Thermodynamics of the melt formation and solidification processes during sintering: High temperature reaction calorimetry

High temperature reaction calorimetry has been used to examine the thermodynamics of iron ore sintering. Using analytical grade reagents to simulate typical sinter mixes, the energetics of primary melt formation, nuclear particle assimilation and melt crystallisation have been quantified. The results of this work have shown that the first two processes are strongly endothermic and are partially offset during sintering by the exothermic process of melt crystallisation. Applying the results of this study to a simple heat and mass balance confirms that the high temperature processes occurring during sintering account for just under half of the energy supplied by the combustion of coke, the remainder is used in the calcination of fluxes, heating waste gases and the removal of water from the sintering bed.