Kinetic features of the carbon erosion of a bulk NiCr alloy during the catalytic decomposition of 1,2-dichloroethane

Abstract

Kinetic features for the carbon erosion (CE) of bulk NiCr alloy (NiCrA, nichrome wire 0.1 mm in diameter) were studied at 450–750°C under conditions of the catalytic decomposition of 1,2-dichloroethane vapor in a reductive atmosphere (H₂). It was found that the CE process takes place more efficiently in the temperature range from 550 to 720°C, leading to the disintegration of the bulk alloy with the formation of a fibrous carbon product. The apparent activation energy of the process was estimated to be 16.8 ± 0.9 kJ/mol. The realization of CE is hampered outside the optimal temperature range because of chlorination (T < 500°C) or blocking of the alloy’s surface by carbonaceous deposits (T > 720°C). The kinetics of the process is characterized by the existence of an induction period, whose duration decreases with an increasing temperature (from 40 min at 550°C to 6 min at 710°C). According to scanning and transmission electron microscopy data, the submicron metallic particles (0.2–0.4 μm) catalyzing the growth of carbon fibers with disordered structure result from the disintegration of the NiCr alloy.