The iodine–sulfur (IS) process
is one of the most promising
thermochemical water-splitting processes for nuclear hydrogen production.
The Bunsen reaction, which produces sulfuric and hydriodic acids for
two decomposition reactions, plays a crucial role in the IS process.
Insufficient kinetics data and models of the Bunsen reaction have
caused difficulties for designing a Bunsen reactor and optimizing
and improving the efficiency of the process. The mass transfer and
kinetics mechanism of the Bunsen reaction, which is a complicated
gas–liquid slurry process, were first analyzed and proposed
on the basis of double-film theory and thermodynamics calculation,
and intrinsic reaction rate equation models were deduced with different
hypothesized reaction mechanisms. Then, the models were further improved,
and the experimental kinetics data were used to verify the models.
Finally, a set of reaction rate equations was developed, thereby confirming
its reliability for calculating the reaction kinetics data. The built
models for mass transfer and reaction kinetics provide crucial information
for the thorough understanding of the Bunsen reaction mechanism, selecting
the reactor type, and designing the Bunsen reactor.