Reduction and Swelling Behaviour of Fired Iron Ore Pellets

Abstract

The present project work on “Reduction and Swelling Behaviour of Fired Iron Ore Pellets” was undertaken with a view to promote the effective utilization of iron ore and coal fines in sponge iron making. Presently, India has become the world leader in sponge iron production and the production of steel by DR-EAF route is increasing day by day. In the present project work, the effect of addition of concentrated sugarcane juice binder on the physical properties of fired iron ore pellets was investigated. The crushing strength and drop number were found to be maximum at 2% binder addition, followed by a decrease with further increase in binder concentration. A reverse trend was observed in the case of porosity, i.e. porosity of fired pellets increased with rise in binder concentration from 2% to 6%. The pellets fired at 13000C were processed for reduction and swelling studies in different types of coal. The degree of reduction of fired iron ore pellets increased with increase of reduction temperature and time up to the range studied. The extent of swelling in fired iron ore pellets during their production increased with increase of reduction time, most probably due to the structural changes and fibrous growth of iron particles. SEM images of few reduced iron ore pellets were also taken.