A process for producing direct reduced iron with a hydrogen rich gas, utilizing a non-fired reducing gas heater such as an electric heater to heat the reducing gas to the temperatures sufficient for iron reduction, includes: providing a shaft furnace to reduce iron oxide with the hydrogen rich reducing gas; removing steam and particulates from the shaft furnace top gas with a scrubber; processing all or a portion of the scrubbed top gas in a gas separation unit such as a membrane and a PSA gas separation unit to create a hydrogen rich stream to be recycled back to the shaft furnace as the reducing agent, so that the hydrogen consumption can be reduced when non-fired reducing gas heater is applied.

The present disclosure provides a facility to produce direct reduced iron, which makes it possible to perform reforming and reduction and adjust the carbon amount in a product within a wide range without requiring an externally heating reformer and without causing the metal dusting problem in a circulating gas preheater and the problem of sintering each other or fusion between reduced iron, in a furnace. The facility to produce the direct reduced iron according to the present invention is equipped with a water content control device for controlling the water content in a gas discharged from a shaft-type reduction furnace, a first gas mixing device for mixing the gas from which a portion of water has been removed with an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrocarbon-containing gas to produce a mixed gas, and an auto-thermal reformer for reforming the mixed gas with its energy. The facility is also equipped with a cooling gas loop for circulating a cooling gas, wherein the cooling gas has a hydrocarbon concentration of 50% or more, and the cooling gas loop is equipped with a cooling gas after-cooler having a flow rate control function and capable of controlling the temperature of the cooling gas.

Blast furnace plant (1) and shutdown process for such a blast furnace plant (1). The blast furnace plant comprises a blast furnace (2) and a gas cleaning section (6) for cleaning gas from the blast furnace. Clean gas is released via a clean gas vent line (11) downstream of the gas cleaning section.

A method for producing a homogenous molten composition and a fluid product is disclosed. For example, the method includes producing a first molten metal composition in an enclosed volume, contacting a hydrocarbon reactant with the first molten metal composition, decomposing the hydrocarbon reactant into at least one fluid product and carbon, forming a metal alloy from a mixture of the carbon and the first molten metal composition, and separating a homogenous second molten composition from the metal alloy.

Provided is a method of operating a blast furnace, having generating a regenerative methane gas from a by-product gas discharged from the blast furnace, and blowing a blast gas and a reducing agent into the blast furnace from a tuyere of the blast furnace in which the blast gas is oxygen gas and the regenerative methane gas is used as at least part of the reducing agent.

A system and method of direct reduction of iron (DRI) is disclosed, having a reduction unit configured to reduce iron oxides to metallic iron; a process gas heater coupled to the reduction unit, the process gas heater configured to supply the reduction unit directly with a source of heated reducing gas, where the process gas heater is further configured to receive a synthetic combustion air stream for heating the reducing gas, the synthetic combustion air stream comprising a source of oxygen with essentially no nitrogen. A method of carbon dioxide emission reduction from a direct reduction of iron (DRI) process is also disclosed.

A process for the production of direct reduced iron (DRI), with or without carbon, using hydrogen, where the hydrogen is produced utilizing water generated internally from the process. The process is characterized by containing either one or two gas loops, one for affecting the reduction of the oxide and another for affecting the carburization of the DRI. The primary loop responsible for reduction recirculates used gas from the shaft furnace in a loop including a dry dedusting step, an oxygen removal step to generate the hydrogen, and a connection to the shaft furnace for reduction. In the absence of a second loop, this loop, in conjunction with natural gas addition, can be used to deposit carbon. A secondary carburizing loop installed downstream of the shaft furnace can more finely control carbon addition. This loop includes a reactor vessel, a dedusting step, and a gas separation unit.

A liquid feed for a basic oxygen furnace, a method to obtain the liquid feed and a steel plant producing such a liquid feed, wherein the liquid feed includes a first liquid iron stream of carburised molten scrap and a second liquid iron stream from an iron making process, thereby allowing a maximum use of scrap intake while preparing high quality steel products.

A process for the production of direct reduced iron (DRI), with or without carbon, using hydrogen, where the hydrogen is produced utilizing water generated internally from the process. The process is characterized by containing either one or two gas loops, one for affecting the reduction of the oxide and another for affecting the carburization of the DRI. The primary loop responsible for reduction recirculates used gas from the shaft furnace in a loop including a dry dedusting step, an oxygen removal step to generate the hydrogen, and a connection to the shaft furnace for reduction. In the absence of a second loop, this loop, in conjunction with natural gas addition, can be used to deposit carbon. A secondary carburizing loop installed downstream of the shaft furnace can more finely control carbon addition. This loop includes a reactor vessel, a dedusting step, and a gas separation unit.

Provided is a method of operating a blast furnace, including generating a regenerative methane gas using a blast furnace by-product gas, and blowing a blast gas and a reducing agent into the blast furnace from a tuyere, in which the blast gas is oxygen gas, the regenerative methane gas is used as at least part of the reducing agent, and the oxygen gas and/or the regenerative methane gas is preheated before being blown into the blast furnace from the tuyere.