Influence of High Grade Iron Ore Usage on the Performance of SEA Blast

by Oliveira, M. Vinicius, Kumar, Prachethan, Oliveira, Dauter.

Publisher - Vale S.A., Brasil & Vale International, Singapore

Category - Engineering & IT

With growing demand for steel in the region of South East Asia (SEA), we have recently seen announcements of new steel plant projects. Most of these are fully integrated steel complex through BF-BOF route. The successful operation of these plants depends on many parameters and one such important parameter is raw materials. Among these raw materials iron ore plays a vital role in the efficient operation of hot metal production in terms of energy saving, lower cost production, environmental impacts. Availability of iron ore and stable supply is the key for efficient operation. Apart from that, Iron oxides with right physical, chemical and metallurgical properties are important for stable operation and to attain high performance levels. Vale, the largest iron ore producer in the world, has brought its mines located in Brazil closer to this region of SEA by building adistribution centre in Lumut, Malaysia which can supply high grade iron ore as per requirements of existing and new steel plants in the region. This distribution centre also offers flexible logistics and timely delivery due to its proximity to the region. Extensive efforts have been undertaken to develop specifications of iron ore which is most suitable for the region. The high grade iron ore having high Fe with optimum Al2O3/SiO2 ratio with low LOI helps improve sinter strength, reduce BF slag rate and fuel rate, and thereby improve overall productivity and efficiency. This would also bring significant improvements on environmental impact and cost efficiency. Several pilot scale studies and trial tests were conducted to understand the impact on the performance of sintering and blast furnace, which will be discussed in detail in this paper. This paper will also discuss the impact of using high grade ore to the performance of Sintering and Blast Furnace processes in terms of energy savings, CO2 emissions, and logistic benefits to the mills in the region.

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