Method and apparatus for producing steel using thermal energy generated in a rotary machine

Abstract

A method of inputting thermal energy into a fluid medium in a steel production process by means of at least one rotating device is provided, the rotating device comprising a casing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one rotor blade row arranged around a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, and a stator formed as a fixed vane assembly at least upstream of the at least one rotor blade row, in which an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium flow guided along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy transformations occurring as the fluid medium flow passes through the fixed vanes and the at least one rotor blade row, respectively. The method further comprises incorporating the at least one rotating device into a steel production facility configured to carry out a steel production process, such as the reaction of iron oxide with carbon or the production of raw materials, at a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 500°C, and directing an amount of input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated into a heat consuming process facility, the input energy comprising electrical energy. Rotating devices and related uses are further provided.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for inputting thermal energy (heat) into fluids, and more particularly to tools and processes for optimizing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas and particulate emissions in heat consuming industrial processes related to steel production, which are carried out at high and very high temperatures. [Background technology]

[0002] Industries and governments are struggling to find technologies to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Heavy industrial processes such as steel production play a key role in achieving low emission targets set by companies, governments, and international organizations. Electrification of these processes is considered as a solution to reduce emissions. One of the obstacles for electrification is the achievement of the high temperatures required in steel production. For example, the core process for melting and forming steel requires extremely high temperatures, e.g., in the range of about 850-1600°C. This puts stringent requirements on the energy sources and the technologies used. In particular, although electricity is already used for some high-temperature processes (e.g., in electric arc furnaces for melting steel), in most cases neither the technology nor the economics are yet in a position to do so.

[0003] For heating purposes, several rotary solutions have been proposed. The hydrodynamic heater pump apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 11,098,725 (Sanger et al.) is operable to selectively generate a flow of heated and / or pressurized fluid. The aforementioned hydrodynamic heater pump is designed to be installed within the cooling system of an automotive vehicle to provide heat for the passenger compartment of the vehicle and to enable other capabilities such as window de-icing and engine cooling. The disclosed apparatus can also provide a pressurized fluid flow for engine cooling. Because the disclosed technology is friction based and the fluid to be heated is a liquid, the presented design is not suitable for conditions involving extreme turbulence of gas aerodynamics.

[0004] US Patent No. 7,614,367 (Frick) discloses a system and method for flameless heating, condensing or vaporizing a fluid by converting rotational kinetic energy into heat. A system configured for fluid heating may include a rotational kinetic energy generator, a rotary heating device, and a primary heat exchanger, all in closed-loop fluid communication. The rotary heating device may be a water brake dynamometer. The specification discloses the use of the system for heating water on an offshore drilling or oil production platform. However, the presented system is not suitable for heating gaseous media and is not feasible for use with high and extremely high temperatures (based on liquid stability, vapor pressure, etc.).

[0005] In addition, several rotating turbomachinery type devices are also known to carry out the process of hydrocarbon (steam) cracking, with the goal of maximizing the yield of target products, such as ethylene and propylene.

[0006] In this regard, updates in the art relating to designing and manufacturing efficient heating systems, particularly systems suitable for use in connection with high and very high temperatures, are still desirable in view of addressing the challenges associated with increasing temperatures of fluid materials in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to solve or at least mitigate at least some of the problems resulting from limitations and drawbacks of the related art. One or more of the objects are achieved by the various embodiments of the method for producing a heated fluid medium, the rotating device and the related uses defined herein, as described herein. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In one embodiment, a method of producing steel includes generating a heated fluid medium by at least one rotating device installed within a steel production facility. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to one embodiment, a method of producing steel comprising generating a heated fluid medium by at least one rotating device incorporated into the steel production facility improves energy efficiency and / or reduces greenhouse gas and particulate emissions.

[0010] In an embodiment, a method of producing steel comprises generating a heated fluid medium by at least one rotating device incorporated into a steel production facility, the at least one rotating device comprising a casing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one rotor blade row disposed around a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, and a plurality of stationary vanes arranged in an assembly upstream of the at least one rotor blade row, the fluid medium flow being converted into a heated medium by a series of energy transformations occurring as the fluid medium flows through the stationary vanes and the at least one rotor blade row, respectively. An amount of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium stream conducted along a flow path formed inside the casing between an inlet and the outlet, thereby generating a heated fluid medium stream, the method further comprising: conducting an amount of input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated into the heat consuming process equipment, the input energy comprising electrical energy; supplying the heated fluid medium stream generated by the at least one rotating device into the steel production equipment; and operating the at least one rotating device and the steel production equipment to perform steel production at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 500°C.

