Key Metallurgical Parameters of Fe-Ni Production During 1984–1997 and 2007–2017 at the Ferronickel Smelter in Drenas

During 1984–1997, the ferronickel plant in Drenas used iron-nickel ore from the mines of the Republic of Kosovo: Glavica and Çikatove (Dushkaje and Suke) mines. However, during the years 2007–2017, when the plant started operating from the cessation of production, which was from 1998 to 2007, some types of iron-nickel ores from different countries began to be used, starting from iron-nickel ores from Kosovo, iron-nickel ores from Albania, ores from Indonesia, ores from the Philippines, ores from Guatemala, ores from Turkey and ores from Macedonia. The ore composition, however, is mainly oxide-laterite ore. Iron-nickel ores in the plant are characterised by high moisture content, a very important factor influencing the process of scraping the charge in rotary kilns and presenting in general. Among the iron-nickel ore used in the ferronickel plant, the ores from Albania are characterised due to their low moisture content when compared with the other ores as well as the high content of iron oxides, which affect the temperature rise inside the furnaces, as the iron ores play an important role in the pre-casting process in rotary kilns.