In the iron ore sintering process, the resistance to air flow is a major factor in deciding the flame front speed, which influences the sinter productivity and quality. In this work, pressure drop during sintering and the resistance to air flow was investigated in milli-pot sintering for different coke rates. The sintering experiments were conducted in a milli-pot (diameter 53 mm, height 400 mm) and pressure and temperature were measured at the same locations in the bed by four taps located equidistant to each other. The yield of sinter product was measured following a modified drop test and the mineralogy of the sinter product was analysed. The results from milli-pot sintering were then compared to the reported results from standard pilot-scale sintering, and it was found that the lower half of the milli-pot bed gave a reasonable representation of the pilot-scale sintering process. The results of sinter mineralogy, yield and productivity of the lower half of milli-pot at 5.5–8.0% coke rate were found to be similar to pilot-scale sintering tests at a corresponding coke rate from 3.5 to 5.5%. The maximum resistance to air flow in the bed was found to be in the region between the leading edge of the flame front at ~100°C and the trailing edge of the flame front at ~1200°C. This suggests that the maximum resistance to air flow includes the effect of de-humidification and combustion in addition to the high temperature “flame front” region usually defined at temperatures above 1100°C or 1200°C.
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