A method for converting a blast furnace plant for synthesis gas utilization includes:

constructing a syngas stove, and constructing a syngas supply system for connecting the syngas stove to a blast furnace;

connecting a first syngas stove to the top-gas supply system, the cold-blast and hot-blast supply systems and operating the first syngas stove for hot blast generation;

disconnecting a first original stove from the top-gas supply system, the cold-blast and hot-blast supply systems; and

converting the first original stove to adapt it for producing syngas. The method includes

connecting the first original stove to the top-gas supply system;

disconnecting the first syngas stove from the cold-blast and hot-blast supply systems, connecting the first original stove and first syngas stove to a gas-combination supply system; and

operating the first original stove and first syngas stove to produce and then supply syngas to the blast furnace via the syngas supply system.

Apparatus for supplying blast to a blast furnace (1) having a plurality of hot blast stoves (4, 5, 6), each stove including a cold blast inlet, a fuel inlet, an air supply inlet, a hot blast outlet, and a waste gas outlet; a waste heat recovery unit (30) connected to a fuel supply, the stove fuel inlet and the cold blast inlet. The stove waste gas outlets are connected to the cold blast inlets, whereby stove waste gas from one stove (5) is supplied, via the waste heat recovery unit, as cold blast to another stove (4).

A method for heating a blast furnace stove includes combusting fuel in a combustion chamber in the stove, providing combustion gases from the combustion chamber to heat refractory material in the stove, recirculating exhausted combustion gases into the combustion chamber, enriching the combustion chamber with oxygen sufficient for maintaining combustion in the combustion chamber without damaging the refractory material in the stove.

A method for heating a blast furnace stove includes combusting fuel in a combustion chamber in the stove, providing combustion gases from the combustion chamber to heat refractory material in the stove, recirculating exhausted combustion gases into the combustion chamber, enriching the combustion chamber with oxygen sufficient for maintaining combustion in the combustion chamber without damaging the refractory material in the stove.