Abstract:
A direct smelting process for producing iron and/or ferroalloys is disclosed. The process operates on a commercial scale in a metallurgical vessel that has a hearth, side walls, and a roof, and a minimum width dimension of the interior of the hearth of at least 4 meters. The process is a molten bath-based process and includes supplying ferruginous material, carbonaceous material, and fluxes into the vessel and smelting ferruginous feed material to molten metal in the molten bath and generating gases in the bath. The process also includes injecting jets of oxygen-containing gas being air or air with up to 50% oxygen through 3 or more lances into a space above the quiescent surface of the molten bath (the "top space") and combusting gases generated in the process and generating upward movement of molten material from the molten bath into the top space to facilitate heat transfer to the bath and to minimise heat loss from the vessel. The process is characterised by entraining a volume of top space gas into the jets of oxygen-containing gas injected into the vessel that is 2-6 times the volume of the injected gas.
Abstract:
A molten bath-based direct smelting process for producing ferrous metal from a ferrous feed material is disclosed. The process is characterised by injecting pre-heated air downwardly into metallurgical vessel at an angle of 20 to 90 DEG C relative to a horizontal axis and at a temperature of 800-1400 DEG C and at a velocity of 200-600 m/s via at least one lance (27). This step forces molten material in the region of a lower end of the lance away from the lance and forming a "free" space around the lower end of the lance that has a concentration of molten material that is lower than the molten material concentration in the raised bath. The process is further characterised in that the lance is located so that: (i) the lance extends into the vessel a distance that is at least the outer diameter of the lower end of the lance; and (ii) the lower end of the lance is at least 3 times the outer diameter of the lower end of the lance above a quiescent surface of the molten bath.
Abstract:
A process and an apparatus for producing metals from a metalliferous feed material are disclosed. The process includes the steps of partially reducing and at least partially melting a metalliferous feed material in a pre-reduction/melting means and completely reducing the partially reduced feed material in a reduction means. The pre-reduction/melting means is positioned directly above the reduction means and communicates with the reduction means so that at least partially molten, partially reduced feed material flows downwardly into a central region of the reduction means. The reduction means includes a vessel that contains a molten bath having a metal layer and a slag layer on the metal layer. The process includes injecting oxygen-containing gas into the reduction means and post-combusting reaction gas generated in the molten bath and injecting oxygen-containing gas into the pre-reduction/melting means and post-combusting reaction gas discharged from the reduction means. The process further includes injecting solid carbonaceous material and a carrier gas into a metal rich region of the molten bath and causing upward movement of splashes, droplets and streams of molten material which forms a transition zone.
Abstract:
A process for direct smelting a metalliferous feed material is disclosed. The process includes the steps of partially reducing metalliferous feed material and subsantially devolatilising coal in a pre-reduction vessel and producing a partially reduced matelliferous feed material and char. The process also includes direct smelting the partially reduced matalliferous feed material to molten metal in a direct smelting vessel using the char as a source of energy and as a reductant and post-combusting reaction gas produced in the direct smetling process with pre-heated air or oxygen-enriched air to a post-combustion level of greater than 70 % to generate heat required for the direct smelting reactions and to maintain the metal in a molten state.
Abstract:
A method of starting a molten-bath based melting process includes commencing supplying cold oxygen-containing gas and cold carbonaceous material into a main chamber of a smelting vessel within at most 3 hours after completing a hot metal before an insulating layer of crusty slag forms on metal charge to an extent that it prevents the molten metal igniting carbonaceous material charge into the vessel and igniting the carbonaceous material and heating the main chamber and molten metal in the main chamber.
Abstract:
610180 A molten bath-based process for direct smelting metalliferous material and producing molten metal in a direct smelting vessel (11) that contains a molten bath that has a metal layer (22) that is at least 900 mm deep. The process includes selecting operating parameters of the process so that feed material (solid material and carrier gas) is injected from above the metal layer into the metal layer (22) via at least one solids injection lance (27) with sufficient momentum to penetrate to a depth of at least 100 mm below a nominal quiescent surface of the metal layer (22) to cause upward movement of molten material and gas (69) from the metal layer (22).
Abstract:
The disclosure relates to a direct smelting process that supplies a metalliferous material, a solid carbonaceous feed material and an oxygen-containing gas into a direct smelting vessel (Fig. 1) containing a molten bath of metal and slag to produce molten metal, molten slag and an off-gas. The process conditions are controlled such that the molten slag has a viscosity in a range of 0.5 – 5 poise at the operating temperature range for the process. The metalliferous material may be an iron-containing material such as iron ore, and the temperature range may be 1400 – 1550 degrees C.
Abstract:
A solids injection lance includes (a) a tube that defines a passageway for solid feed material to be injected through the tube and has an inlet for solid material at a rear end and an outlet for discharging solid material at a forward end of the tube and (b) a puncture detection system for detecting a puncture in the solids injection tube.
Abstract:
A method of starting a smelting process in a smelting vessel includes heating frozen slag and forming molten slag and draining molten slag from a forehearth connection via a forehearth and establishing a clear flow path through the forehearth connection and thereafter hot starting the smelting process.