Claims:We Claim:

1. A method to quantify the fluidity behavior of iron ore charge for sintering process comprising the steps of:

observing the ease of flow of the iron ore material including selectively anyone or more of (i) monitoring the expansion which stimulates the ease of flow of the iron ore material and (ii) contact angle in fused or semi-fused state in the temperature range of 1150-1350 0C which replicate the conditions in ignition zone.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step of monitoring the expansion includes capturing the expansion involving camera means wherein greater the expansion captured higher is the fluidity value of the ore.

3. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 or 2 wherein the expansion capturing based fluidity values are validated by measuring the contact angle of the ore mass as it is heated to higher temperatures.

4. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 3 wherein based on the fluidity behavior of the ore , the ore chemistry for sintering is varied and tested likewise.

5. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 4 wherein the method generates for sintering mass with pre determined fluidity such as to avoid mass with lower fluidity leading to less slag bond formation and very high fluidity leading to filling of pores resulting in high resistance to air passage during sintering process.

6. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 5 comprising :

providing ores with varying chemistry for determining the impact of variation in chemistry on fluidity in a given desired range;
involving fine analytical grade reagents selected from 97% pure Ferric oxide and naturally occurring iron ore particles to produce cylindrical tablet having a diameter 3mm and a height 2mm to 3mm preferably of 3mm and obtaining pressed tablets each weighing about 0.05gm to 0.07gm preferably about 0.05 gm.

7. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 6 comprising :

wetting the crushed ore particles crushed to 0.1mm to 0.2mm preferably about 0.15 mm with a controlled amount of water varying between 6-10% before mixing in the adhering fines blend consisting of Irone ore and calcined lime and obtaining ore tablets there from maintaining low pressure in the range of 10N/M2 to 20N/M2 to minimise fracture of nuclear particles;

the thus obtained ore tablets are next placed in an ash fusion chamber furnace at room temperature and thereafter the temperature is raised up to 1500 0C,

the pressure applied to produce the tablets was kept low in the range of 10N/M3 to 20N/M3 to minimize the fracture of nuclear particles;

placing the tablet in the Ash fusion chamber furnace at room temperature and then temperature is raised up to 1500°C maintaining rate of heating high at 40°C/min to a temperature of 900°C and from there on to 1500°C the rate is slightly lower rate of 40°C/min;

monitoring the sample and its behaviour from around 1100°C wherein slight contraction in the sample shape initiated to expand owing to its flowability; and

measuring the fluidity index at various temperatures in the range of 1200°C -1400°C, where Fluidity Index (FI)= (Projected area after testing - Initial area) / (Initial area).

8. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 7 wherein the sample ore for quantifying the fluidity behavior is placed in an ash fusion temperature furnace with a light source applied on the sample for effective capturing of the deformation and melting behavior of the sample which is recorded and displayed as desired.

9. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 8 comprising adding lime if required to bring down the melting temperature so that any said sample can melt by 1450-1500 C and thus can be tested in the ash fusion furnace within a maximum temperature of upto 15000C.

10. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 9 wherein the sintering temperature was noted down to mark the temperature at which the sample had maximum density and the deformation temperature comprises the temperature at which the sharp edges of the sample starts getting round shape to becoming hemisphere.

11. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 10 comprising:

varying the silica in the experiment from 2.6% to 9% where as alumina is varied 2.4 to 3.6%, the basicity is segregated into two zones- one that we get by adding 12.5% CaO and in another case we maintain the basicity that around 2 to simulate the condition in plant.

12. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 11 wherein

fluidity index increases with increasing temperature as shown in table and the value is most prominent at 1350°C temperature;

sintering temperature, is the temperature at which the sample has maximum density;

flow temperature is the temperature from where on the solid sample almost converts to liquid and the fluidity is too high as it starts to flow freely; and

wherein as the flowability of the sample increases the contact angle decreases as it comes more in contact with the base.

13. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 11 wherein width expansion in terms of percentage at 1350°C comprises fluidity index standard temperature.

14. A system for carrying out the method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 13 comprising;
an ash fusion temperature furnace with sample mounted inside the furnace and having base made of alumina and having at the opposite end a camera adapted to take picture of the sample at high resolution;
light means to light the sample placed at the other end of said camera to facilitate clear picture of how the sample deforms under higher temperature.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14 wherein said camera is adapted to capture the deformation and melting behaviour of the sample which is next recorded and displayed on the screen.

Dated this the 3rd day of December, 2019
Anjan Sen
Of Anjan Sen & Associates
(Applicant’s Agent)
IN/PA-199

, Description:FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method to quantify the melt behaviour of iron ore i.e. fluid state of the ore materials during sintering process. During iron ore sintering solid mass becomes fused in the ignition zone and provides maximum resistance across the depth of bed to the wind flow. At the same times it also facilitates slag bond formation, which helps improves the strength of sinter. With the help of Ash fusion equipment the ease of flow of the iron ore material is observed where in the expansion simulates the ease of flow of the ore in fused/semi-fused form. The greater the expansion, as captured by the inbuilt camera in the instrument, the higher is the value of fluidity value for that ore. This is further validated by measuring the contact angle of the ore mass as it is heated to higher temperature. Once the value gets quantified, certain measures can be taken to optimise the value by varying other sintering parameters or by changing the ore chemistry.This quantitative value will help optimise the value for fluidity, resulting in improved physical properties of sinter. The present invention thus provides a new method to convert the qualitative property of the fluid formed during sintering of iron ore materials to quantitative value, giving a better insight as well as control in measuring and optimising its value for better sinter properties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The iron ore charged during sintering process forms a prominent part of the overall charged material and therefore its behaviour has major impact on the overall final sinter quality. Chemistry of the iron ore is taken as the most important factor in determining the ore quality. It takes into consideration the overall Fe content along with gangue such as alumina and silica present in the ore. Some prominent factors are Loss on ignition (LOI) and alkali present in the ore, if any. The other factors are the size of the ore in terms of MPS (mean particle size) and the overall amount of gangue present in the ore. All these factors have an impact on final sinter quality, which in turn is judged by term such as tumbler index (TI), reactivity index (RI) and reduction degradation index (RDI). The strength of the sinter is mainly due to the slag bond formation that takes place when ore melts and forms semi fused mass in the ignition zone during sintering process. Therefore, the kind of melt formed plays a very important role in determining the quality of sinter. Also, during sintering which happens at a peak temperature of 1300°C, the solid ore particles becomes a fused mass but doesn’t convert to liquid phase. The ease of flow of this fused mass determines the quality of the slag bond formed. If the mass has lower fluidity then that can lead to less slag bond formation and if it becomes very fluid then that can lead to filling of all pores, resulting in high resistance to air passage during sintering process. Therefore, this value needs an optimisation to balance both factors.

Shortcomings associated with the present system:
Currently the prominent parameters taken into consideration to judge the quality of iron ore are its chemistry and size analysis. Although these parameters have high impact on the melt formation in the ignition zone during sintering, there is a need for quantification of the ore behaviour with respect to the melt generation. This quantified number can act as an extra parameter to give an insight into the ore characteristics. The fuel requirement, which is mainly used to melt the ore and help it fuse to form the slag bond, can vary depending on the ease with which the ore can form melt during ignition zone. Also once quantified, we can get the degree to which change in certain chemistry impacts the melt fluidity of the ore and therefore what necessary steps needs to be taken to address that.

State of the Prior art :
Patent CN110174331A entitled “An iron ore sintering bonding phase high temperature wettability measuring method” aims to measure wettability of iron ore with regards to temperature but without any reference to fluidity index of the iron melt that gets formed during sintering. The wettability measurement in our patent has been used to validate the fluidity index and is not the main claim as such. The wettability is a function of contact angle, which in turn keeps decreasing with increasing temperature and is inversely proportional to fluidity index.

