Migration and Reaction Mechanism of Barium in BaSO₄–CaCO₃–Fe₂O₃ System during Sintering

Abstract

With the increasingly strict requirements of blast furnaces on the sinter quality, analyzing the phase transition process and reaction mechanism of special elements in the sintering process plays an important role in understanding the sintering process and improving the sinter quality. Herein, the decomposition process of barite during sintering and the influence mechanism on the bonding phase of calcium ferrite are studied by laboratory experiments and thermodynamic calculations. The results show that calcium ferrite and ferric oxide can promote the decomposition of barite and reduce the decomposition temperature in the sintering process. The generated barium enters the calcium ferrite phase and affects the strength and melting point of calcium ferrite. With the increase of barium content, the strength of calcium ferrite sample increases from 1.62 to 2.00 kPa, and the initial melting temperature of calcium ferrite sample stays at 1473 K. However, with the further increase of barium, the sample strength and melting temperature both show a worsening trend. Finally, based on the research results, some suggestions for sintering production are put forward, and the optimal barite content is determined. Results help to better understand the reaction process and action mechanism of barium in the sintering process.