A coke product configured to be used in foundry cupolas to melt iron and produce cast iron products is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the coke product has a Coke Reactivity Index (CRI) of at least 30% and an ash fusion temperature (AFT) less than 1316? C. Additionally or alternatively, the coke product can comprise (i) an ash content of at least 8.0%, (ii) a volatile matter content of no more than 1.0%, (iii) a Coke Strength After Reaction (CSR) of no more than 40%, (iv) a 2-inch drop shatter of at least 90%, and/or (v) a fixed carbon content of at least 85%.

A stockhouse arrangement for a metallurgical furnace includes a set of storage bins for granular material; a material feeding device associated with the set of storage bins, the material feeding device being arranged above the set of storage bins and allowing to selectively fill each of the storage bins with granular material; and a raw material feed system to convey raw granular material to the material feeding device, wherein a respective weighing hopper is arranged downstream of each storage bin and including an outlet associated with a feeding gate. A and a charge conveying system is provided for collecting and conveying material selectively discharged from the weighing hoppers through their respective feeding gate, the material feeding device being configured to screen raw granular material arriving from the raw material feed system such that only material with desired granulometry is forwarded to the respective bin(s).

A method and a device for producing granulates (1) which are obtained by the method steps: intensively mixing raw materials (2) and optionally additives (6) by adding water (3) to form a mixture (4); introducing the mixture (4) and optional additives (6) into a granulator (11); granulating the mixture (4) by adding water (3) to form raw granulates (12); introducing the raw granulates (12), water (3) and optional additives (6) into a rolling drum (17) and rolling the raw granulates (12) to form the granulates (1).

A method for charging raw materials into a blast furnace is as follows. The blast furnace includes a bell-less charging device that includes a plurality of main hoppers and an auxiliary hopper. The auxiliary hopper has a smaller capacity than the main hoppers. The method includes discharging ore charged in at least one of the plurality of main hoppers, and then sequentially charging the ore from a furnace center side toward a furnace wall side by using a rotating chute. After charging of the ore is started, only the ore is charged from the rotating chute at least until charging of 45 mass % of the ore is completed based on a total amount of the ore to be charged per batch; then, discharging of low-reactivity ore charged in the auxiliary hopper is started; and then, the low-reactivity ore is charged together with the ore from the rotating chute.

An apparatus includes: a guide portion in which a reflection plate is disposed in an opening portion at one end, and an antenna is disposed at the other end, and which is to be inserted into a blast furnace through an opening of the furnace; a guide portion moving unit which moves the guide portion to the inside or outside of the furnace; a guide portion rotating unit which rotates the guide portion; and a reflection plate tilting unit which changes a tilt angle of the reflection plate with respect to the antenna. During measurement, the opening portion of the guide portion is protruded into the furnace, and the guide portion rotating unit and the reflection plate tilting unit are driven to scan planarly or linearly the surface of a burden in the furnace.

The invention relates to a method for producing an agglomerate, which is used as a blast furnace feed material, by mixing a fine material containing metal and/or metal oxide, a mineral binder, which comprises a mineral raw material and a lime-based material, and optionally other additives to form a mass and solidifying the mass to form an agglomerate, wherein a raw material comprising a silicon oxide fraction of at least 40 wt %, a fine grain fraction of less than 4 m of at least 20 wt %, and a grain size fraction of less than 1 m of at least 10 wt % is used as the mineral raw material. The invention further relates to a blast furnace feed material that can be produced by means of the method according to the invention, and to a pre-mixture for producing the blast furnace feed material.

An ironmaking method includes ore beneficiating a high combined water content iron ore including a loss of ignition of 3 to 12 mass % into a goethite-rich part including at least a loss of ignition of 4 mass % or more and an iron content of 55 mass % or more; agglomerating the goethite-rich part into first fired pellets in a pellet induration furnace; and the first fired pellets into a shaft furnace while the first fired pellets have a surface temperature of 600? C. or higher, and directly reducing the first fired pellets using a reducing gas containing 60 volume % or more of hydrogen.

A supply heat quantity estimating method includes: estimating a change in carried-out sensible heat by in-furnace passing gas and a change in carried-in sensible heat supplied by a raw material preheated by the in-furnace passing gas, and estimating a quantity of heat supplied to the pig iron in a blast furnace in consideration of the estimated changes in the carried-out sensible heat and carried-in sensible heat. The estimating includes: estimating the carried-out sensible heat in consideration of the quantity of heat released to an outside, and estimating the change in the carried-in sensible heat in consideration of a change in a surface height of the raw material; and estimating a quantity of heat held in a deadman coke, and estimating the quantity of heat supplied to the pig iron in the blast furnace in consideration of the estimated quantity of heat held in the deadman coke.

This invention refers to a process for the production of products in the form of commercial zinc oxide and iron ecosinter, which are important raw materials for the production of SHG zinc (a special quality product) and pig iron, with subsequent obtaining steel. The process for producing zinc oxide concentrate and iron ecosinter uses as raw material zinc ferrite residues, steelmaking co-products such as light mud, heavy mud, iron scale, pre-lime and yard cleaning materials rich in iron and, mainly, steel mill dust (class I) mixed with carbon sources, whose mixture is homogenized and pelletized, followed by reduction in a pot furnace fed by insufflated air in ascending flow with temperature ranging from 850 C. to 1,300 C.; being the volatilized metals and the gases generated sent to a cyclone and bag filter where the zinc oxide is retained; the iron ecosinter is poured from the pot at the end of the process.

The furnace 10 comprises a vessel 12 having a centre axis extending between a roof and a base. The vessel holds a body 20 of material having an upper surface 24 having an upper level l.sub.u. The furnace comprises a non-contact sensor 30.1 for sensing a distance 32 between a reference point and a position on the upper surface. The non-contact sensor comprises an electromagnetic signal transceiver 36, 38, an antenna 40 for launching the signal towards the upper surface and receiving a reflection of the signal and a signal guide 46 extending between the transceiver and the antenna. The transceiver is located at one of a) a level lower than the upper level l.sub.u and b) a level higher than the upper level l.sub.u and beyond a first line 39 which is spaced a distance d.sub.0>0 from the layer on a line 41 perpendicular to the centre axis.