In this study, the spreading and infiltration behavior of liquid slag in contact with different grades of graphite was investigated. The wetting and infiltration of slag into graphite were found to be highly material dependent. The reduction of silica by carbon is a characteristic of the system, and it generates gaseous products as evidenced by the observation of bubble formation. The higher the temperature and silica activity of the slag is, the greater the slag infiltration and the faster the rate of spreading. Silicon infiltrated into the graphite substrates much deeper than the oxide phases, indicating gas-phase transport of SiO(g) into the graphite pores. Fundamentally, in this system where the liquid and substrate are reacting, the driving force for spreading is the movement of the system toward a lower total Gibbs energy. Reduction of silica in the slag near the interface may eventually lead to the formation of a solid, CaO-rich layer, slowing down or stopping the reduction reaction.
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