Computer Modeling of Iron Ore Pelletizing Thermal Processing in Grate Kiln Furnaces

Abstract

Iron ore mined from Northern Minnesota Iron range accounts most of the United States total iron ore pellet production. In iron ore pelletizing there are many opportunities to recycle lost energy to produce a more efficient process. While there are areas for improvement in this process it can be very costly to trial these methods in full-scale production due to the large scale of the furnaces and large through put. Using equations to model the process is an economical way to identify areas of improvement, and along with computer modeling tools creates a useful way to increase the efficiency and cut the cost of Iron Ore Pelletizing in terms of energy consumption and quality.