Effect of basicity on the activation energy during reduction of highly fluxed iron ore pellets

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) 2021-07, Vol.296, p.120640, Article 120640
• Main Authors: Dishwar, Raj Kumar, Sinha, Om Prakash
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activation energy; Basicity; Electric arc furnaces; Highly fluxed; Iron; Iron and steel making; Iron compounds; Iron ore pellet; Iron ores; Kinetics; Pellets; Porosity; Reduction; Silicon dioxide; Steel converters; Steel making
• ISSN: 0016-2361; 1873-7153
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2021.120640

•It is possible to prepare highly fluxed (8 Basicity) and reduced (greater than80%) pellets by using iron ore and lime fines.•Reduction temperature and pellet basicity both affected the reduction process, giving higher reduction percent with increase in temperature and basicity.•The kinetic model “[(1 − α)(−1/3)−1]2 = kt” is the best fit model for reduction of highly fluxed iron ore pellets in coal bed.•The activation energy of the reduction decreases with increase in basicity.•The values of activation energy are 31.92, 30.75, 25.97, 20.87 kJ/mol for the pellets of basicity 2, 4, 6 and 8 respectively. The reduction behaviour of high flux hardened iron ore pellets of basicity 2, 4, 6 and 8 (Basicity = CaO/SiO2) reduced at temperature (900–1050 °C) were examined and reported here. The kinetic model [(1 − α)(−1/3) − 1]2 = kt was found to be the best fit model with the present experimental data. Activation energy was calculated based on the above model. It was found to be 31.92, 30.75, 25.97, 20.87 kJ/mol for the pellets of basicity 2, 4, 6 and 8 respectively after reduction in the bed of coal. These reduced pellets could be used for steelmaking in the Electric arc furnace (EAF)/Linz- Donawitz (LD) Converter.