Model of Iron Ore Sintering Based on Melt and Mineral Formation

A model of iron ore sintering was built with consideration of fuel combustion, catalysis of sinter mixture as well as formation of melt and mineral, which was verified via sintering pot tests and showed a good fit to the experimental results. The effect of bed depth on temperature was reflected by the residence time in high-temperature zone, rather than the top value of the temperature, which was weakened by melt formation as well as hematite decomposition. Moreover, the effect of bed depth, fuel content and distribution on sintering process was different, which was reflected by temperature profiles and the rule of calcium ferrite formation. The formation of melt as well as magnetite was a process which was decided by kinetic factors, while the formation of calcium ferrite was related to fuel blending conditions, which is determined by thermodynamics when the fuel ratio inside sinter granules is low or fuel content is high, otherwise, it is determined by kinetics.