Abstract Scope |
Ferronickel is used for producing stainless steel and other ferrous alloys. Therefore, the smelting of nickel lateritic ore to produce ferronickel is of great importance to the stainless steel industry. A novel simple thermodynamic model allows one to map the relationships between the Fe:Ni ratio in the ore and the FeNi grade and Ni recovery. The chemical composition of the lateritic feed material, especially the SiO2/MgO ratio, strongly affects the composition of the slag, and how the furnace is operated. The choice of the FeNi product grade is affected primarily by economic and marketing considerations. A blend of thermodynamics, chemistry, furnace design and behaviour, and economics allows good choices to be made around a particular project. The talk will also touch on a little of the history of laterite smelting, and will provide a brief overview of world FeNi production. |