[0011] In another aspect, a method for inputting thermal energy into a fluid medium during steel production is provided.

[0012] In one embodiment, a method includes inputting thermal energy into a process associated with producing steel in a steel production facility, the method includes generating a heated fluid medium by at least one rotating device installed in the steel production facility, the at least one rotating device including a casing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one row of rotor blades disposed about a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, and a plurality of stationary vanes disposed in an assembly at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades, the method including ... producing steel at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 500°C. and further comprising: incorporating the at least one rotating device into a steel production facility configured to perform an associated process; directing an energy input amount into the at least one rotating device incorporated into the steel production facility; wherein the energy input comprises electrical energy; and operating the at least one rotating device incorporated into the steel production facility such that a series of energy transformations occurring as the fluid medium flow passes through the fixed vanes and the at least one rotor blade row, respectively, imparts an amount of thermal energy to a fluid medium flow directed along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet, thereby generating a heated fluid medium flow.

[0013] In an embodiment, the method includes operating the at least one rotating device operatively connected to at least one furnace within the steel production facility. In an embodiment, the at least one furnace is configured for steel making. In an embodiment, the furnace is configured to react steel precursor materials and to produce steel within the steel production facility. In an embodiment, the method includes operating the at least one rotating device operatively connected to at least one furnace configured as a blast furnace for producing molten iron by reducing iron ore to iron. The reduction of iron ore in the blast furnace may employ coke as a reducing agent.

[0014] In some embodiments, the at least one rotating device may be operatively connected to at least one furnace formed as a basic oxygen converter for oxygenating molten iron, thereby producing low carbon steel. In an embodiment, the method includes operating at least one rotating device operatively connected to at least one process unit formed as a furnace, kiln, or reactor for directly reducing iron ore to produce direct reduced iron (DRI), also called iron ore "sponge iron". During DRI production, iron ore is reduced to iron without melting it. The gas-based DRI process is carried out in a process unit formed as a furnace, kiln, or fluidized bed type reactor. In the reactor, iron ore is reacted with a hot reducing gas, such as hydrogen, natural gas, or coke gas. Coke gas is a by-product of the coke formation process, also called coke plant off-gas or coke oven gas (COG). The DRI process may be followed by a suitable melting procedure, such as electric arc melting, to produce steel.

[0015] In an embodiment, the method includes operating at least one rotating device operatively connected to at least one sintering plant and / or pellet plant configured to sinter iron ore into iron ore sinter / pellets. In an embodiment, the method includes operating at least one rotating device operatively connected to at least one furnace or coking plant configured to coke coal into coke in a steel production facility. In an embodiment, the method includes operating at least one rotating device operatively connected to at least one post-processing unit configured to post-process steel products via any one of heat treatment, carburizing, casting, and / or rolling. In an embodiment, the method includes operating at least one rotating device operatively connected to at least one reactor or series of reactors configured for endothermic reactions in steel production, specifically for endothermic reactions of off-gases generated during steel production. Any combination of the above embodiments is contemplated.

[0016] As used herein, "furnace" means an apparatus in which heat is generated or added as part of a combustion process. The furnace may be a blast furnace, cupola furnace, pot-and-tank furnace, shaft furnace, regenerative furnace, or another furnace, depending on the needs of the particular application. Any decision to describe "furnace" to the exclusion of any particular type of furnace or other apparatus for combustion is made for purposes of brevity only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0017] In an embodiment, the method includes producing the fluid medium heated to a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 500° C., or essentially equal to or greater than about 1200° C., or essentially equal to or greater than about 1700° C., by at least one rotating device.

[0018] In an embodiment, this includes adjusting the velocity and / or pressure of a fluid medium stream propagating through the rotating device to create conditions under which the heated fluid medium is generated.

