Systems for producing iron may include (a) a reactor configured to receive iron ore and a reducing gas, and from these produce iron; and (b) a carbon dioxide reduction electrolyzer configured to produce at least carbon monoxide and/or a hydrocarbon. Such systems may be configured to transport carbon dioxide produced by the reactor and/or produced by combustion of a gas generated by the reactor to a cathode side of the carbon dioxide reduction electrolyzer. Such systems may be further configured to transport at least a portion of the carbon monoxide and/or hydrocarbon produced by the carbon dioxide reduction electrolyzer to the reactor, where the carbon monoxide and/or hydrocarbon serves as at least a part of the reducing gas.

A method of operating a shaft furnace includes inserting a mixture including anthracite coal and coke into a cavity defined by the furnace, and disposing a metal feedstock within the cavity. The method includes injecting natural gas at a natural gas flow rate and a first quantity of oxygen gas at a first oxygen gas flow rate into the cavity simultaneously through at least one burner. The method also includes driving a second quantity of oxygen gas at a supersonic oxygen gas flow rate into the cavity through at least one lance, wherein the supersonic oxygen gas flow rate is greater than the first oxygen gas flow rate. The method also includes combusting the mixture within the cavity to produce a stack gas, melting the metal feedstock to produce a melted metal material, and monitoring the stack gas to thereby operate the shaft furnace. A shaft furnace is also disclosed.

A direct reduction process comprises providing a shaft furnace of a direct reduction plant to reduce iron oxide with reducing gas; providing a direct reduced iron melting furnace; and coupling a discharge chute between a discharge exit of the direct reduced shaft furnace and an inlet of the direct reduced iron melting furnace; wherein direct reduced iron and the reducing gas from the shaft furnace flow through the discharge chute and the reducing gas controls the melting furnace atmosphere to reducing environment.

A direct reduction process comprises providing a shaft furnace of a direct reduction plant to reduce iron oxide with reducing gas; providing a direct reduced iron melting furnace; and coupling a discharge chute between a discharge exit of the direct reduced shaft furnace and an inlet of the direct reduced iron melting furnace; wherein direct reduced iron and the reducing gas from the shaft furnace flow through the discharge chute and the reducing gas controls the melting furnace atmosphere to reducing environment.

A classified reduction gasification iron smelting process of iron ore powder and coal powder in a Y-type entrained flow bed. The process comprises the following steps: uniformly mixing the pre-reduced hot iron ore powder with the coal powder, and introducing the mixture, a gasification agent and water vapor into a Y-type entrained flow bed for performing combustion, gasification and reduction reaction to obtain crude syngas and molten iron; the crude syngas is used for sucking iron ore powder to enter a riser to perform preheating and partial reduction.

A classified reduction gasification iron smelting process of iron ore powder and coal powder in a Y-type entrained flow bed. The process comprises the following steps: uniformly mixing the pre-reduced hot iron ore powder with the coal powder, and introducing the mixture, a gasification agent and water vapor into a Y-type entrained flow bed for performing combustion, gasification and reduction reaction to obtain crude syngas and molten iron; the crude syngas is used for sucking iron ore powder to enter a riser to perform preheating and partial reduction.

The subject of the invention is a method of smelting carbon steels directly from iron ore in one metallurgical reactor, consisting in introducing fine iron ore and fine fluxes into the reactor from the top of the reactor and a gas reducer in the form of hydrogen or a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from the bottom of the reactor and reducing iron oxides in the liquid phase, while the desired final carbon content in the steel is controlled by introducing an amount of carbon directly into the metal bath which ensures that the desired level of carburisation of the steel is achieved, or by introducing a specific amount of carbon reducer in the form of coke breeze into the iron-bearing charge, characterised in that the thermal energy in the reactor is generated in the process of combustion of natural gas with oxygen in the upper part of the reactor, and the supplied excess of natural gas in relation to the amounts resulting from the stoichiometry of the combustion process is thermally decomposed into carbon and molecular hydrogen providing a reducing atmosphere at the bottom of the reactor.

The present disclosure relates to a process for producing an iron melt. The method includes; reducing iron ore to sponge iron, carburizing sponge iron with a carbonaceous gas, melting the carburized sponge iron and/or treating the melt produced from the carburized sponge iron. According to the present disclosure, the carbonaceous gas is at least a portion of the process gas obtained in the melting of the carburized sponge iron and/or treating of the melt produced from the carburized sponge iron that has been recycled.

A method for manufacturing a carbonaceous material-containing agglomerate ore and a method for manufacturing molten pig iron, with which a highly-reducible raw material can be obtained, and the amount of a reducing material used when manufacturing molten pig iron in a countercurrent moving bed can be reduced. The method for manufacturing a carbonaceous material-containing agglomerate ore includes: a step of collecting carbon by bringing a carbon-containing gas that contains carbon monoxide into contact with a porous material; and an agglomeration step of performing agglomeration by mixing a carbon-containing raw material that contains the carbon collected into an iron-containing raw material.

An arrangement for producing sponge iron, including a direct reduction shaft, a device for charging iron ore into the direct reduction shaft, a device for extracting sponge iron from the direction reduction shaft, a hydrogen-rich reduction gas source, a reduction gas line extending from the hydrogen-rich reduction gas source to the direct reduction shaft, and a heater for heating the hydrogen-rich reduction gas in the reduction gas line. The arrangement further includes a flow rate meter configured to measure the flow rate of the hydrogen-rich reduction gas in the reduction gas line, and a control unit configured to control the device for charging iron ore into the direct reduction shaft and to control the device for extracting sponge iron from the direct reduction shaft based on input from the flow rate meter, such that the flow rate of the iron ore and the flow rate of the sponge iron are proportional to the measured flow rate of the hydrogen-rich reduction gas.