Described are solid agglomerates of fine metal particles and methods for manufacturing same. A liquid oily lubricant is used in the manufacture of the solid agglomerates. The manufacturing comprises blending fine metal particles with the liquid oily lubricant and compacting the oily metallic mixture obtained to desired solid form. Advantageously, the solid agglomerates possess a desirable density, a suitable resistance to crumbling and dusting during handling, and they can resist to high temperature and to humidity. Solid agglomerated metal products, according to the invention, may be useful for different purposes such as quality charge material for steel plants, blast furnaces and foundries.

The invention relates to a hot-briquetting or hot-compacting installation, in particular for directly reduced iron, having at least one first row (1) of presses with one or more first roll presses (2), and having at least one second row (3) of presses with one or more second roll presses (4), having at least one first cooling conveyor (7) beneath the first row (1) of presses, and a second cooling conveyor (8) beneath the second row (3) of presses, and having a plurality of material lines (6), which are assigned in each case to the individual roll presses (2, 4) and via which the briquetted or compacted material exiting from the roll presses (2, 4) is discharged to the cooling conveyors (7, 8). The material lines (6) are provided with one or more diverters (9), which can be adjusted such that the material from the roll presses (2, 4) of the first row (1) of presses and of the second row (3) of presses is discharged optionally in each case to the first cooling conveyor (7) or to the second cooling conveyor (8).

Described are solid agglomerates of fine metal particles and methods for manufacturing same. A liquid oily lubricant is used in the manufacture of the solid agglomerates. The manufacturing comprises blending fine metal particles with the liquid oily lubricant and compacting the oily metallic mixture obtained to desired solid form. Advantageously, the solid agglomerates possess a desirable density, a suitable resistance to crumbling and dusting during handling, and they can resist to high temperature and to humidity. Solid agglomerated metal products, according to the invention, may be useful for different purposes such as quality charge material for steel plants, blast furnaces and foundries.

Methods and systems for producing direct reduced iron having increased carbon content, comprising: providing a reformed gas stream from a reformer; delivering the reformed gas stream to a carbon monoxide recovery unit to form a carbon monoxide-rich gas stream and a hydrogen-rich gas stream; and delivering the carbon-monoxide-rich gas stream to a direct reduction furnace and exposing partially or completely reduced iron oxide to the carbon monoxide-rich gas stream to increase the carbon content of resulting direct reduced iron. The carbon monoxide-rich gas stream is delivered to one of a transition zone and a cooling zone of the direct reduction furnace. Optionally, the method further comprises mixing the carbon monoxide-rich gas stream with a hydrocarbon-rich gas stream.

Methods for producing steel using super-pure iron ore powder and hydrogen are provided. In the method, iron ore concentrate is purified to form super-pure iron ore powder. The super-pure iron ore powder is reduced with hydrogen introduced into a first furnace, which can be a hydrogen electric furnace, a hydrogen tube furnace, a hydrogen box furnace, an electromagnetic induction furnace, or a hydrogen thermal plasma furnace. The reduced iron product can be melted in the same or a different furnace, which can be a hydrogen electric furnace, belt furnace, an electromagnetic induction furnace, hydrogen thermal plasma furnace, or an electrical arc furnace. The reducing and melting steps result in a steel product. The present methods result in zero carbon dioxide emissions.

A method for preheating metal pellets before charging into a melting furnace, wherein the pellets are transported by a conveyor belt to a chute and discharged from the chute into the melting furnace, the method including heating the pellets by direct flame impingement from two or more banks of burners, wherein the two or more banks of burners comprise an upstream bank of burners and a downstream bank of burners; and controlling the upstream bank of burners to operate oxygen-rich so as to create an oxidizing zone and the downstream bank of burners to operate fuel-rich so as to create a reducing zone.

A method produces a high-strength sintered ore while maintaining a high production rate by performing appropriate oxygen enrichment at a position closer to an ore discharging section than an ignition position without using gaseous fuel in the operation of a sintering machine. In a method for producing sintered ore including sequentially combusting carbonaceous material in a sinter bed (raw material charged layer) in a DL sintering machine to sinter the mixed raw material, in performing oxygen enrichment from above the raw material charging layer on the sintering machine, the oxygen enrichment is performed at a position closer to the ore discharging section than the position where 4 minutes have passed since the upper surface of the charging layer was ignited

A method of heating direct reduced iron between a direct reduced iron source and processing equipment for the direct reduced iron, comprises providing a conduit heater assembly between the direct reduced iron source and the processing equipment, wherein the conduit heater assembly receives a flow of the direct reduced iron from the direct reduced iron source and heats the direct reduced iron as the direct reduced iron flows through the conduit heater assembly and to the processing equipment.

Fired pellets for use in a solid reduction furnace that are effective in preventing clustering by reducing the possibility of contact between low-melting-temperature slags and thus preventing the fusion therebetween, and a method for producing such fired pellets. Fired pellets for reduction, wherein the proportion of high-viscosity slag components (Al.sub.2O.sub.3+MgO+SiO.sub.2) to the total Fe (T.Fe) satisfies an expression: (Al.sub.2O.sub.3+MgO+SiO.sub.2)/T.Fe0.09, and a method for producing the same. In the expression, Al.sub.2O.sub.3 represents the concentration (mass %) of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 in the fired pellets, MgO represents the concentration (mass %) of MgO in the fired pellets, SiO.sub.2 represents the concentration (mass %) of SiO.sub.2 in the fired pellets, and T.Fe represents the concentration (mass %) of T.Fe in the fired pellets.

The present invention relates to a metal material production configuration (1) and to a method of direct reduction of a metal oxide material (5) holding a first thermal energy into a reduced metal material (16). The method comprises the steps of charging the metal oxide material (5) holding the first thermal energy into a direct reduction facility (7) via a metal oxide material charging inlet device (A), introducing a pre-heated hydrogen containing reducing agent (H), holding a second thermal energy, into the direct reduction facility (7) via a reducing agent inlet device (B).

The metal oxide material (5) id direct reduced by using the first thermal energy of the metal oxide material (5) to heat or further heat the introduced pre-heated hydrogen containing reducing agent (H) for providing a chemical reaction between the introduced pre-heated hydrogen containing reducing agent (H) and the metal oxide material (5); exposing the reduced metal material to a required heat treatment temperature for providing heat treatment of the reduced metal material to obtain a densified reduced metal material; and upholding the required heat treatment temperature by the introduction of the pre-heated hydrogen containing reducing agent (H) by means of a heat treatment providing device (17).