RI 7461 Batch Reduction Of Iron Ore In Fluidized Bed

Batches of red or brown iron ore concentrates, weighing 100 or 200 grams, were reduced with gaseous reductants in a laboratory-sized fluidized-bed reactor. Using a loss of weight technique, the rates of reduction were measured and the effects of temperature, gas consumption, and gas flow rates were determined. Below about 725° C the rate of reduction was controlled by the chemical reaction at the reduction interface having an activation energy of about 10 kcal/g mole. Above about 725° C the rate of reduction appeared to be controlled by the flow of the gaseous reductant and therefore to be directly proportional to the flow rate. Above 725° C, hydrogen reduced the iron ore much faster than carbon monoxide. In gas mixtures, carbon monoxide or nitrogen reduced the hydrogen partial pressure and lowered the reaction rate proportionally. When present in large concentrations, carbon monoxide had a serious inhibiting effect on the reduction rate, probably owing to carburization and sintering of the reduced iron.