Friction Forces and Mechanical Dust Generation in an Iron Ore Pellet Bed Subjected to Varied Applied Loads

Abstract

Iron ore pellets degrade and generate dust during transportation and handling as well as during the iron making process. This leads to material losses and effects the process efficiency in a negative manner. In order, to reduce the generation of dust it is important to understand the influence of process parameters on the dust formation. An experimental setup was used to measure the dust generation and friction forces caused by abrasion of iron ore pellets in a closed pack bed. A varied load of 1 to 3 kg was applied on the pellet bed but at a constant air flow rate to capture the airborne dust particles. It was observed that an increase of ~67% is observed in the friction and the dust generation in the bed as the applied load increased from 1 to 3 kg. Moreover, the evaluation of the particle size distribution of the generated dust showed that a higher friction in the pellet bed can lead to an increased amount of airborne particles. Moreover, it has been shown that in an air flow the morphology and the orientation of dust particles can influence the air velocity required to transport the particles upwards.