EUROPEAN STEEL TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATION DAYS 2017 - ESTAD 2017

The purpose of Sinter plants is to heat iron ore fines along with fluxes and coke fines or coal, to produce a semi-molten mass that solidifies into porous pieces of sinter with the necessary size and strength characteristics for feeding into the blast furnace. Fluxes used in the sintering process need to have an appropriate granulometric distribution and TI (tumbler index) to avoid generation of fines, which could obstruct the blowing plugs and reduce the productivity of the Sinter. Besides, a homogeneous chemical composition and high absorption characteristics are necessary to control the basicity (Si and MgO levels) and to combine the flux with P, S, Si, etc, respectively. PASEK Dunite is an ultramaphic rock exploited in the north of Spain with a basic chemical classification, being olivine and serpentine its principal minerals. PASEK Dunite is a very homogeneous and hard stone and its main characteristics are: high hot and cold resistance to mechanical stresses (shatter / crushing / abrasion), softening and melting points of a flux not of a refractory material, which provides a compact and high quality index sinter, with good strength and homogenous MgO distribution. In addition, due to its mechanical and chemical properties, less fines are generated in the sintering process and during the handling and transportation to the blast furnace, improving the productivity of these processes. In this way, the use of PASEK Dunite allows increasing the homogeneity structure of sinter, reducing the percentage of return fines and improving the Sinter productivity. Keywords: Fluxes; Dunite; Sinter; return fines; Magnesium Silicate.