Patent CN105463188B entitled “A method for measuring iron ore dust sintering liquid phase flow properties” aims to measure the liquid flow by taking into consideration whole area of sample and calculating its behaviour by taking pixel data. In our patent we take into consideration only the width of the sample and its expansion has been taken as the sign of ease of fluidity. Also since this characteristic is a function of temperature and therefore using regression method a specific temperature is selected and all values are calculated at that temperature, thereby standardizing the fluidity value. While this parent is more interested in phase flow, our main interest is how semi-fused mass behave before fluid flow starts because during iron ore sintering the solid ore fuses into fused mass in ignition zone without converting to liquid state.

Patent CN104977252A titled “Method for determining adhesion performance of adhesive particles in iron ore sintered materials”concerns with determining the degree of adhesion that particles involved in sintering have. Although higher value of adhesion may impact the flow of material at higher temperature and in turn impact the fluidity index, the patent doesn’t take into consideration such factors and is restricted to impact of CaO on adhesive properties during nucleation formation and its final impact on quasi particle formation and permeability.

Patent CN102213659A titled “Method for researching sintering performance of iron ore by utilizing mini-sintering test” already uses the term fluidity index but calculated through a different method, where its values are in the range of 2-3.5. In this patent we have devised a new method to calculate the fluidity of iron ores before it melts and it starts to flow. Iron ore in sintering process doesn’t melt completely but at most forms a fused mass which provides the slag bond as well as fills the voidage in iron ore bed and therefore this study has been concentrating upon iron ore behaviour prior to forming melt.

OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION:
The basic object of the present invention is directed to quantify the melt behaviour of the ore during sintering process so that its value can be later optimized to achieve the fluidity which helps form better slag bond without hampering the gas flow.

A further object of the present invention is to mainly focus on iron ore behaviour before it forms melts, as during sintering process, when the ore does not melt completely but instead forms a semi fused mass at around 1300°C.

A still further object of the present invention is directed to study the melt behaviour of iron ore whereby also study the iron ore expansion properties as well its ease of flowability in the temperature range of 1150-1350°C, where the ore is in its semi fused state, replicating the condition in ignition zone during sintering.

Yet another object of the present invention is directed to a new method to convert the qualitative property of the fluid formed during sintering of iron ore materials to quantitative value, giving a better insight as well as control in measuring and optimising its value for better sinter properties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
The basic aspect of the present invention is directed to a method to quantify the fluidity behavior of iron ore charge for sintering process comprising the steps of:

observing the ease of flow of the iron ore material including selectively anyone or more of (i) monitoring the expansion which stimulates the ease of flow of the iron ore material and (ii) contact angle in fused or semi-fused state in the temperature range of 1150-1350 0C which replicate the conditions in ignition zone.

A further aspect of the present invention is directed to said method wherein said step of monitoring the expansion includes capturing the expansion involving camera means wherein greater the expansion captured higher is the fluidity value of the ore.

A still further aspect of the present invention is directed to said method wherein the expansion capturing based fluidity values are validated by measuring the contact angle of the ore mass as it is heated to higher temperatures.

A still further aspect of the present invention is directed to said method wherein based on the fluidity behavior of the ore , the ore chemistry for sintering is varied and tested likewise.

Another aspect of the present invention is directed to said method as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 4 wherein the method generates for sintering mass with pre determined fluidity such as to avoid mass with lower fluidity leading to less slag bond formation and very high fluidity leading to filling of pores resulting in high resistance to air passage during sintering process.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is directed to said method comprising :

providing ores with varying chemistry for determining the impact of variation in chemistry on fluidity in a given desired range;
involving fine analytical grade reagents selected from 97% pure Ferric oxide and naturally occurring iron ore particles to produce cylindrical tablet having a diameter 3mm and a height 2mm to 3mm preferably of 3mm and obtaining pressed tablets each weighing about 0.05gm to 0.07gm preferably about 0.05 gm.

