Results and discussion
3.1. Effects of the initial carbon content
Fluidization/defluidization characteristics of carbon-coated iron ore
with different initial carbon content (Cinitial) were first investigated dur-
ing the reduction at 800 °C in CO, to clarify the corresponding critical
carbon content value (Ccritical) needed for the defluidization prevention.
It was found that the fluidization quality increased with increasing
the initial carbon content, e.g., when the Cinitial is b1.2 wt.%,
defluidization occurs due to the insufficient coating, as shown in Fig.
3(a). Defluidization can be prevented to a certain extent with the Cinitial
of 1.2–4.55 wt.%, where the pressure drop presents a ‘V’ type change
with an initial decrease caused by partial defluidization at the beginning