Effect of high alumina iron ore of gibbsite type on sintering performance

The fundamental properties and utilisation feasibility in the sintering production of a newly developed commercial iron ore resource were studied at laboratory scale in the present work. The new iron ore contained medium iron content and high of alumina of gibbsite type. The ore is a typical limonite, which could help to reduce the production cost of hot metal. The assimilation and fluidity properties of the new kind of high alumina iron ore were investigated, comparing with other kinds of limonite and magnetite iron ores. The effect of addition of the iron ore on sintering process was also performed in a sintering pot, and the properties of the sinter samples were then examined. The results showed that the melt formation and fluidity properties of the high alumina iron ore were not good, and it had adverse effect on sinter quality. The yield and strength of the sinter samples gradually decreased with the increasing of high alumina iron ore blending ratio from 7 to 27.3 wt-%. The reducibility first increased then decreased, and the low temperature reduction degradation characteristics changed in an opposite trend correspondingly. The softening-melting property of the sinter samples also deteriorated in the experiment and might have a negative influence on the blast furnace operation.