A further aspect of the present invention is directed to said method comprising:

wetting the crushed ore particles crushed to 0.1mm to 0.2mm preferably about 0.15 mm with a controlled amount of water varying between 6-10% before mixing in the adhering fines blend consisting of Irone ore and calcined lime and obtaining ore tablets there from maintaining low pressure in the range of 10N/M2 to 20N/M2 to minimise fracture of nuclear particles;

the thus obtained ore tablets are next placed in an ash fusion chamber furnace at room temperature and thereafter the temperature is raised up to 1500 0C
the pressure applied to produce the tablets was kept low in the range of 10N/M3 to 20N/M3 to minimize the fracture of nuclear particles;

placing the tablet in the Ash fusion chamber furnace at room temperature and then temperature is raised up to 1500°C maintaining rate of heating high at 40°C/min to a temperature of 900°C and from there on to 1500°C the rate is slightly lower rate of 40°C/min;

monitoring the sample and its behaviour from around 1100°C wherein slight contraction in the sample shape initiated to expand owing to its flowability; and

measuring the fluidity index at various temperatures in the range of 1200°C -1400°C, where Fluidity Index (FI)= (Projected area after testing - Initial area) / (Initial area).

A still further aspect of the present invention is directed to said method wherein the sample ore for quantifying the fluidity behavior is placed in an ash fusion temperature furnace with a light source applied on the sample for effective capturing of the deformation and melting behavior of the sample which is recorded and displayed as desired.

A still further aspect of the present invention is directed to said method comprising adding lime if required to bring down the melting temperature so that any said sample can melt by 1450-15000C and thus can be tested in the ash fusion furnace within a maximum temperature of upto 15000C.

A still further aspect of the present invention is directed to said method wherein the sintering temperature was noted down to mark the temperature at which the sample had maximum density and the deformation temperature comprises the temperature at which the sharp edges of the sample starts getting round shape to becoming hemisphere.

A still further aspect of the present invention is directed to said method comprising:

varying the silica in the experiment from 2.6% to 9% where as alumina is varied 2.4 to 3.6%, the basicity is segregated into two zones- one that we get by adding 12.5% CaO and in another case we maintain the basicity that around 2 to simulate the condition in plant.

A still further aspect of the present invention is directed to said method wherein

fluidity index increases with increasing temperature as shown in table and the value is most prominent at 1350°C temperature;
sintering temperature, is the temperature at which the sample has maximum density;
flow temperature is the temperature from where on the solid sample almost converts to liquid and the fluidity is too high as it starts to flow freely; and
wherein as the flowability of the sample increases the contact angle decreases as it comes more in contact with the base.

A still further aspect of the present invention is directed to said method wherein width expansion in terms of percentage at 1350°C comprises fluidity index standard temperature.

Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a system for carrying out the method as described above comprising;

an ash fusion temperature furnace with sample mounted inside the furnace and having base made of alumina and having at the opposite end a camera adapted to take picture of the sample at high resolution;
light means to light the sample placed at the other end of said camera to facilitate clear picture of how the sample deforms under higher temperature.

A still further aspect of the present invention is directed to said system wherein said camera is adapted to capture the deformation and melting behaviour of the sample which is next recorded and displayed on the screen.

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention are described hereunder in greater details with reference to the following accompanying non limiting illustrative drawings and examples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
Figure 1: shows the Image of ore sample with 5% Silica and 10% CaO taken for sintering experiments for determining melt behaviour.
Figure 2: shows Furnace Control Unit used for experimentation for determining melt behaviour according to present invention.
Figure 3: shows the Furnace Tube with sample placed therein to conduct the experiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS AND EXAMPLES
The present invention is directed to a method and set up to quantify the melt behaviour of the ore during sintering process so that its value can be later optimized to achieve the fluidity which helps form better slag bond without hampering the gas flow.
The experimental procedure and the observations made to implement the invention are described hereunder with the help of following illustrative example:

