REDUCTION OF IRON-OXIDE FINE PARTICLES FROM A CONVERTER IN A POWDER-PARTICLE FLUIDIZED-BED

Reduction of iron oxide fine particles which were generated at a converter was carried out by using a new type of fluidized bed, a powder-particle luidized bed. Effects of operational conditions of the fluidized bed, i.e., temperature, bed height, gas velocity and hydrogen concentration of inlet gas on the conversion of reduction were examined. 98% of the maximum conversion was obtained in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed. Since oxidization activity of the reduced fine particles was very high, high temperature treatment of the reduced particles or preoxidation of the particles with low concentration of oxygen were needed to prevent the reduced fine particles from re-oxidation.