Reduction kinetics of iron and chromium in chromite ore

Abstract

The kinetics of the reduction of chromite ore by solid carbon plays a crucial role in controlling the efficiency of the pre-reduction ofthe ore as well as the reduction of the material inside the submerged-arc furnace (SAF). The oxides of iron and chromium are the major reducible oxides in the ore. Perusal of the literature shows that the reduction of these two oxides should be modeled differently. However such an approach has not been adopted by investigators. Data on the reducibility of different chromite ores were analyzed to model the reduction of iron and chromium in the ore. Experiments were conducted in the laboratory to study the reduction of the oxides in an Indian chromite ore and are discussed.