A modular direct reduction system for producing direct reduced iron (DRI) includes a reformer system which receives a flow of feed gas and which discharges a flow of reducing gas, the reformer system including a plurality of separate reformer modules connected together and wherein each reformer module includes a reformer vessel including an internal chamber, a reactor tube extending through the internal chamber of the reformer vessel and containing a catalyst configured to react with the feed gas received by the reactor tube to form the reducing gas, and a burner to burn a fuel gas to heat the reactor tube, and a furnace system connected to the reformer system and including a furnace having a first inlet which receives an iron ore, a second inlet which receives the reducing gas from the reformer system to form the DRI, and an outlet which discharges the DRI.

Method for producing direct reduced metal material, comprising the steps: a) charging metal material to be reduced into a furnace space (120); b) evacuating an existing atmosphere from the furnace space (120) so as to achieve an underpressure inside the furnace space (120); c) providing, in a main heating step, heat and hydrogen gas to the furnace space (120), so that heated hydrogen gas heats the charged metal material to a temperature high enough so that metal oxides present in the metal material are reduced, in turn causing water vapour to be formed; and d) condensing and collecting the water vapour formed in step c in a condenser (160) below the charged metal material; The invention is characterised in that said hydrogen gas in step c is provided without recirculation of the hydrogen gas, and in that the method further comprises the subse 15 quently performed step of removing the reduced metal material from the furnace space (120), and storing and/or transporting the reduced metal material under an inert atmosphere.

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.

A direct reduction process comprises providing a shaft furnace of a direct reduction plant to reduce iron oxide with reducing gas; providing a direct reduced iron melting furnace; and coupling a discharge chute between a discharge exit of the direct reduced shaft furnace and an inlet of the direct reduced iron melting furnace; wherein direct reduced iron and the reducing gas from the shaft furnace flow through the discharge chute and the reducing gas controls the melting furnace atmosphere to reducing environment.

According to embodiments, disclosed is a method and system to maintain the soft and sparse slag characteristic favorable for an electric arc to efficiently transfer the energy to molten iron with the power input per furnace area higher than 600 KW/m2 while keeping FeO amount less than 5% in the slag and carbon amount higher than 2.5% in the product hot metal at a DRI melting furnace.

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 flash ironmaking drop tube furnace includes a primary reaction section having a refractory, an induction coil around the refractory, insulation located between the refractory and the induction coil, and a susceptor located inside the refractory, the susceptor being formed of a material that is heated by induction when electrical current flows through the induction coil, and having at least one interior channel through which particles can pass. The furnace further includes a muffle, located below the primary reaction section; an outer shell surrounding the muffle; at least one heater located adjacent to the muffle; insulation located between the at least one heater and the outer shell; at least one particle feeder that feeds a predetermined volume of particles into the furnace above the primary reaction section; and an inlet port for injecting gas into the furnace, the inlet port being located so that the gas flows through the susceptor and muffle in parallel with the particles.

Method for producing direct reduced metal material, comprising the steps: a) charging metal material to be reduced into a first furnace space (120) of a first furnace (220); b) evacuating an existing atmosphere from the first furnace space (120) so as to achieve an underpressure; c) providing, in a main heating step, heat and first hydrogen gas to the first furnace space (120), so that metal oxides present in the metal material are reduced, in turn causing water vapour to be formed; and d) condensing and collecting the water vapour formed in step c in a condenser (160) below the charged metal material. The first hydrogen gas in step c is provided without recirculation of the first hydrogen gas, the method further comprises a subsequently performed charged material cooling step, in which thermal energy from the charged material is absorbed by said first hydrogen gas, and in which thermal energy, by heat exchange, is transferred from said first hydrogen gas to second hydrogen gas to be used in a second furnace (210) for producing direct reduced metal material. The invention also relates to a system.

A direct reduction process comprises providing a shaft furnace of a direct reduction plant to reduce iron oxide with reducing gas; providing a direct reduced iron melting furnace; and coupling a discharge chute between a discharge exit of the direct reduced shaft furnace and an inlet of the direct reduced iron melting furnace; wherein direct reduced iron and the reducing gas from the shaft furnace flow through the discharge chute and the reducing gas controls the melting furnace atmosphere to reducing environment.

A flash ironmaking system and a flash ironmaking method are provided. The flash ironmaking system includes a pulverized coal gasifier; a drying pre-reduction kiln; and a flash furnace having a horizontal bottom in which a molten iron layer region, a slag layer region and a carburizing bed layer region are sequentially formed, a reduction tower, a concentrate nozzle, and a flue.