Example 1:
Under this example Ores with varying chemistry are taken so that the impact of variation in chemistry on fluidity can be studied in a given desired range. Fine analytical grade reagents and naturally occurring iron ore particles were used to produce a cylindrical tablet with a diameter of 3mm and a height of 3mm. Each pressed tablet weighed 0.05 g. The particles were first wetted with a controlled amount of water before mixing in the adhering fines blend. The length and diameter of the tablets was kept constant, given the specification of the mould used to prepare the sample. The pressure applied to produce the tablets was kept low to minimize the fracture of nuclear particles. Ore is crushed to 0.5mm size and then used to form tablet of certain length and diameter. The tablet is placed in the Ash fusion chamber furnace at room temperature and then temperature is raised up to 1500°C. The rate of heating is high up to a temperature of 900°C and from there on to 1500°C the rate is slightly lower.Our observation of the sample and its behaviour starts from around 1100°C from where on we can observe slight contraction in the sample shape before it starts to expand owing to its flowability. The fluidity index is measured at various temperatures in the range of 1200°C -1400°C. Fluidity Index (FI)= (Projected area after testing - Initial area) / (Initial area)

Example 2:

Under this example, Four different kinds of ores with varying chemistry are selected.

Table 1: Chemical composition of the various ores
Constituents (%) Fe SiO2 Al2O3 CaO MgO MnO LOI
Ore A 63.75 3.20 2.75 0.17 0.04 0.04 2.36
Ore B 57.47 11.35 2.89 0.17 0.05 0.06 3.40
Ore C 57.47 5.69 2.79 0.10 0.06 0.47 8.21
Ore D 62.01 2.81 3.67 0.05 0.06 0.06 4.03

Table 1 as given above shows the chemistry of some of the ores we have selected to study. The choices have been made with the intention to expand the values of gangue so that we can study the impact of its variation on fluidity index and validate the results from prior knowledge.

Ore A has similar chemistry to ores mostly used in the plant while Ore B was chosen for its high silica value. It helps to study the impact of silica variation at extreme ends on fluidity behaviour. Ore C has unlikely high value for LOI and that helps us to study its unforeseen impact on fluidity characteristics. Ore D is similar to Ore A with slightly higher alumina content. Once the ore are selected, Quartizite, Calcined lime and Alumina can be added to it in order to get the desired chemistry variations. The main aim here is to understand the impact of Alumina, Slilica and Lime on fluidity index of the ore at various temperatures. After getting the value of fluidity index, it is needed to study how it gets impacted with change in alumina, silica and basicity. If the fluidity index value that have been achieved varies in accordance with our prior literature knowledge, only then further studies can be moved ahead and confirm its value as an indicator to judge the melt behaviour of the ore.

Example 3:

Under this example, the study is conducted by placing the sample in ash fusion temperature furnace. The base is made of alumina which remains non-reactive and provides safety to the furnace in case the solid mass melts and flows. From the opposite end, there is a camera which takes picture of the sample at high resolution. The arrangement of the equipment is shown in figure 2 and the details of the arrangement are shown in figure 3. Figure 2 shows the arrangements of various stands and how sample is mounted in such a manner that light shone on the sample from one end, while camera is placed at the other end. This helps take clear picture of how the sample deforms under higher temperature. Following items are shown in Figure 2: Lamp; 2.Furnace; 3. Sample; 4. Camera.

