EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF ALKALINE RAW MATERIAL IN THE BLAST FURNACE PROCESS

Fluxes (slag-forming additives) provide the formation of blast-furnace slag of suitable chemical composition. These additives affect not only the technological parameters of the blast-furnace process. Fluxes must have good desulphurisation ability and low viscosity. Metallurgical enterprises in the Czech Republic mostly use acidic ore raw materials. Therefore alkaline (basic) fluxes are exploited in iron working. A frequently used raw material for the preparation of alkaline additives is dolomitic limestone. However, this material can be evaluated by a number of features that significantly influence the blast-furnace process. These properties can then be included in chemical, physical and technological categories. To evaluate one alkaline raw material, it is possible to choose a wide range of parameters. However, it is necessary to propose a principle of evaluation of these raw materials using a complex indicator which will quantify all the key parameters. The article deals with the possibility of evaluating the quality of alkaline raw materials used in the blast-furnace process.