Laboratory iron ore sintering studies. 3. Critical heat transfer period

Abstract

The generation of sufficient melt of appropriate properties is essential for the transformation of a blended sinter mix bed into a bed composed of large discrete sinter particles. For a chosen sinter mix, melt properties are determined by the quantity of heat transferred from the moving flame front and the chemical properties of the bed. Temperature-time profiles from embedded thermocouples are used to assess the transferred heat. From considerations of melt initiation and solidification temperatures, a critical sintering reaction area in the profiles is defined. The area is about three times the flame front area as it includes high temperature regions outside the front. It represents the total amount of heat available to the material in the partially molten state. Reasonable correlations are obtained between this area and the tumble strength of the sinter product. Temperature–time profiles are quite variable and strong correlations cannot be expected.