Effect of Fuel Characteristics on the Thermal Processes in an Iron Ore Sintering Bed

Abstract

Recently, coke in an iron ore sintering process is replaced in part by powdered anthracite; less expensive fuel. In this study, influence of the different fuel characteristics on the thermal condition in the sintering bed has been investigated using a mathematical model. Numerical simulation along with experiments in lab-scale sintering pot has been performed. The mathematical model is based on the assumption that the sintering bed can be treated as homogeneous medium, through which a reacting flow passes. Temperature distribution and flue gas composition are predicted for various kinds of solid fuel and various particle sizes of anthracite. The simulation results show that propagation of combustion zone is faster in the case of using coke than the case of using anthracite, which shows that the coke is more appropriate in the sintering process than the anthracite. However, the results also show that the reactivity of the anthracite can be improved by decreasing the size of fuel particles