Railcars for transporting granulated metallic units, and associated systems, devices, and methods are disclosed herein. For example, a reinforced railcar apparatus includes a container envelope and a reinforcement liner. The container envelope includes side walls and end walls extending from a floor of the railcar. The side walls are a first length and the end walls are a second length less than the first length. Top portions of the rigid side walls and end walls define an opening of the container envelope through which granulated metallic units are discharged into the railcar assembly. The railcar assembly includes angled interior walls coupled to the bottom surface and extending from a top portion of the end walls to the bottom surface. The reinforcement liner is disposed over a portion of the bottom surface and the angled interior walls. In some embodiments, the railcar assembly includes an open-topped box layered with impact-absorbing material.

Treating cooling water in industrial production facilities and associated systems, devices, and methods are disclosed herein. The system can comprise a cooling tower with a first and second cell, each having a housing to receive return water and a sump below to maintain supply water configured to directly contact molten metal. The system includes an inlet and an inlet line to provide return water to the cooling tower and an outlet and an outlet line to direct supply water back to the industrial production facility. The inlet, outlet, and cooling tower form a closed-loop network. Additionally, a blowdown line is fluidically coupled to the outlet to divert a portion of the supply water away from the closed-loop network.

Processing granulated metallic units within electric arc furnaces (EAFs) and associated systems, devices, and methods are disclosed herein. A representative method can include receiving granulated metallic units in an EAF, wherein the granulated metallic units comprise no more than 0.05 wt. % of sulfur and at least 50% of particles in the granulated iron material have a particle size of at least 6 millimeters. The method can include applying electrical energy to the granulated iron via electrodes and melting the granulated iron material to form a molten steel product. The method can also include tapping the EAF to remove the molten steel product from the EAF.

Loading granulated metallic units (GMUs) into railcars, and associated systems, devices, and methods, are disclosed here. In some embodiments, an apparatus for loading GMUs into a railcar comprises a housing unit, a weigh bin, a weigh bin gate, a hopper, and an articulating chute. GMUs in the weigh bin are discharged via gravity through the weigh bin gate when the weigh bin gate opens. The hopper is configured to guide GMUs received from the weigh bin to the articulating chute. The articulating chute is angled and rotatable about an axis of the hopper such that, when rotated, the end of the chute is closer to the floor of a railcar. In some embodiments, the chute includes telescoping segments.

Treating cooling water in industrial production facilities and associated systems, devices, and methods are disclosed herein. The system can comprise a cooling tower with a first and second cell, each having a housing to receive return water and a sump below to maintain supply water configured to directly contact molten metal. The system includes an inlet and an inlet line to provide return water to the cooling tower and an outlet and an outlet line to direct supply water back to the industrial production facility. The inlet, outlet, and cooling tower form a closed-loop network. Additionally, a blowdown line is fluidically coupled to the outlet to divert a portion of the supply water away from the closed-loop network.

Treating cooling water in industrial production facilities and associated systems, devices, and methods are disclosed herein. The system can comprise a cooling tower with a first and second cell, each having a housing to receive return water and a sump below to maintain supply water configured to directly contact molten metal. The system includes an inlet and an inlet line to provide return water to the cooling tower and an outlet and an outlet line to direct supply water back to the industrial production facility. The inlet, outlet, and cooling tower form a closed-loop network. Additionally, a blowdown line is fluidically coupled to the outlet to divert a portion of the supply water away from the closed-loop network.

Systems and methods for using a liquid hot metal processing unit to produce granulated metallic units (GMUs) are disclosed herein. In some embodiments of the present technology, a liquid hot metal processing system for producing GMUs comprises a liquid hot metal processing unit including a granulator unit. The granulator unit can include a tilter positioned to receive and tilt a ladle, a controller operably coupled to the tilter to control tilting of the ladle, a tundish positioned to receive the molten metallics from the ladle, and a reactor positioned to receive the molten metallics from the tundish. The reactor can be configured to cool the molten metallics to form granulated metallic units (GMUs).

Systems and methods for using a liquid hot metal processing unit to produce granulated metallic units (GMUs) are disclosed herein. In some embodiments of the present technology, a liquid hot metal processing system for producing GMUs comprises a liquid hot metal processing unit including a granulator unit. The granulator unit can include a tilter positioned to receive and tilt a ladle, a controller operably coupled to the tilter to control tilting of the ladle, a tundish positioned to receive the molten metallics from the ladle, and a reactor positioned to receive the molten metallics from the tundish. The reactor can be configured to cool the molten metallics to form granulated metallic units (GMUs).

A low-sulfur granulated metallic unit having a mass fraction of sulfur between 0.0001 wt. % and 0.08 wt. % is disclosed herein. Additionally or alternatively, the granulated metallic unit can comprise a mass fraction of phosphorous of at least 0.025 wt. %, a mass fraction of silicon between 0.25 wt. % and 1.5 wt. %, a mass fraction of manganese of at least 0.2 wt. %, a mass fraction of carbon of at least 0.8 wt. %, and/or a mass fraction of iron of at least 94.0 wt. %.

A low-sulfur granulated metallic unit having a mass fraction of sulfur between 0.0001 wt. % and 0.08 wt. % is disclosed herein. Additionally or alternatively, the granulated metallic unit can comprise a mass fraction of phosphorous of at least 0.025 wt. %, a mass fraction of silicon between 0.25 wt. % and 1.5 wt. %, a mass fraction of manganese of at least 0.2 wt. %, a mass fraction of carbon of at least 0.8 wt. %, and/or a mass fraction of iron of at least 94.0 wt. %.