An improved apparatus for producing steel, including a lower furnace, an annular, water-cooled, fireproof lined cylindrical upper furnace, on which an upwardly closing conically tapering hat having openings can be placed. The smelting assembly is configured for the operational mode without melt flow and the operational mode with melt flow. To this end, at least one opening is provided in the conical furnace cover, through which opening at least one top lance can be introduced into the upper furnace. A plurality of sidewall injectors radially rotate around the cylindrical upper furnace in such a way that in a working position, the top lance and the sidewall injectors are directed onto a smelt level of a molten mass located in the lower furnace for refining.

A charging system for a shaft smelt reduction furnace includes a frame structure for mounting on a top charge opening of a shaft smelt reduction vessel; a center shaft arrangement supported by the frame structure and for removing off-gas gases from the furnace and to introduce granular charge materials to form a stack of materials in the furnace. The center shaft arrangement includes a center hood for off-gas extraction; a pair of first and second feed channels for first and second materials. The center hood includes a pair of facing off-gas panels defining an off-gas channel. The partition walls include lower portions that extend towards each other below the center hood to define a center feed passage, whereby material descending through the first feed channels may accumulate on lower portions according to the angle of repose of the material, permitting self-adjustment of the first material stock-line in the shaft arrangement.

The invention concerns a process for detecting water leaks in smelting furnaces (2; 4) or in metal or alloy treatment plants, comprising the following steps: (i) providing at least one smelting furnace (2; 4), or at least one metal or alloy treatment plant provided with a water cooling system (5) and being connected to a process fume exhaust system; (ii) mixing in the cooling water a tracer chemical which is volatile in the event of water leakage together with the exhaust gases and which is suitable to be detected by an analysis system of the exhaust gases; and (iii) detecting said tracer chemical contained in the exhaust gases by said analysis system comprised in said process fume exhaust plant, wherein said tracer chemical is deuterated water. The invention further refers to a Plant for the production of metals or alloys.

Herein discussed is a method of producing hydrogen comprising introducing a metal smelter effluent gas or a basic oxygen furnace (BOF) effluent gas or a mixture thereof into an electrochemical (EC) reactor, wherein the EC reactor comprises a mixed-conducting membrane. In an embodiment, the method comprises introducing steam into the EC reactor on one side of the membrane, wherein the effluent gas is on the opposite side of the membrane, wherein the effluent gas and the steam are separated by the membrane and do not come in contact with each other.

A method and an apparatus method for producing direct reduced iron (DRI) from iron ore using biomass as a source of reductant and as a heating source of the iron ore and electromagnetic energy as a further heating source in a furnace having multiple zones. The zones include a preheat zone and a reduction zone between an inlet for briquettes of iron ore and biomass and an outlet for direct reduced iron. The method includes counter-current movement of (a) briquettes of iron ore and biomass in a direction from the inlet to the outlet and (b) combustible gases in an opposite direction in the furnace.

A method and an apparatus for recycling a significant amount of heat within a linear hearth furnace by means of an endless conveyor that transports briquettes through the furnace from an inlet (briquette feed) end to an outlet (DRI discharge) end and then returns to the inlet end and transfers a significant amount of heat from the outlet end to the inlet end of the furnace.

A method for recycling used cells such as saline cells, alkaline cells, button cells and used rechargeable batteries, includes the step of introducing the cells and/or rechargeable batteries as feedstock into a metal melting furnace, at the charging door thereof. The cells and/or rechargeable batteries are subjected to a compression operation in order to remove the electrolytes contained in the cells and/or rechargeable batteries, prior to introducing the cells and/or rechargeable batteries into the metal melting furnace.

The method can be used for recycling used cells and rechargeable batteries.

An improved apparatus for producing steel, including a lower furnace, an annular, water-cooled, fireproof lined cylindrical upper furnace, on which an upwardly closing conically tapering hat having openings can be placed. The smelting assembly is configured for the operational mode without melt flow and the operational mode with melt flow. To this end, at least one opening is provided in the conical furnace cover, through which opening at least one top lance can be introduced into the upper furnace. A plurality of sidewall injectors radially rotate around the cylindrical upper furnace in such a way that in a working position, the top lance and the sidewall injectors are directed onto a smelt level of a molten mass located in the lower furnace for refining.

A classified reduction gasification iron smelting process of iron ore powder and coal powder in a Y-type entrained flow bed. The process comprises the following steps: uniformly mixing the pre-reduced hot iron ore powder with the coal powder, and introducing the mixture, a gasification agent and water vapor into a Y-type entrained flow bed for performing combustion, gasification and reduction reaction to obtain crude syngas and molten iron; the crude syngas is used for sucking iron ore powder to enter a riser to perform preheating and partial reduction.

A charging system for a shaft smelt reduction furnace includes a frame structure for mounting on a top charge opening of a shaft smelt reduction vessel; a center shaft arrangement supported by the frame structure and for removing off-gas gases from the furnace and to introduce granular charge materials to form a stack of materials in the furnace. The center shaft arrangement includes a center hood for off-gas extraction; a pair of first and second feed channels for first and second materials. The center hood includes a pair of facing off-gas panels defining an off-gas channel. The partition walls include lower portions that extend towards each other below the center hood to define a center feed passage, whereby material descending through the first feed channels may accumulate on lower portions according to the angle of repose of the material, permitting self-adjustment of the first material stock-line in the shaft arrangement.