Author(s)

Abraham J. B. Muwanguzi^1*, Aliaksandr Alevanau¹, Joseph K. Byaruhanga²

¹Department of Material Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
²Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, College of Engineering Design Art and Technology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Simulation of the direct reduction conditions was performed in a laboratory furnace. Lump samples from natural hematite iron ore were reduced by a gas mixture of H₂ and CO (H₂/CO =1.5) at temperatures of 700°C, 800°C and 900°C. The effect of reduction temperature on the reduction degree, reduction rate of samples and carbon deposition were investigated and discussed in this study. The thermo-gravimetric data obtained from the reduction experiments was run in a programme that calculates the solid conversion rate. Also, three models: 1) Grain Model (GM), 2) Volumetric Model (VM), and 3) the Random Pore Model (RPM), were used to estimate the reduction kinetics of natural iron ores. It was found that the RPM model result agreed best with the obtained experimental results. Furthermore, it gave better predictions of the natural iron oxide conversion and thereby the reduction kinetics.

Iron Ore, Reduction Kinetics, Solid Conversion, Reduction Rate, DR Estimation Models

Muwanguzi, A. , Alevanau, A. and Byaruhanga, J. (2017) Application of Different Models for the Prediction of the Kinetics of Direct Reduction of Natural Iron Ores. Geomaterials, 7, 117-131. doi: 10.4236/gm.2017.74009.