Abstract:
In this research, a pelletizer was designed and fabricated as a prototype
machine to make iron ore pellets to be used as a blast furnace burden. During the iron
manufacturing process, iron ore powder of specified particle size distribution is mixed
with a binder, coke powder and calcium carbonate. The raw materials are intimately
mixed and thereafter treated with a critical amount of water while the pelletizing is
taking place. During the pelletizing process the ore particles are subjected to horizontal
and vertical forces applied mechanically coupled with the adhesive forces created by
water molecules. The forces acting on iron ore particles would facilitate by bringing the
particles together and thereby giving uniformity to the pellet. The addition of water has
to be carried out carefully as it is a critical parameter. After careful drying, firstly in air
and thereafter in an oven at HOC for 2 hours, the green pellets thus obtained were
sintered to produce the final pellet to be used in the blast furnace.
Citation:
Arachchi, G.A.R.M.G., Jayarathna, S.T.C.K., Jeyarupan, G., Thusyanth, M., & Fernando, W.L.W. (2007). The use of prototype pelletizer for iron ore preparation. In S. Karunaratne (Ed.), Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Conference on Minerals for a Better Future – A Multidisciplinary Approach (pp. 37-40). Department of Earth Resources Engineering, University of Moratuwa.
