REDUCTION OF ASWAN IRON ORES IN FLUIDIZED BED.

Aswan iron ores (containing between 30 and 45% Fe) are the only ores used as blast furnace charge in the iron and steel plant of Helwan, near Cairo, Egypt. Investigation of the reducing with hydrogen process concluded that: the degree of reduction of Aswan ores in fluidized bed is strongly affected by temperature up to 700 degree C, where sintering of the ore starts; the particle size has relatively small effect on the reduction process; and the degree of reduction was found to be almost directly proportional to the rate of supply of the reducing gas and inversely proportional to the bed weight. This leads to the conclusion that the degree of reduction should depend upon the ore/gas ratio and generally the degree of reduction increases as the ore/gas ratio decreases.