The invention relates to a plant complex for steel production comprising a blast furnace for producing pig iron, a converter steel mill for producing crude steel, a gas-conducting system for gases that occur when producing the pig iron and/or the crude steel, and a power-generating plant for electricity generation. The power-generating plant is designed as a gas-turbine power-generating plant or gas-turbine and steam-turbine power-generating plant and is operated with a gas that comprises at least a partial amount of the blast-furnace top gas that occurs in the blast furnace and/or a partial amount of the converter gas. The plant complex additionally comprises a chemical plant and a biotechnological plant, the power-generating plant, the chemical plant and the biotechnological plant being arranged in a parallel setup with regard to the gas supply. The gas-conducting system comprises an operationally controllable gas-distributing device for dividing the streams of gas.

The disclosure relates to a process for the production of sponge iron from iron ore that includes the steps: charging iron ore into a direct reduction shaft; introducing a hydrogen-rich reducing gas into the direct reduction shaft in order to reduce the iron ore and produce sponge iron; removing a top gas from the direct reduction shaft; dividing the top gas into a recycle stream and a bleed-off stream; processing the bleed-off stream through a separation unit to provide a hydrogen-enriched off-stream and an inert-enriched off-stream; and introducing the recycle stream and the hydrogen-enriched off-stream as constituent parts of the hydrogen-rich reducing gas to the direct reduction shaft. The disclosure further relates to a system for the production of sponge iron.

A system for reducing ore includes a hydrogen supply unit configured to supply hydrogen, a furnace configured to reduce the ore using the supplied hydrogen, and a hydrogen recovery unit configured to recover hydrogen from an exhaust gas that is exhausted from the furnace.

A system for the production of sponge iron, the system including a direct reduction shaft including a first inlet for introduction of iron ore into the shaft, a first outlet for removing sponge iron from the shaft, a reduction gas source, connected through a gas line with the shaft, a first compressor in said gas line, and a primary circuit for conducting at least a part of the top gas therethrough. The primary circuit is connected in one end with shaft and in another end with said gas line downstream said first compressor. The system also includes a secondary circuit for conducting at least a portion of gas removed from gas conducted through the primary circuit, said secondary circuit being connected in one end to the primary circuit and in another end to said gas line upstream said first compressor. The system further includes means therein for reducing the pressure of said portion of gas conducted through the secondary circuit, and a first valve for controlling a flow of said portion of gas into the secondary circuit.

An agglomerated ore that is a molded product obtained by mixing a plurality of types of particles, wherein the plurality of types of particles includes at least iron carbide particles and iron oxide particles, wherein at least some of the iron oxide particles are exposed on a surface layer of the agglomerated ore, wherein the porosity of the agglomerated ore is 20% or more and 40% or less, wherein the ratio of the total mass of metallic iron and iron in iron carbide to the mass of total iron contained in the agglomerated ore is 40 mass % or more and 80 mass % or less, and wherein the concentration of carbon including carbon in the iron carbide particles is 1.0 mass % or more and 4.5 mass % or less.

A system for the production of sponge iron, including a direct reduction shaft, a reduction gas source, a reduction gas container, a primary circuit for conducting at least a part of a top gas therethrough, a secondary circuit for conducting at least a portion of gas removed from gas conducted through the primary circuit, said secondary circuit being connected in one end to the primary circuit and in another end to the reduction gas container, a second gas line connecting the reduction gas source with the reduction gas container, and a third gas line connecting the reduction gas container with the first gas line. The system also includes a control unit configured to control a flow of reduction gas from reduction gas source to the first gas line and to control a flow of reduction gas from the reduction gas container to the first gas line through the third gas line, wherein the control unit is configured to enable a flow of reduction gas from the reduction gas container to said first gas line while correspondingly reducing a flow rate of reduction gas from the reduction gas source to said first gas line.

A device for manufacturing molten iron is provided. The device for manufacturing the molten iron includes a multi-stage fluidized reduction furnace for reducing a powdered iron ore including hematite and limonite, a melting gas furnace connected to the fluidized reduction furnace through an ore conduit and a gas conduit, a fluidized bed oxidation furnace for oxidizing magnetite to be converted into hematite through steam provided from the fluidized reduction furnace, and a hydrogen processing unit for processing hydrogen generated by the oxidation reaction of magnetite in the fluidized bed oxidation furnace.

Blast furnace installation having top gas recycling and process for operating same, in which the oxygen concentration of the oxidizing gas injected into the blast furnace is regulated as a function of the flow rate of the recycled top gas.

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).

The present invention relates to a method for producing iron fuel from metal oxide containing charge materials via reducing the metal oxide containing charge materials. An object of the present invention is to produce iron in a specific powder form having a particle size distribution and specific surface area, wherein the iron powder is to be used as a starting material for iron fuel combustion.