Such examples are shown in Figure 1. Also, the camera can capture the deformation and melting behaviour of the sample which can be recorded and displayed on the screen. Fig 3 shows how exactly the sample is mounted inside the furnace and what are the specific sizes of respective equipments wherein items (1) Furnace tube, inner diameter 20mm; (2)Cylindrical samples, diameter 3mm; (3) Alumina substrate, width 12 mm; and (4)Sample holder, diameter 6mm have been shown.
Table 2: The chemical composition for the various scheduled experiments
Sample ID Fe(t),% SiO2,% Al2O3,% CaO,% B2
Exp1 55.48 2.89 2.43 12.40 4.3
Exp2 50.01 9.98 2.55 12.40 1.2
Exp3 53.56 5.37 2.47 12.40 2.3
Exp4 51.98 7.42 2.51 12.40 1.7
Exp5 54.93 2.86 3.39 12.28 4.3
Exp6 49.56 9.89 3.43 12.29 1.2
Exp7 59.60 3.04 2.59 6.30 2.1
Exp8 46.04 9.24 2.37 18.92 2.0
Exp9 50.01 5.05 2.46 12.34 2.4
Exp10 53.96 2.55 3.23 12.30 4.8
Exp11 50.89 5.13 2.50 10.90 2.1
Exp12 58.24 2.69 3.46 5.78 2.2
Exp13 50.32 5.07 3.61 10.77 2.1
Exp14 53.87 5.64 2.38 12.05 2.1
Exp15 52.69 7.65 2.34 11.80 1.5

15 different chemical combinations were prepared to study the impact of ore chemistry upon fluidity index. For the given ore, lime is added to it just to bring down its melting temperature as the maximum temperature that we can attain with Ash fusion furnace is 1500°C. This addition helps melt almost all ore by 1450-1500°C. The temperature was increased up to 1500°C and fluidity index was measured and noted down in the range varying from 1300°C to 1400°C at an interval of 25°C. The sintering temperature was also noted down to mark the temperature at which the sample had maximum density. Deformation temperature is the temperature at which the sharp edges of the sample starts getting round shape to becoming hemisphere. Table 2 shows the various experiments along with the chemistry that was maintained during that experiment. Silica in the experiment is varied from 2.6% to 9% where as alumina is varied 2.4 to 3.6%. The basicity is Segregated into two zones-one that is obtained by adding 12.5% CaO and in another case the basicity is maintained around 2 to simulate the condition in plant.

Table 3: Fluidity index for different samples at various temperatures
Sr.no. Sinteri-ng Deforamtion temp Def Range Flow Temp Contraction Width measurement/ fluidity
Exp °C D1(°C) D2(°C) D1-D2 °C % 1300°C 1325°C 1350°C 1375°C 1400°C
1 1205 1294 1318 24 1468 97.9 104 162.8 187 199 207
2 1226 1300 1360 60 1484 91.3 100 93.5 117.5 168 194
3 1202 1269 1319 50 1480 98.7 96 146.5 174 190 203
4 1246 1320 1367 47 1489 86.6 89 92 122 137 158
5 1239 1284 1320 36 1483 93.6 90 135.8 158.2 171 178
6 1224 1287 1383 96 1505 90 94 93.4 90 116 156
7 1248 1279 1508 229 1554 91.3 94 92.6 91.3 92 99
8 1212 1284 1300 16 1380 98.7 134 199 210 221
9 1248 1319 1349 30 1505 83.6 89 84.5 135.5 161 176
10 1204 1318 1323 5 1500 89.2 91 140 175 173 168
11 1247 1349 1377 28 1518 78 84 80 98.8 122 141
12 1254 1481 1515 34 1559 90 96 94.5 90.8 94 97
13 1257 1269 1397 128 1529 79 83 79 88 108 130
14 1242 1293 1368 75 1488 97 98 123 139 182 206
15 1173 1199 1425 226 1515 92 91 92 99 110 143

