DEM Simulation of Collapse Phenomena of Packed Bed of Raw Materials for Iron Ore Sinter during Charging

Abstract

The collapse phenomena like an avalanche of sinter bed during charging of raw materials in the iron ore sintering are often observed. The collapse phenomena strongly influence the size segregation of raw materials in sinter bed, permeability and productivity of sinter. The reasons why collapse phenomena of the sinter bed during charging occur in the iron ore sintering have been discussed using the simulation by DEM (Discrete Element Method) in this work. As factors causing the collapse phenomena, there could be the granule shape of raw materials charged and the adhesion between the granules. First of all, a simulation model which is considered the adhesion force between the granules has been developed. The charging behavior of raw materials on the sintering machine was simulated by DEM. Effects of the adhesion force on deposition and collapse phenomena of the sinter bed were investigated. The deposition angle of the sinter bed obviously increases and the collapse phenomena of granules are clearly observed when the adhesion force was introduced into the granules. The ridges on the surface of the sinter bed which are feature of the collapse phenomena are confirmed. Therefore one of the reasons why the collapse phenomena occur during charging of the raw materials into the sintering machine would be adhesion of granules.

The angle of repose and size segregation of iron ore granules: DEM analysis and experimental investigation

“…The average value, Eavg = 33.0 MPa, was adopted in the simulation study. The other material parameters of iron ore granules were deliberately referred from the literature on the study of iron ore granules or iron ore pellets [25,[62][63][64][65][66]. All the detailed information on the material parameters of iron ore granules adopted in the simulation is summarised in Table 3.…”

Analysis of the Effect of Ventilation Bars on the Packing Structure of Sinter Bed by DEM Simulation

“…In addition, since the sinter feed is a granule containing water, the adhesion force as a method of expressing the wet state is introduced. It is known that increasing the value of the adhesion force makes it harder for particles to rotate, resulting in a greater angle of repose [27]. The equation of motion of the particles considering the adhesion force F adhesion is indicated by Equations (3) and (4); rotational resistance R r is indicated by Equation (5).…”

ADEM Simulation for Analysis of Particle Breakage of Irregular Shaped Particles

“…With the development of computer performance, the number of reports that analyze the blast furnace process using DEM simulation has been increasing. [10][11][12][13] In addition, a new simulation model for predicting and understanding particle breakage has been proposed. The general approach is that cluster particle is represented by agglomerate of primary particles.…”