Iron Ore Sintering: Quality Indices

Sinter plants process a mixture of iron ore fines, recycled ironmaking products, slag-forming agents and solid fuel (coke) with the finality of obtaining a product with the suitable characteristics (thermal, mechanical, physical, and chemical) for being fed to the blast furnace. With this objective a series of parameters are defined, including the nature and composition of each component of the mixture, and the conditions of the sintering process. Sinter characterization includes chemical and granulometric analysis, determination of the mineral phases in its structure, apart from a series of quality indices that includes reducibility, low temperature degradation, reduction degradation and Tumbler. Operated sinter plants with the maximum productivity are also important with the purpose of obtaining a sinter with uniform composition and quality for facilitating the steady state operation of the blast furnace.