Effect of ore properties on sinter bed permeability and strength

In iron ore sintering, granule deformation and compaction can be responsible for significant losses in bed voidage and green bed permeability. In this study, uniaxial compression tests have been used to examine the bed strength of granulated single and binary iron ore sinter mixes. The results show that at low moistures, bed strength is dependent on the granule layer mass to nuclei mass ratio. For binary iron ore sinter mixes, bed strength was found to increase as levels of Channel Iron ore were increased. Permeability–moisture curves for a series of single ore sinter mixes were recorded to examine the key parameters that affect this relationship. The results confirmed that the porosity of the ore pore size distribution and contact angle all affect the shape or width of the curves and the moisture at maximum permeability. The height of the curves is determined by bed voidage and the granule size distribution. This study has demonstrated that provided sufficient water is available during granulation, both Channel Iron and Marra Mamba ores granulate well, forming packed beds with permeability and strength comparable with or higher than those formed from less porous Brockman and Itabirite ores.