slag. Moreover, the ash melting process was predicted by the SiO2–...