The gasification of petroleum coke
(petcoke) can cause fouling
and erosion problems. In this study, the evolution of Ni and V during
steam gasification is investigated in a fluidized bed from 800 to
1100 °C. The occurrence modes determined by the sequential extraction
show that raw petcoke contains diversified Ni forms, whereas V is
dominated by organic matter and residual form. The organic matter
is rapidly converted to residual form. The Ni in residual form is
partially released, whereas the V in residual form is considerably
converted to other forms. The volatilization of Ni is positively correlated
with the temperature and sulfur content, whereas V has a positive
correlation with the exchangeable form. The exchangeable form of V
is conducive to forming a well-developed pore structure, whereas carbonates
play the opposite role. Under the practical fluidized bed gasification,
Ni tends to cause erosion, especially for continental petcoke, whereas
V is inclined to cause slagging and fouling.