Strengthening granulation behavior of specularite concentrates based on matching of characteristics of iron ores in sintering process

Specularite concentrates have advantages of high ferrous grade, less harmful impurities and low price. However, the small size and poor granulation behavior of specularite concentrates consequently deteriorate the permeability of sinter bed and reduce the productivity of sinter, resulting in un-effective utilization in sintering process. The granulation experiments were carried out when specularite concentrates matched with five kinds of fine or coarse ores, and the effects of surface property and wettability of fine or coarse ores on granulation behavior of specularite concentrates were investigated. Then, the optimized ore blending recipes were proposed to strengthen the granulation behavior of specularite concentrates. The results indicated that the growth index increased with increasing the specific surface area of fine ores and had a positive linear correlation with the circularity degree of coarse ores, whereas negative correlations exist between the growth index and the contact angle of fine or coarse ores. Compared with the scheme of blended ores containing 15 mass% specularite concentrates, the growth index increased by approximately 22% in the case of using Ore-A and Ore-E with greater surface property and higher wettability to replace all of Ore-B and half of Ore-D, respectively. Furthermore, the vertical sintering speed and the productivity of sinter improved by approximately 23% and 20%, respectively.