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Energy Recovery from Iron Ore Sinter Using an Iron Oxide Packed Bed
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Stuart Cairns ,
Sajad Kiani,
Ciaran Martin
ChemEngineering, Volume: 9, Issue: 6, Start page: 118
Swansea University Authors:
SAM REIS, Peter Holliman , Stuart Cairns
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© 2025 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
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DOI (Published version): 10.3390/chemengineering9060118
Abstract
This study investigated a novel method of recovering energy from iron ore sinter using solid iron oxide heat transfer materials. Traditionally, air is passed through the sinter either in an open conveyor or a sealed vessel to recover energy. The bed materials used were a magnetite concentrate, hemat...
| Published in: | ChemEngineering |
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| ISSN: | 2305-7084 |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70838 |
| Abstract: |
This study investigated a novel method of recovering energy from iron ore sinter using solid iron oxide heat transfer materials. Traditionally, air is passed through the sinter either in an open conveyor or a sealed vessel to recover energy. The bed materials used were a magnetite concentrate, hematite ore, goethite–hematite ore and sinter fines. A shortwave thermal camera and quartz reactor were used measure infrared radiation from the process. The thermal imaging was combined with image analysis techniques to visualise the transfer of thermal energy through the system. The results showed that energy moved rapidly through the system with peak heating rates of 18 °C/min at a lump sinter temperature of 600 °C. The ratio of heating rate to cooling rate was as high as 8.6:1.0, indicating efficient retention of energy by the bed materials. The bed composition, determined by X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction was used to calculate the heat capacity based on pure material properties. The resultant energy balance determined thermal efficiency to be between 32 and 46% for the sinter fines and hematite–goethite ore, resulting in predicted fuel savings of up to 9.4kg/tonne with similar heat utilisations to the air recovery process. Thermal imaging combined with Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area measurements and scanning electron microscopy analysis experimentally replicated mathematical heat transfer model predictions that a smaller total pore volume resulted in less thermally resistive bed. Image analysis illustrated the breaking of the heat front between the less resistive solid and more resistive air in porous beds versus even conduction of heat through a dense bed. The oxide distribution in the bed materials impacted heat transfer, as at a lump temperature of 500 °C was controlled by hydrated oxide content whereas at 600 °C Fe2O3 was the more dominant driver. |
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| Keywords: |
energy recovery; iron ore sinter; thermography |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
We gratefully thank EPSRC and Tata Steel for cosponsoring an iCASE PhD studentship (Voucher no. 20000176) for SR and EPSRC for funding the Sustain Hub (EP/S018107/1) for PJH. |
| Issue: |
6 |
| Start Page: |
118 |