Reduction kinetics of iron oxide pellets with H2 and CO mixtures

Reduction of hematite pellets using H-2-CO mixtures with a wide range of H-2/CO by molar (1:0, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, and 0:1) at different reducing temperatures (1073, 1173, and 1273 K) was conducted in a program reducing furnace. Based on an unreacted core model, the effective diffusion coefficient and reaction rate constant in several cases were determined, and then the rate-control step and transition were analyzed. In the results, the effective diffusion coefficient and reaction rate constant increase with the rise in temperature or hydrogen content. Reduction of iron oxide pellets using an H-2-CO mixture is a compound control system; the reaction rate is dominated by chemical reaction at the very beginning, competition during the reduction process subsequently, and internal gas diffusion at the end. At low hydrogen content, increasing temperature takes the transition point of the rate-control step to a high reduction degree, but at high hydrogen content, the effect of temperature on the transition point weakens.