IRON ORE PELLETIZING PLANT
Iron Ore Pellet
Iron ore pellets are a type of small-sized iron ore balls which are spherical and made of iron ore fines. They are manufactured by mixing beneficiated iron ore fines or natural iron ore fines with additives, then being processed into green pellets, and finally indurating at a high temperature. Iron ore pellets are the indispensable material used in steel making process. It is the basis of the steel industry, which features high iron grade, uniform particle size, good reduction performance, high mechanical strength, and long storage time.
Iron ore pellet is widely favored by the steel industry in various countries. It has the following highlights:
It has low production energy consumption, suitable for large-scale production.
The uniform particle size ensures good air permeability of blast furnace burden.
It has high voltage and good reducibility, which is beneficial to improve the utilization of the chemical energy of coal gas.
Its cold intensity (compression and wear resistance) is high so it is easy to transport and store with small dust content.
Iron ore pellet features high iron grade. The high grade increases the effective weight of the burden column and reduces the coke ratio.
Global Iron Ore Pellet Market Continues To Grow
The iron ore pellet market is expected to achieve stable growth from 2021 to 2028. According to the analysis of Data Bridge Market Research, the market is growing at a CAGR of 3.6%.
The iron ore pellet market is mainly driven by the growing need for steel in end-use industries such as the automobile industry, shipbuilding industry, construction industry, etc. since iron ore pellet is the main raw material for steel manufacturing. The continuous expansion of steel production in developing Asia Pacific economies such as India, China, and Vietnam is a key factor to promote market growth in the next few years.
Coal accounts for more than 75% of the total energy consumption in the steel industry. With the introduction of new regulations on environmental protection and carbon emissions and the growing demand for high-quality steel, many steel manufacturers choose to upgrade and restructure their manufacturing facilities and processes, and prefer to adopt carbon-free steelmaking processes. Because of its high metallization rate and good utilization effect, iron ore pellet has been achieving good acceptance, which promotes the growth of the iron ore market.
Due to the pandemic of the covid-19 virus at the end of 2019, many countries around the world suspended industrial production and construction production activities, which seriously affected the steel demand in the first half of 2020. However, according to the World Steel Association, the global economy is likely to rebound significantly in 2021. The focus of governments and institutions will shift to economic recovery and support for production, infrastructure construction, and industrial production. This will stimulate the expansion of the iron ore pellet market to a large extent.
Global Iron Ore Pelletizing Plants Construction Demand
Regarding iron ore pellets production and consumption, the Asia Pacific region is dominant. This is due to China’s huge steel manufacturing base. In China, the massive consumption of iron ore pellets by the steel industry makes the iron ore pellet production demand increase rapidly. Because of the increasing demand for steel in the energy-intensive industry, the United States has a dominant position in the North American iron ore pellet production market. As for the Middle East and Africa, iron ore pellet consumption in the two regions is expected to grow steadily in the coming years as the economic diversification plan initiated by the government aims to reduce dependence on oil and gas energy. It is expected to push forward the steel production and manufacturing industry in the coming years.
Why We Need An Iron Ore Pelletizing Plant?
With the decrease in high-grade iron ore, we gradually pay attention to its recycling and meanwhile increase the utilization of low-grade iron ore. Iron ore pelletizing plants play an important role in these two aspects.
For low-grade iron ore, they should be beneficiated to improve the iron content. We usually grind up iron ore after mining and remove the useless part (tailings). Therefore, most of the iron ore that is sent into the steel plants has a fine particle size. Iron-making blast furnace requires high air permeability during operation so the iron ore fines should be processed into iron ore pellets in the iron ore pelletizing plant in advance.
During the processing of high-grade iron ores which don’t need beneficiation, many ore fines are generated which are usually regarded as waste. In iron ore pelletizing plants, these iron ore fines can be recycled and pelletized for steel making instead of being disposed of.
Because of its advanced production technology and automatic production process, iron ore pelletizing plants meet the needs of various steel enterprises. The iron ore pellets produced by it feature high iron content and uniform specifications, which effectively improve the production efficiency of the steelmaking plant, reduce environmental pollution, and increase the benefits of the enterprise.
>> You are welcome to send an inquiry if need details of our EPC iron ore pelletizing plants, or have any questions about the production process, single pelletizing equipment, marketing services, etc. We are always at your service!
Iron Ore Pelletizing Process
The iron ore pellet production process mainly includes four steps: raw material preparation, mixing, balling, and indurating.
Raw Material Preparation
Raw materials for iron ore pellet production include iron ore concentrate, binder (bentonite), fluxing agent (limestone or dolomite), and other additives. In this process, all these materials need to be ground to a certain fineness and then stored separately in silos.
Mixing
After preparation, raw materials are batched under the control of a batching system. Then they are fed into a mixer for adequate mixing.
Balling
Pelletizing disc is the most commonly used balling equipment in iron ore pelletizing plants. Materials on pelletizing disc are mixed with an appropriate amount of water to be processed into green pellets. Once pellets have reached the desired size, they leave the pelletizing disc and proceed to the next step. But if the green pellets are oversized or undersized, they will be screened out and sent back to the mixer or balling area.
Indurating
In the induration process, green pellets are thermal hardened. This process is usually carried out in a grate kiln. In the grate kiln, pellets are heated up to a temperature of about 800-900 °C in the preheating zone, then they finish the induration at roughly 1200-1350 °C. After that, all the iron pellets enter an annular cooler for cooling until reaching a normal temperature for further storage or transport.
Iron Ore Pelletizing Equipment
According to the production process, AGICO offers various iron ore pelletizing equipment, including pelletizing discs, grate kilns, iron ore dryers, industrial dust collectors, annular coolers, rotary drum mixers, damp mills, etc. If you are interested, please feel free to >> contact us!
Why Choose AGICO Iron Ore Pelletizing Plant
Experienced
Our company has more than 20 years of experience in iron ore pelletizing plant construction.
Customization Service
We offer pelletizing plant and single pelletizing equipment customization services.
EPC Project Service
AGICO provides EPC projects of iron ore pelletizing plants from plant design to after-sales service.
Professional
We have large-scale workshops and professional iron ore pelletizing machine manufacturing equipment.
