Modeling the reduction behavior of iron ore fines in a circulating fluidized bed reactor

The reduction of iron ore fines using fluidized bed has attracted more attentions in recent years since it has more advantages in energy consumption and environment protection over the conventional process. To better understand the reduction behavior of iron ore fines in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB), a mathematical model based on unreacted shrinking-core assumption and Rhodes´ hydrodynamic models of circulating fluidized bed was developed. The Runge-Kutta method with variable step was employed to solve the equations. The predicted results showed good overall agreement with the experimental data in the reference. It was found that the conversion degree of the iron particles was affected by the particle size, reduction temperature, gas component as well as residence time.