Chemical Control of Slag Build-up in Taconite Pellet Firing Kilns

摘要

The Empire Iron Mining Partnership is owned 40 percent by the Inland Steel Company, 25 percent by the LTV Steel Company, 12.5 percent by the Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Company and the 22.5 percent by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company is the Managing Agent for the Empire Iron Mining Partnership. The Empire Mine is located in the north central portion of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan adjacent to the community of Palmer, 15 miles southeast of the Lake Superior port city of Marquette and 60 miles north of the Lake Michigan port city of Escanaba. Empire began producing pellets in 1963 on Unit 1, the first grate-kiln to process magnetite concentrates. The first six lines in the concentrator included primary and pebble autogenous mills, two stage screening, two stages of magnetic separation, cyclones, syphon-sizers, amine flotation, and filtering. This was the initial use of autogenous mills in iron ore concentrating. Unit 2, with ten more mill lines, began operation in 1967. Unit 3, which included five mill lines, increased pellet production to 5.4 million long tons in 1974. Unit 4, the last unit, with three mill lines, started up in 1980.