Process for the direct reduction of metal oxides (2) using a reduction gas, which is based on at least one precursor gas, wherein at least one precursor gas (15, 22) is based on reformer gas obtained by catalytic reforming of hydrocarbon-containing gas (4) in a reformer (3), and in the preparation of the reduction gas at least one precursor gas based on reformer gas is heated up by means of electrical energy. An apparatus for the direct reduction (1) of metal oxides (2) by means of a reduction gas comprises a catalytic reformer (3) for producing a reformer gas, a reformer gas line (5) for removing reformer gas from the catalytic reformer (3), a reduction unit (9), a reduction gas line (8) for introducing reduction gas into the reduction unit (9), and at least one precursor gas line (6), wherein at least one precursor gas line extending from the reformer gas line comprises an electrical gas heating device (7, 10, 17), and at least one precursor gas line (6) extends from the reformer gas line (5), and each precursor gas line (6) opens out into the reduction gas line (8).

The invention relates to a method for reducing metal oxides to metallized material by means of contact with reduction gas, wherein an accumulated top gas is dry dedusted and reformed in a raw gas mixture together with gaseous hydrocarbons. The water vapor content of the dry dedusted top gas designated for the preparation of the raw gas mixture is adjusted in a saturator in the countercurrent by means of saturation water, wherein the temperature of the saturation water is adjusted, by mixing cold water with a hot water having a higher temperature than the cold water, in order to produce the saturation water at a target value. The invention further relates to a device for carrying out such a method, having corresponding conduits.

A plant complex for pig iron production may include a furnace and a furnace gas conduit system for a furnace gas quantity stream that comprises nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. The plant complex may also include a hydrogen source, an H.sub.2 gas conduit system for a hydrogen-containing gas quantity stream emitted from the hydrogen source, a mixing apparatus for establishing a mixed gas formed from the furnace gas stream and the hydrogen-containing gas quantity stream. The mixing apparatus may be connected to the furnace gas conduit system and to the H.sub.2 gas conduit system. The mixed gas established may have a stoichiometric mixing quotient formed from a dividend with a difference value between molar amounts of hydrogen as minuend and carbon dioxide as subtrahend and of a divisor with a sum value of molar amounts of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The plant complex may also include a mixed gas conduit system and a chemical plant connected to the mixed gas conduit system.

A direct reduction method/system, including: adding variable amounts of natural gas, hydrogen, and a carbon-free oxidizing gas to a feed gas stream upstream of a reformer; reforming the feed gas stream in the reformer to form a reformed gas stream, and delivering the reformed gas stream to a shaft furnace, where the reformed gas stream is used to reduce a metallic ore material to a direct reduced metallic material. The feed gas stream includes a top gas stream recycled from the shaft furnace. Optionally, the carbon-free oxidizing gas includes steam and the method further includes controlling a steam flow rate of the steam to maintain a maximum k-factor value of the feed gas stream of 0.74 or lower. Optionally, the variable amount of hydrogen is selected to replace 20-90% of the natural gas by fuel value. The variable amount of hydrogen is selected based upon an available supply of hydrogen.

The present invention provides a novel method for supplying a reducing gas to the shaft part of a blast furnace with which a large amount of reducing gas containing hydrogen at a high concentration can be supplied to a deeper position in the blast furnace (location of the blast furnace closer to the center axis in the radial direction) and with which it is possible to reduce the total generated amount of CO.sub.2 of the CO.sub.2 amount that is reduced by conducting hydrogen smelting in the blast furnace and the CO.sub.2 amount that is generated during production of the reducing gas supplied to the blast furnace. The method for supplying a reducing gas to the shaft part of a blast furnace according to the present invention is characterized by reforming coke oven gas by increasing the temperature thereof to 1200 to 1800 C. in a reactor in which an oxygen-containing gas is supplied to preheated coke oven gas to generate reformed gas in which hydrogen gas is enriched; mixing the reformed gas with CO-containing gas in the reactor so that the hydrogen concentration of the reducing gas is adjusted to 15-35 vol % (wet); and supplying the resultant reducing gas to the shaft part of the blast furnace under a condition of a ratio of a flow rate of reducing gas blown into shaft part/flow rate of reducing gas blown into tuyere >0.42.

A direct reduction system and process for reducing a metal oxide to a metal, including and utilizing: a process gas line configured to deliver a portion of a process gas to a reformer operable for reforming the process gas to form a reformed gas; a bustle gas line configured to deliver the reformed gas to a shaft furnace as a bustle gas, wherein the shaft furnace is operable for reducing the metal oxide to the metal; and a direct recycle line including a direct recycle cooler configured to selectively deliver a portion of the process gas to the bustle gas line while circumventing the reformer, thereby selectively cooling and lowering the moisture content of the bustle gas delivered to the shaft furnace. Optionally, the direct reduction system further includes a reheat line configured to deliver a portion of the bustle gas to the shaft furnace as reheat gas.

The invention relates to a method for reducing metal oxides to metallized material by means of contact with reduction gas, wherein an accumulated top gas is dry dedusted and reformed in a raw gas mixture together with gaseous hydrocarbons. The water vapor content of the dry dedusted top gas designated for the preparation of the raw gas mixture is adjusted in a saturator in the countercurrent by means of saturation water, wherein the temperature of the saturation water is adjusted, by mixing cold water with a hot water having a higher temperature than the cold water, in order to produce the saturation water at a target value. The invention further relates to a device for carrying out such a method, having corresponding conduits.

Disclosed is a system for producing hydrogen from a byproduct gas generated during a steelmaking process or a coal chemistry process, including a reformer for reforming the byproduct gas using steam (H.sub.2O), a separator for separating a reformed gas supplied from the reformer into a reduction gas and hydrogen gas (H.sub.2), a first reactor for reducing ferric oxide (Fe.sub.2O.sub.3) into ferrous oxide (FeO) using the reduction gas supplied from the separator, and a second reactor for producing ferrous-ferric oxide (Fe.sub.3O.sub.4) and hydrogen gas (H.sub.2) by mixing the ferrous oxide (FeO) supplied from the first reactor with steam (H.sub.2O), wherein the concentration of hydrogen gas (H.sub.2) in the reformed gas discharged from the reformer is higher than the concentration of hydrogen gas (H.sub.2) in the byproduct gas.

A method for operating a blast furnace for producing of pig iron, comprising the steps of including heating a stream of hydrocarbon gas and a stream of steam in a first heater to provide a heated stream of hydrocarbon gas and steam, feeding and partially reforming the heated stream of hydrocarbon gas and steam in a pre-reformer to provide a stream of partially reformed syngas, heating a first stream of blast furnace gas from the blast furnace and the stream of partially reformed syngas in a second heater, before or after their mixing together, to provide a heated carbon feed stream, reforming the heated carbon feed stream in a secondary reformer to provide a second stream of syngas, and feeding said second stream of syngas to the shaft of the blast furnace.

The present blast furnace and method for operating a blast furnace are able to reduce CO.sub.2 production and the amount of applied additives and heating material. The method for metal production of metal ores comprising the following steps: reducing a metal ore, particularly a metal oxide, and thereby producing furnace gas containing CO.sub.2 in a blast furnace shaft; discharging the furnace gas from the blast furnace shaft; directing at least a portion of the furnace gas into a CO.sub.2 converter and reducing the CO.sub.2 in the furnace gas into CO; directing at least a portion of the CO from the CO.sub.2 converter into the blast furnace shaft. The method produces CO as a gaseous reduction agent which may be easily introduced into the blast furnace shaft. Further, a blast furnace for metal production by reducing a metal ore designed for operating according to the method is described.