Table 4: Impact of Fluidity on contact angle
Sr.no. Sintering Width measurement/ fluidity contact angles
Exp °C 1300°C 1325°C 1350°C 1375°C 1400°C 1300°C 1325°C 1350°C 1375°C 1400°C
1 1205 104 162.8 187 199 207 86 26.5 17.5 15.5 14
2 1226 100 93.5 117.5 168 194 87 52.5 41.5 24.5 20
3 1202 96 146.5 174 190 203 85 26.5 17 14 12.5
4 1246 89 92 122 137 158 131.5 48.5 35.5 26.5 18
5 1239 90 135.8 158.2 171 178 84.5 34 20.5 17 15.5
6 1224 94 93.4 90 116 156 85.5 82 73.5 37 27
7 1248 94 92.6 91.3 92 99 85 87 98.5 95 91.5
8 1212 134 199 210 221 41 15 11.5 10.5 10
9 1248 89 84.5 135.5 161 176 84.5 77.5 32 22 18
10 1204 91 140 175 173 168 106.5 25.5 12.5 17.5 19.5
11 1247 84 80 98.8 122 141 68.5 65.5 42 35 30
12 1254 96 94.5 90.8 94 97 82 78 82.5 82.5 85.5
13 1257 83 79 88 108 130 97.5 82.5 57.5 39 29.5
14 1242 98 123 139 182 206 85.5 33 24.5 21.5 16.5
15 1173 91 92 99 110 143 98 77 63 54.5 37.5

Table 3 gives the various values for fluidity index at different temperature. Fluidity index increases with increasing temperature as shown in table and the value is most prominent at 1350°C temperature. In experiment 8, at temperature 1400°C the sample has melted completely and there was no way to calculate the area post-melt and therefore that value has been left blank. The sample ore also shows contraction up to certain temperature and the minimum temperature up to which it shows contraction has been measured. This temperature, known as Sintering temperature, as shown in the table is the temperature at which the sample has maximum density. Deformation temperature range shows the temperature at which the top edges of the sample starts to deform, as captured by the camera. Flow temperature is the temperature from where on the solid sample almost converts to liquid and the fluidity is too high as it starts to flow freely.

Table 4 gives the value of contact angles, which is at the lower edges of the sample. This value can be used to validate the fluidity index. As the flowability of the sample increases the contact angle decreases as it comes more in contact with the base. As can be seen in this Table 4 that contact angle is inversely proportional to fluidity index.

Table 5: Fluidity at various temperatures
Temperature in degree Celsius
at 1300°C at 1325°C at 1350°C at 1375°C at 1400°C
Multiple R 0.707663 0.910634 0.949505 0.903775 0.902926
R Square 0.500787 0.829255 0.90156 0.816809 0.815275
Adjusted R Square 0.301102 0.760957 0.862184 0.743533 0.741385
Standard Error 10.18903 17.43194 15.05485 20.72709 20.05376

Table 6: P value for various input parameters at different temperatures
at 1300°C at 1325°C at 1350°C at 1375°C at 1400°C
Intercept 0.385415 0.009755 0.041667 0.292782 0.382554
X Variable 1 0.146332 0.006426 0.020848 0.173679 0.219261
X Variable 2 0.294664 0.730035 0.035272 0.27461 0.982765
X Variable 3 0.991601 0.426827 0.684267 0.449191 0.403442
X Variable 4 0.032306 7.92E-05 1.81E-05 0.00058 0.0011

X Variable 1- Total Fe%
X Variable 1- Silica%
X Variable 1- Alumina%
X Variable 1- CaO%

As the width expansion keeps varying with temperature, a specific temperature needs to be defined as standard temperature at which we calculate the expansion and term it as fluidity index. Post finding fluidity index at various temperatures, its correlation was measured with various input chemical parameters as shown in Table 5. Also overall correlation which is “R” was also calculated. The lack in enough numbers of data points was compensated by spreading the data points over large range. Multiple R, R square and Adjusted R are three parameters that can be used to find out how the input data correlates with final output. In each case the best value that we get is for 1350°C. Therefore the width expansion in terms of percentage at 1350°C becomes fluidity index standard temperature. The P value as shown in Table 6 indicates good correlation with individual input chemical parameters which is considered significant for p<0.05. Also contact angle is another measurement which helps to validate the fluidity index number and therefore the overall pattern.