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.

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.

Provided are a fixed-type electric furnace enabling continuous operation which allows melting without the interruption of power supply and tapping in a fixed state, and a fixed-type electric furnace and a molten steel production method using same. The fixed-type electric furnace comprises: a preheating furnace which is disposed on the side of a melting furnace and preheats an iron source (scrap) using exhaust gas from the melting furnace; a supply means for supplying the iron source, which has been preheated in the preheating furnace, to the melting furnace; the melting furnace comprising electrodes for melting the preheated iron source; and a fixed-type discharge means for discharging molten steel which has been melted in the melting furnace, wherein the preheating furnace is integrally connected to the melting furnace.

Provided are a fixed-type electric furnace enabling continuous operation which allows melting without the interruption of power supply and tapping in a fixed state, and a fixed-type electric furnace and a molten steel production method using same. The fixed-type electric furnace comprises: a preheating furnace which is disposed on the side of a melting furnace and preheats an iron source (scrap) using exhaust gas from the melting furnace; a supply means for supplying the iron source, which has been preheated in the preheating furnace, to the melting furnace; the melting furnace comprising electrodes for melting the preheated iron source; and a fixed-type discharge means for discharging molten steel which has been melted in the melting furnace, wherein the preheating furnace is integrally connected to the melting furnace.

The present invention relates to a process for the smelting of a metalliferous feedstock material. The process includes the steps of: (i) feeding an agglomerate comprising of a fine metalliferous feedstock material and a fine reductant to a reactor, the agglomerate forming a packed bed within the reactor; (ii) smelting the agglomerate by passing a hot reducing gas counter current through the packed bed to form a molten material comprising a partially reduced metalliferous constituent, an intermediate slag constituent and entrained unreacted reductant constituent; and (iii) channeling the molten material to flow into a vessel to form a metal product and a slag product.

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.

In one aspect, an electric furnace is provided with a double type melting furnace, which includes: a first upper cell that forms a first upper space of a first melting furnace in which a first iron source is introduced and molten; a second upper cell that is disposed in a horizontal direction of the first upper cell and forms a second upper space of a second melting furnace in which a second iron source is introduced and molten; a lower cell that is combined with lower portions of the first upper cell and the second upper cell and forms a single integrated space in which a first lower space of the first melting furnace and a second lower space of the second melting furnace are integrated; and a partition wall unit that is installed to vertically move up and down between the first upper cell and the second upper cell, and separates the first lower space of the first melting furnace and the second lower space of the second melting furnace, although both of the lower spaces are integrally formed by the lower cell.

A process for producing clean steel products with low nitrogen content, below 35 ppm, in a steelmaking plant comprising a direct reduced iron (DRI) source, which may be a direct reduction plant or a DRI storage facility, an electric arc furnace (EAF), a vacuum degassing system (DS), and a continuous casting system (CC) is disclosed. The process comprises a first stage of melting and refining a metallic iron charge, a second stage of tapping molten steel from the electric arc furnace (EAF) into a ladle, a third stage of exposing molten steel to a pressure below the atmospheric pressure and a fourth stage of casting molten steel to clean steel products. Optionally, the molten steel tapped from the EAF is treated in a ladle furnace (LF) prior to being treated in the degassing system (DS). The metallic iron charge fed to the EAF comprises more than 70% by weight of DRI in the form of pellets or briquettes having a carbon content above 2.5 weight %. Preferably, the metallic iron charge is fed to the EAF at a temperature of 400 C. or higher. The low nitrogen level in the steel products made according to the Application is achieved by forming a first foamy slag in said first process stage and is maintained in a foamy state by controlling the feed of fluxes, oxygen, and carbonaceous materials to the EAF and by forming a second slag, after molten steel is tapped from the EAF, having a predetermined composition capable of continuing the desulfurization and providing a thermal and chemical insulation to prevent nitrogen pickup and promote nitrogen removal of molten steel. The process also comprises carrying out one or more of the following actions: (a) controlling the concentration of nitrogen and sulfur in the raw materials at each process stage, (b) promoting nitrogen removal from steel, (c) decreasing the time spent by the molten steel at each process stage and between each and subsequent process stages, and (d) preventing nitrogen pickup by the molten steel all along said process stages. Steel products made according to the Application comprise the following elements expressed in weight %: C0.05%, Si4.5%, Al2.0%; Mn2.0%; P0.20%; Ni0.200%, Cu0.200%; N0.0030%, Ni0.200%, S0.0035%.

A method and system for producing a direct reduced iron product, including: generating hot direct reduced iron in a shaft furnace; receiving the hot direct reduced iron in a feed-leg downstream of the shaft furnace; and adding carbon to the hot direct reduced iron in the feed-leg downstream of the shaft furnace to form the direct reduced iron product. The process may further include receiving and briquetting the hot direct reduced iron with the carbon added to form the direct reduced iron product. The process may further include receiving the hot direct reduced iron in an additional (optionally parallel) feed-leg downstream of the shaft furnace and adding other carbon (in a different amount) to the hot direct reduced iron in the additional feed-leg downstream of the shaft furnace to form an additional direct reduced iron product having a different carbon content, using the same stream of hot direct reduced iron.

A method and system for producing a direct reduced iron product, including: generating hot direct reduced iron in a shaft furnace; receiving the hot direct reduced iron in a feed-leg downstream of the shaft furnace; and adding carbon to the hot direct reduced iron in the feed-leg downstream of the shaft furnace to form the direct reduced iron product. The process may further include receiving and briquetting the hot direct reduced iron with the carbon added to form the direct reduced iron product. The process may further include receiving the hot direct reduced iron in an additional (optionally parallel) feed-leg downstream of the shaft furnace and adding other carbon (in a different amount) to the hot direct reduced iron in the additional feed-leg downstream of the shaft furnace to form an additional direct reduced iron product having a different carbon content, using the same stream of hot direct reduced iron.