Case Study of Thermal Profile Design for Traveling Grate Pellet Furnace

Abstract

ABSTRACT Production of iron ore pellets with enough strength to resist the transport and reduction on reactors requires an accurate adjustment of traveling grate furnace process parameters. The firing zone is the most energy intensive step to ensure quality and this study based on Lean Six Sigma methodology to evaluate and optimize the thermal profile through temperature fine-tuning. A pilot scale assessment aid to analyze physical, chemical, metallurgical and microstructure properties of pellets through different temperatures to accurate industrial implementation. The validation of lab-scale trials was concluded by industrial implementation to guarantee the quality, productivity and reduced costs.