Novel Drying Process Assisted by Microwave to Iron Ore Pelletizing

Drying has became critical to iron ore pellet production, due to increasing inability to withdrawal moisture from the green pellets, especially faced by goethitic iron ore producers. Most of the existing pelletizing furnaces do not support increase heating rates nor changes in furnaces length, without compromise pellet quality. The present study evaluates an innovative alternative for the actual fully convective drying process composed by an up-draught drying (UDD) and down-draught drying stage (DDD), through the application of microwave energy to assist the existing process. In the present work, the process was simulated in a pot grate where industrial parameters can be simulated. The microwave generator (power input of 10 MW and 915 MHz) was connected in a traditional static pot grate at the hood by a microwave conductor. The experiments show elimination of the over-wet zone at the upper layer of pellet observed at the traditional process. A reduction greater than 7% of the moisture in UDD was achieved, while the convective process adds extra moist to the green pellets modifying the pellet shape.