Reduction kinetics of commercial haematite pellet in a fixed bed at 1123–1273 K

Abstract

In the present study a model for future use in the modelling of moving bed direct reduction reactors has been developed. The model of a fixed bed reactor for the production of sponge iron from haematite incorporates both heat- and mass-transfer, as well as the chemical reduction rate. The model results were compared to the experimental data obtained from a lab scale reactor in the temperature range 1123–1273 K, as well as to the output from a simple model assuming isothermal conditions. The H2/CO ratio (β) of the reducing gas was in all cases varied from 0.8 to 2.0. Overall the non-isothermal model developed permits a more accurate representation of the experimental data than the isothermal estimates, with a typical discrepancy of only 1.3%.