Scribd
Upload
466 views19 pages

Pyrometallurgy Lecture 2. Agglomeration

Agglomeration aims to produce larger particles from fine concentrate through methods like sintering and pelletizing. Pelletizing involves rolling green pellets at room temperature and then firing them at high temperatures to produce strong pellets. Sintering heats fine materials without full melting, allowing particles in contact to adhere through surface diffusion and incipient fusion. For iron ore, sintering uses a downdraft machine to draw air through a burning bed, forming sinter.

Uploaded by

Nhut Nguyen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
466 views19 pages

Pyrometallurgy Lecture 2. Agglomeration

Agglomeration aims to produce larger particles from fine concentrate through methods like sintering and pelletizing. Pelletizing involves rolling green pellets at room temperature and then firing them at high temperatures to produce strong pellets. Sintering heats fine materials without full melting, allowing particles in contact to adhere through surface diffusion and incipient fusion. For iron ore, sintering uses a downdraft machine to draw air through a burning bed, forming sinter.

Uploaded by

Nhut Nguyen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 19

Agglomeration

Agglomeration aims to produce


larger aggregates from fine
concentrate particles
Allows gases to pass through a
bed of particles at a lower
pressure drop
Reduces loss of fine particles

Ian Wark Research Institute


Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Agglomeration
• Methods used for agglomeration include:
1. Sintering
2. Pelletising
3. Briquetting

Ian Wark Research Institute


Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Pelletising
• Very fine materials may be agglomerated
by pelletising
• Made up of two stages:
1. Rolling of pellets at room temperature
(balling) to produce green pellets
2. Induration at high temperature to
produce fired pellets

Ian Wark Research Institute


Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Pelletising
• Balling is carried out by adding water and
a binder (such as bentonite clay) then
rolling in a drum or on a rotating disc
• Particles are bound together by capillary
forces
• As rolling proceeds more and more
particles are added to the pellet
• At required size (10-20mm) the pellets
discharge from the device
Ian Wark Research Institute
Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Pelletising
• Green pellets have low strength and would
explode if charged to a furnace
• Dried and then fired at 1200 – 1300oC to
develop maximum strength
• Water is evaporated and particles in the
pellet bonded together by chemical and
mechanical bonding
• Can be done on travelling grate, rotary kiln
or shaft furnace
Ian Wark Research Institute
Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Sintering
• Heat fine materials to an elevated
temperature without complete fusion.
• Particles in contact with each other adhere
and agglomerate
• Predominant mechanisms are surface
diffusion and incipient fusion

Ian Wark Research Institute


Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Sintering Iron Ore
• Uses a downdraft sintering machine
• Mix ore with coke breeze, fluxes, return
sinter and water
• Load onto moving grate to a depth of 25
-30 cm
• Pass under a burner to ignite top of bed
• Draw air down through the bed while the
grate moves perpendicular to the draught
Ian Wark Research Institute
Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Sintering Iron Ore

Ian Wark Research Institute


Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Sintering Iron ore
• As sintering proceeds the combustion front
moves down through the bed
• The sintering zone also moves down the
bed.
• A number of zones can be defined within
the bed, the position and proportion of
which change as sintering proceeds

Ian Wark Research Institute


Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Sintering Iron Ore

Ian Wark Research Institute


Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Sintering Iron Ore
• Sinter make is largely controlled by air flow
• Specific volume of waste gas drawn from bed
when sintering 1 tonne of raw feed is roughly
constant
• Specific volume is determined by heat transfer rate
down the bed
• Heat front velocity equals hgW/[hs(1-ε)]
• hg and hs are heat capacities of gas and solid
• W is normal superficial gas velocity
• ε is the bed porosity
Ian Wark Research Institute
Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Iron Ore Sintering
• To achieve high quality sinter need a high
bed temperature
• Need combustion front and heat front to
travel down the bed together
• Means combustion takes place in a high
temperature air stream
• This is known as “matching”
• Anything else is known as “mismatching”
Ian Wark Research Institute
Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Iron Ore Sintering

Ian Wark Research Institute


Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Iron Ore Sintering
• Factors affecting rate of sintering
• Q = I(Y-C)
• Q is the output of blast furnace sinter
• I is the input of raw mix
• C is the fraction constituting the circulating load
• Y is the ratio of the weight of sinter cake at the
end of the strand divided by the weight of raw
feed onto the strand

Ian Wark Research Institute


Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Iron Ore Sintering

To sinter a given weight of material a


specific amount of air is required
For high outputs a large volume of gas
must be blown through the bed
Means using a mix with high permeability or
high suction
High permeability achieved in a number of
ways
Ian Wark Research Institute
Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Iron Ore Sintering
• To achieve high permeability
1. Control moisture addition
2. Proper mixing and charging
3. Removal of ultrafines
4. Use of additives
5. Prepelletising
6. Use of fluxes

Ian Wark Research Institute


Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Iron Ore Sintering
• Productivity also depends on
circulating load
• Determined by desired sinter
properties
• Also has an effect on bed
permeability
• High productivity is favoured by a
low circulating load but this reduces
bed permeability
Ian Wark Research Institute
Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Sinter Roasting (Sulphides)
• For sulphides roasting and sintering can be
combined
• Used when product is fed to a shaft
furnace
• Process is exothermic
• Need to add large amounts of return sinter
to control temperature
• Carried out using updraught conditions to
facilitate SO2 capture
Ian Wark Research Institute
Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces
Updraught Sintering

Ian Wark Research Institute


Australian Research Council Special Research Centre
For Particle and Material Interfaces

You might also like