CHARACTERIZATION OF PROPERTIES AND REDUCTION BEHAVIOR OF IRON ORES FOR APPLICATION IN SPONGE IRONMAKING

Abstract

Studies on chemical and physical properties, and reduction behaviour (in coal) of hematite iron ores, procured from ten different mines of Orissa, were undertaken to provide information to the iron and steel industries (sponge iron plants in particular). Majority of the iron ores were found to have high iron and low alumina and silica contents. All these iron ores were free from the deleterious elements (S, P, As, Pb, alkalies, etc.). The results indicated lower values of shatter and abrasion indices, and higher values of tumbler index in all the iron ore lumps except Serazuddin (previous) and Khanda Bandha OMC Ltd.. For all the fired iron ore pellets, the degree of reduction in coal was more intense in the first 30 minutes after which it became small. Slow heating led to higher degree of reduction in fired pellets than rapid heating. All the iron ores exhibited more than 90% reduction in their fired pellets in 2 hrs. time interval at a temperature of 9000C. Iron ore lumps showed lower degree of reduction than the corresponding fired pellets.