An iron ore crushing and screening plant is a facility where iron ore extracted from nature is processed to make it usable. These plants crush, screen, and sometimes enrich iron ore to bring it to suitable sizes and quality for use in blast furnaces or direct reduction plants. Iron ore is the primary raw material for steel production, which is used in construction, automotive, machinery manufacturing, and many other industrial sectors.

How Does it Work?

  1. Feeding Unit:

    • Iron ore extracted from nature is loaded into the feeding hopper.

    • Material from the feeding hopper is transferred to the crusher using a vibrating feeder or scraper. This ensures a smooth flow of material to the crusher.

  2. Crushing Process:

    • Primary Crusher: Material is first sent to the primary crusher (usually a jaw crusher or impact crusher). At this stage, large ore pieces are broken into smaller pieces (approximately 100-200 mm).

    • Secondary Crusher: Material from the primary crusher is sent to the secondary crusher (cone crusher or impact crusher). Here, the material is reduced to smaller sizes (25-60 mm).

    • Tertiary Crusher (Optional): If fine material production is required, a tertiary crusher is used. At this stage, the material is crushed to a range of 5-25 mm.

  3. Screening Process:

    • Crushed material is passed through vibrating screens to separate it into different sizes.

    • Screens classify the material into desired sizes (e.g., 0-5 mm, 5-12 mm, 12-25 mm).

    • Material that does not meet the desired size is sent back for further crushing.

  4. Enrichment (Optional):

    • In some plants, enrichment processes are used to increase the iron content (grade) of the ore. This is done using methods such as magnetic separation, flotation, or gravity separation.

  5. Storage and Shipment:

    • Sized and enriched material is stored in stockpiles.

    • Material is shipped to blast furnaces or other industrial facilities using conveyor belts or trucks.

Working Principle:

  • Crushers: Break iron ore into smaller pieces. Primary, secondary, and tertiary crushers are used.

  • Screening Machines: Separate materials by size. Vibrating screens are the most commonly used equipment.

  • Enrichment Equipment: Magnetic separators, flotation cells, etc., are used.

  • Conveyor Belts: Transport materials within the plant.

  • Control Systems: Ensure automatic operation and increase efficiency.

Advantages:

  • High efficiency and low operating costs.

  • Flexibility to produce iron ore of different sizes.

  • Provides continuous and high-quality raw material to the steel industry.

  • Mobile plants can be easily set up in different locations.