Ability for Self-Pelletization of Iron Ores and Magnetite Concentrates

A procedure for evaluating the susceptibility of raw materials for the process of sintering of iron-ore mixes is presented. The procedure relies on the evaluation of the amount and quality of the finest grain fraction. The method is based on determination of particular grain fractions. For the grain less than 0. 15 mm, the determination of the amount is performed using an IPS (Infrared Particles Sizer) grain size analyzer and for the grain larger than 0. 15 mm, the fraction is determined using the (wet and dry) screening methods. This allows for quantity assessment of the quality of material in terms of its susceptibility to self-pelletizing by calculating Total Ability for Self-Pelletizing (TASP) index f(T). The presented method, in combination with the grain size and chemical analyses, can serve for evaluation of suitability of raw material and mixes for the sintering process. Furthermore, the TASP index for 10 types of iron ores and concentrates was determined. The usability of the TASP index was verified by determination of its impact on yield of sintering process both in laboratory and in industry scale.