EUROPEAN STEEL TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATION DAYS 2017 - ESTAD 2017

Sinter is one of the most significant iron carrying raw materials in the blast furnace process. The properties of sinter such as the reducibility and the reduction degradation index (RDI) affect the efficiency of the ironmaking process directly. However, sinter is an agglomerate with complex mineralogical features and a high degree of inhomogeneity. This work aims to characterize the surface and pore distribution properties of sinter by novel characterization methods. A standardized laboratory method was developed to determine the specific surface area of different sinter samples using gas adsorption BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) method. The effect of specific surface area on sinter properties has been investigated. Modern computer tomography (CT) analysis has been used to find out the internal pore structure and the distribution of various constituents inside the sinter mass. The results have been correlated to operational properties like reducibility and corresponding RDI. This work will provide a deeper insight into the structural aspects of sinters and their behavior under process conditions.