Simultaneous sintering, reduction and gasification of composite pellets, made of. Fine iron ore and heavy oil, in a fluidized bed

Abstract Fine particles of iron ore were mixed with heavy oil to form a pasty mixture, of which the weight ratio of oil to ore was chosen to be between 0.15 and 0.60. Cylindrical pellets made of the mixture, 3 mm in diameter and 5 – 10 mm in length, were fed into a fluidized bed of inert particles at a temperature ranging from 850 to 1050 °C. Simultaneous gasification, sintering and reduction of the pellets took place in the bed instantly. The main gaseous products were H 2 , H 2 O, CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , C 2 H 4 , and C 2 H 6 , and the amount of H 2 and CO produced was 1.3 – 1.7 (m 3 /kg-oil). The pellets were sintered well, and the degree of reduction ranged from 15 to 90%. All data acquired in the present work support the possibility of a novel process for the direct reduction of fine iron ore, which would eliminate both the sintering and gasification processes.