A method of starting a molten bath-based process for smelting a metalliferous material is disclosed. The method includes using the heat flux of water-cooled elements in lower parts of a smelting vessel to provide an indication of molten bath temperature during at least an early part of the start-up method and adjusting injection rates of oxygen-containing gas and/or carbonaceous material into the smelting vessel to control the molten bath temperature during start-up without exceeding critical heat flux levels and tripping the start-up method.

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, characterised in that steps c and d are performed at least until a hydrogen atmosphere overpressure has been reached inside the furnace space (120), and in that no hydrogen gas is evacuated from the furnace space (120) until said overpressure has been reached. The invention also relates to a system.

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.

The present document describes a smelting apparatus for smelting metallic ore. The smelting apparatus comprises a furnace having a continuous curved wall and end walls defining a longitudinal volume having a longitudinal axis in a horizontal direction. The continuous curved wall has a lowermost area. The longitudinal volume is divided in at least three longitudinal layers comprising a top layer within which gasified fuel is combusted for creating a hot gas composition at a temperature sufficient to release, from the metallic ore, at least molten metal and slag, a lowermost layer at the lowermost area for holding molten metal, and a mid-layer above the lowermost layer in which the slag accumulates. The present document also describes processes using the smelting apparatus for producing ferrous and non-ferrous minerals from a metallic ore.

An ironmaking system and process of a two-section downdraft bed, including: a vertical melting furnace, where a basic combustor/gasifier is at the top, first and second inlets evenly along a side wall of the melting furnace below the basic combustor/gasifier, and the first inlet connected to coke powder/pulverized coal, air, and water vapor sources; a slag pool, at a bottom of the melting furnace; a vertical pre-reduction furnace, the top portion connected to the outlet of the melting furnace, third and fourth inlets on an upper portion of the pre-reduction furnace and connected respectively to a temperature-adjusting and tempering medium source and an iron mineral powder source, an outlet at a bottom of the pre-reduction furnace; and a separator, an inlet of the separator connected to the outlet of the pre-reduction furnace, and an outlet at a bottom of the separator connected to the second inlet through a pipeline.

An ironmaking system and process of a two-section downdraft bed, including: a vertical melting furnace, where a basic combustor/gasifier is at the top, first and second inlets evenly along a side wall of the melting furnace below the basic combustor/gasifier, and the first inlet connected to coke powder/pulverized coal, air, and water vapor sources; a slag pool, at a bottom of the melting furnace; a vertical pre-reduction furnace, the top portion connected to the outlet of the melting furnace, third and fourth inlets on an upper portion of the pre-reduction furnace and connected respectively to a temperature-adjusting and tempering medium source and an iron mineral powder source, an outlet at a bottom of the pre-reduction furnace; and a separator, an inlet of the separator connected to the outlet of the pre-reduction furnace, and an outlet at a bottom of the separator connected to the second inlet through a pipeline.

Disclosed herein is a reduced iron production method enabling heat to be input well into reduced-iron raw materials on a hearth covering material in a reduction-melting furnace to improve the efficiency of treatment thereof. The reduced-iron raw materials are set on the hearth covering material through their falls and reduced on the hearth covering material. The hearth covering material is constituted by carbon materials each having a particle diameter of 5 mm or less. At least 7 mass % of the carbon materials have respective particle diameters each being 0.1 mm or less. This restrains the reduced-iron raw materials from embedment into the hearth covering material.

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 gasifier for organic solid waste by injection into molten iron and slag bath includes a gasification furnace, a liquid level adjusting furnace and a slag discharge and heat exchange shaft furnace. The liquid level adjusting furnace, in communication with the bottom of the gasification furnace, contains 1200-1700° C. molten iron-based alloy liquid, which is covered with molten liquid slag layer. When gas pressure above or liquid volume in the liquid level adjusting furnace increases, liquid level of the molten liquid in the gasification furnace rises simultaneously. A particle material injection lance is immersed, through which organic particles to be gasified are blown into molten bath, and oxygen gas or oxygen-enriched air as gasifying agent is blown into the melt at the same time. Organic substance is gasified into CO-rich and H.sub.2-rich syngas, and most of inorganic substance enters molten slag and is discharged termly.

Smelting metalliferous feed material process forming molten metal in smelting apparatus including smelt cyclone above and communicating with smelting vessel to contain molten metal and slag bath, including: partially reducing and melting feed material in smelt cyclone, allowing the molten partially reduced feed material flow downwardly into vessel, supplying oxygen-containing gas and carbonaceous material to vessel, smelting molten partially reduced feed material in molten metal and slag bath in vessel forming molten metal discharged from vessel and reaction products projected upwardly from molten bath, at least partially combusting combustible materials in reaction products in vessel space above molten bath, supplying oxygen-containing gas to smelt cyclone. Further combusting reaction products in smelt cyclone, discharging from smelt cyclone offgas including reaction products, supplying oxygen-containing gas into offgas duct upstream high temperature section combusting remaining offgas combustible materials while sufficiently hot for safe ignition and avoiding downstream burner-managed incineration.