Lecture 8

Agglomeration of iron ore

Agglomeration

• A process to bind fine particles (added binder) by fusion.

 Blast Furnace Charge Preparation
Agglomeration techniques
• Pelletizing: Water, drying, firing
• Sintering: partial melting and re-solidification (1300-1400 °C)

Reason of sintering
• Agglomeration method
• Gases going through a charge of solids
• Permeability

Reason of pelletizing
• Used for Fine ore (dust) which is not suitable Blast furnace charging
• Easy Transport and storage
• Usage to iron ore in pellet charge
Agglomeration

Meyer, K., 1980. Pelletizing of iron ores. Springer, Berlin.

 Feed Preparation
The Nature of Sintering
•Partial melting,
•particle size, water content, coke size and reactivity
effects the strength and porosity

Heat source
•Coke breeze (maximum temperature : 1375 °C)

Sintering Equipment
• Dwight-Lloyd sintering machine (sintering area : 600 m2,
strand width : 4-6 m)
Sintering
1. Binding of iron ore fines with other fine materials at
elevated temperatures, fusion of material and
formation of porous material nominal changes in
composition.

2. Mixing of Flux, coke breeze with iron ore uniformly.

3. Developed in early 20th Century and accepted as
Blast furnace burden.
4. Almost 70% of hot metal production : Using sinter
(in world), 50% hot metal in case of India.
Sintering
• Initial raw material

1) Raw Fine Ore (<8-10 mm)

2) Coke Breeze (3-6 mm)
3) Dolomite (<3 mm)
4) Return sinter (<5 mm)

• Waste Material  water sprinkling  granulae formation (<10

mm).
Sintering process
 Sintering process

Mou JL., Morrison R.J. (2016) Sinter Plant Operations: Hazardous Emissions. In: Cavaliere
P. (eds) Ironmaking and Steelmaking Processes. Springer, Cham
 Sintering process

Temperature prevailing in sinter bed after 3 min of ignition

H.B. Wendeborn, J. Iron Steel Inst., Nov 1953, p. 280

Sintering process

1) Incipient fusion of Iron ore particles : Contact

Surfaces bonding.

2) Diffusion bonds by recrystallization and

crystal growth of hematite and magnetite:
Agglomerates the particles (partial melting)
 Sintering process
• During sintering low melting phase forms by reaction
between flux and particles of iron ore.

1. Rearrangement of 3. Movement of the melt to the

granules pores by capillary force
2. Primary melt formation 4. Rearrangement of Non reacted
particles into effective packing

5. Fine, reactive particles absorb

7. Solid-solid sintering initial melt to form final melt
(densification), melt transfer from 6. Precipitation on the coarser
packed area to pores particles Densification

L. Lu, O. Ishiyama, Chapter 14 - Iron ore sintering, Editor(s): Liming Lu, Iron Ore,
Woodhead Publishing, 2015,
Sintering mechanism

D. Fernández-González, I. Ruiz-Bustinza,
J. Mochón, C. González-Gasca & L. F.
Verdeja (2017): Iron Ore Sintering:
Process, Mineral Processing and
Extractive Metallurgy Review.
Sintering reactions
1)Fe2O3 + 2CaO  2CaO. Fe2O3 750-780°C

2)2CaO. Fe2O3 + Fe2O3  2[CaO. Fe2O3] 920-1000 °C

3)CaO. Fe2O3 + Fe2O3  CaO. 2Fe2O3 1050-1150 °C

Liquid phase between CaO and ore contact leads to the

bonding process.
4) FeO + SiO2  SiO2. FeO (1180 °C)

Fe2O3.CaO melts at 1205 °C, FeO. SiO2 melts at 1180°C.

D. Fernández-González, I. Ruiz-Bustinza, J. Mochón, C. González-Gasca & L. F.

Verdeja (2017): Iron Ore Sintering: Process, Mineral Processing and Extractive
Metallurgy Review.
 Sinter bond strength

i)Slag bond : Presence of fused glass melt containing

crystalline components. The bond strength depends on the
quantity of glass and other components (CaO, MgO, Al2O3).

ii)Diffusion bond : In rich Fe ore, low impurities, chances of

low melting phase formation is less and therefore the
agglomerates contains more porosities and exhibits superior
reducibility. Occurs through recrystallization and crystal
growth of hematite and magnetite.
Sinter properties

A. K. Biswas, Principles of Blast furnace Ironmaking, SBA Publication, 1994.

 Composition of Sintered Ore

Composition Values
T. Fe (Total Fe) 55~58%
SiO2 4.5~6.0%
Al2O3 <2.0%
CaO/SiO2 1.5~2.3%
Sintering process
Types of Sinter
1.Acid Sinter- Flux is not present

2. Fluxed sinter – Presence of flux

i) Self fluxing sinter – Flux addition in sinter mixture
to attain required basicity of the slag.
( Only burden acids are considered )
ii) Super flux sinter – Flux addition in the sinter mixture
to attain required basicity of the slag.
(acids of burden and coke ash)
Sintering
The major advantages of using sinter in BFs are

•Use of iron ore fines, coke breeze, metallurgical wastes,

lime, dolomite for hot metal production
•Improved reducibility, high temperature properties.
•Enhanced Blast Furnace productivity due to higher
softening temperature and lower softening –melting
temperature range.
•Superior quality of hot metal
•Decrease in Blast furnace coke rate.
Acid Sinter & Fluxed Sinter

Acid Sinter

1)Enhanced bed permeability, gas throughflow.

2)Removal of 60-70% ore sulphur, arsenic during sintering.

3) Moisture, hydrated water, volatile constituents removal.

4) Enhancement of softening temperature and contraction

of softening range.
Acid Sinter & Fluxed Sinter
Fluxed Sinter

1)Calcination of limestone inside blast furnace Very Costly.

60-70 Kg C/100 Kg of CO2 (230 Kg CaCO3) are saved if
calcination is done in sinter strand.

2) Low viscosity, liquidus temperature of slag, Oxidation

and reduction degree is superior. High strength due to
dense calcium ferrites.

3) Coke Saving

4) Final Iron contains low S and Si.

Acid Sinter & Fluxed Sinter
Fluxed Sinter

5) Uniform composition, less viscosity as compared to acid

sinter and raw ore.

6) Enhanced softening temperature and adjacent range as

compared to acid sinter due to reduced glass silicates.

7) Increased sintering rate as compared to acid sinter.

8) High blast furnace productivity as compared to pellets

and acid sinters.