An apparatus for removing a blockage in a solids injection lance extending into a direct smelting vessel The solids injection lance has a single inlet coupled to a section of supply line that conveys gas and solids to the solids injection lance and that is upstream and co-axial with the solids injection lance. The apparatus has a tool that extends through the supply line section and the solids injection lance to remove a blockage of solid material and an assembly for advancing the tool through the solids injection lance and the supply line section to the blockage from an upstream side of the blockage.

An improved direct smelting vessel comprising a smelt reduction vessel (SRV) and optionally a cyclone converter furnace (CCF). The SRV provides means for promoting metal mixing at a zone below a slag layer adjacent to a vessel wall of the direct smelting vessel. The means for promoting metal mixing may include a split-level refractory hearth with two refractory floor levels, a refractory hearth with one or more gas bubbling devices, and/or at least one pair of solids injection lances that provide alternating solids injection at any given time (or other means). The means for promoting the metal mixing reduces a stagnant region capable of supporting a semi-solid slag layer that restricts metal-slag heat transfer. The means for promoting the metal mixing maintains an effective temperature delta between tapped metal at a forehearth and metal at the vessel wall of no greater than 40 C.

A method for off-gas composition control, wherein the off-gas results from a smelting apparatus for smelting a metalliferous feed material, wherein the smelting apparatus includes a smelting vessel, a smelt cyclone mounted on the smelting vessel and in connection with the inside of the smelting vessel and an off-gas duct connected to the smelt cyclone, wherein the method provides that an oxygen containing gas containing 95% oxygen or more is injected into the smelt cyclone and that the feed material is injected into the smelt cyclone with a carrier gas other than nitrogen gas.

Producing direct reduced iron (DRI) having chemically-combined carbon includes providing DRI at a temperature above 400 C., providing a first gas stream including hydrogen and carbon monoxide, passing the first gas stream through a methane forming process to yield a second gas stream containing a higher concentration of methane than the first gas stream; and contacting the second gas stream with the DRI. A system for producing the DRI includes a vessel for containing DRI at a temperature above 400 C., a methane forming reactor containing a catalyst bed for producing methane from a first gas stream containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide, a first conduit to feed a gas stream including hydrogen and carbon monoxide to the methane forming reactor, and a second conduit to feed the second gas stream to the vessel containing the DRI.

A method for producing a homogenous molten composition and a fluid product is disclosed. For example, the method includes producing a first molten metal composition in an enclosed volume, contacting a hydrocarbon reactant with the first molten metal composition, decomposing the hydrocarbon reactant into at least one fluid product and carbon, forming a metal alloy from a mixture of the carbon and the first molten metal composition, and separating a homogenous second molten composition from the metal alloy.

The subject of the invention is a method of smelting carbon steels directly from iron ore in one metallurgical reactor, consisting in introducing fine iron ore and fine fluxes into the reactor from the top of the reactor and a gas reducer in the form of hydrogen or a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from the bottom of the reactor and reducing iron oxides in the liquid phase, while the desired final carbon content in the steel is controlled by introducing an amount of carbon directly into the metal bath which ensures that the desired level of carburisation of the steel is achieved, or by introducing a specific amount of carbon reducer in the form of coke breeze into the iron-bearing charge, characterised in that the thermal energy in the reactor is generated in the process of combustion of natural gas with oxygen in the upper part of the reactor, and the supplied excess of natural gas in relation to the amounts resulting from the stoichiometry of the combustion process is thermally decomposed into carbon and molecular hydrogen providing a reducing atmosphere at the bottom of the reactor.

A pyrometallurgical process for recycling shredded spent electric vehicle batteries of Li-ion type and/or waste from the production of these new batteries and battery rejects, and/or portable batteries of Li-ion type. The process entails the addition of iron, smelting via the supply of energy, separation of a slag, oxidizing treatment and separation of a second slag.

A molten bath-based direct smelting process comprises controlling the process conditions in a direct smelting vessel so that molten slag in a molten bath of metal and slag in the vessel has a viscosity in a range of 0.5-5 poise when the slag temperature is in the range of 1400-1550 C. in the molten bath in the vessel.

Producing direct reduced iron (DRI) having chemically-combined carbon includes providing DRI at a temperature above 400 C., providing a first gas stream including hydrogen and carbon monoxide, passing the first gas stream through a methane forming process to yield a second gas stream containing a higher concentration of methane than the first gas stream; and contacting the second gas stream with the DRI. A system for producing the DRI includes a vessel for containing DRI at a temperature above 400 C., a methane forming reactor containing a catalyst bed for producing methane from a first gas stream containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide, a first conduit to feed a gas stream including hydrogen and carbon monoxide to the methane forming reactor, and a second conduit to feed the second gas stream to the vessel containing the DRI.

A method for producing liquid pig iron (1), includes reducing iron-oxide-containing feed materials (2) to form a partially reduced first iron product (3) in a first reduction system (4), introducing the partially reduced first iron product (3), a first oxygen-containing gas (9, 9a), and a first carbon carrier (10) into a melter gasifier (11), introducing a second gaseous and/or liquid carbon carrier (13) and a second oxygen-containing gas (9b) into a mixing region (18) within the melter gasifier (11) above the fixed bed of the melter gasifier, mixing the second gaseous and/or liquid carbon carrier (13) with the second oxygen-containing gas (9b) in the mixing region (18), wherein the combustion air ratio is set in the range of 0.2 to 0.4, preferably between 0.3 and 0.35, in order to achieve partial oxidation of the second gaseous or liquid carbon carrier (13) within the mixing region (18), and mixing the gas resulting from the partial oxidation from the mixing region (18) with the gas in the remaining volume within the melter gasifier (11).