Effect of utilization of metallic Fe particles as an agglomeration agent on the permeability of sintering bed

Abstract

In this study, the effects of adding metallic Fe particles to coke in an effort to reduce the CO2 emissions associated with sintering were investigated. The changes to the structure and permeability of the sintering bed were analyzed in a laboratory-scale sintering simulator. The results were then used to compare agglomerates material containing metallic Fe particles with a 100% coke bed. The pressure drop of the packed bed of the mixture of model mini-pellets (ACPs) and coke particles increases until the bed reaches the temperature at which the adhering layer of ACP starts to melt, and then starts to gradually decrease. The pressure drop for metallic Fe particles, however, begins to decrease at an earlier stage, and then increases until its peak value. This difference can be attributed to differences in the products formed from oxidation. The sintering experiments were made by making changes to the CaO composition of the sintering bed: 5% to 15% was substituted with metallic Fe particles. A high CaO content resulted in a lower pressure drop of the bed from the start to 200 s sintering apparently due to the difference in the melting behavior of the materials at the initial stage of sintering.