[0019] In an embodiment, in the method, the heated fluid medium is generated by at least one rotating device including two or more rows of rotor blades arranged successively along the rotor axis.

[0020] In an embodiment, the method further comprises operating the at least one rotating device, which further comprises a diffuser region arranged downstream of at least one row of rotor blades, in such a way that a quantity of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium flow guided along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy transformations occurring as the fluid medium flow passes successively through the fixed vanes, the at least one row of rotor blades, and the diffuser region, thereby generating a flow of heated fluid medium. The diffuser region may be formed with or without fixed vanes.

[0021] In an embodiment, in the method, the amount of thermal energy added to the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device is controlled by adjusting the amount of input energy directed into the at least one rotating device incorporated in the steel production facility.

[0022] In an embodiment, the method further comprises arranging an additional heating device downstream of the at least one rotating device and introducing a reactive compound or a mixture of reactive compounds into the fluid medium stream propagating through the rotating device and / or through the additional heating device, whereby the amount of thermal energy is added to the fluid medium stream through an exothermic reaction. In an embodiment, the reactive compound or mixture of reactive compounds is introduced into the fluid medium stream preheated to a predetermined temperature. In an embodiment, the reactive compound or mixture of reactive compounds is introduced into the fluid medium stream preheated to a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 1700° C. In an embodiment, the preheating of the fluid medium to the predetermined temperature is performed in a rotating device.

[0023] In one embodiment, the method comprises generating a heated fluid medium by at least two rotating devices integrated into a steel production facility, the at least two rotating devices being connected in parallel or in series. In one embodiment, the method comprises generating a heated fluid medium by at least two rotating devices connected in series, the fluid medium stream being preheated to a predetermined temperature in at least a first rotating device in the series, and the fluid medium stream being further heated in at least a second rotating device in the series by inputting an additional amount of heat energy into the preheated fluid medium stream propagating through the second rotating device. In one embodiment, in the method, the fluid medium stream is preheated to a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 1700° C. in at least the first rotating device in the series. In one embodiment, in the method, the additional amount of heat energy is added to the fluid medium stream propagating through the at least second rotating device in turn by introducing the reactive compound or a mixture of reactive compounds into the stream. In one embodiment, the method includes introducing the reactive compound or mixture of reactive compounds into a process associated with the production of steel, such a process may be carried out, for example, in a furnace configured for making steel.

[0024] In one embodiment, the method further comprises the step of: generating a heated fluid medium produced by the at least one rotating device selected from the group consisting of a feed gas, a recycle gas, a make-up gas, and a process fluid; ...

[0025] In an embodiment, the method includes generating the heated fluid medium in the rotating device. In an embodiment, the method includes a fluid medium to be heated in the rotating device includes any one of air, steam (H2O), nitrogen (N2), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), or any combination thereof. Any other gases can be utilized, if appropriate. In an embodiment, the method includes a fluid medium to be heated in the rotating device is recycled gas recycled from off-gas, e.g. exhaust gas, generated from reacting steel precursor material, e.g. iron or iron ore, and carbon during a steel production process. In an embodiment, the precursor material thus includes carbon and iron. The precursor may be iron oxide, so that the method is effective for producing iron from iron oxide. The precursor may be coal, so that the method is effective for producing coke from coal.

[0026] In one embodiment, the method further comprises generating the heated fluid medium, e.g., gas, vapor, liquid, and mixtures thereof, and / or heated solid material, outside of the rotating device through a heat transfer process between the heated fluid medium generated within the rotating device and any one of the above-mentioned substances that bypasses the rotating device.

[0027] In an embodiment, the method further comprises supplying the heated fluid medium produced by or within the at least one rotating device into at least one heat consuming unit within the steel production facility, the heat consuming unit being provided as any one of: (i) a furnace, kiln or reactor configured to produce steel; (ii) a sintering / pelletizing plant configured to sinter iron ore into iron ore sinter / pellets; (iii) a coking plant configured to coke coal into coke; (iv) a post-processing unit configured to post-process steel products via any one of heat treatment, upgrading the steel product with a carbon source (carburizing), casting, and / or rolling; (v) a reactor or series of reactors configured for endothermic reactions in steel production, in particular for endothermic reactions of off-gases generated during steel production; or (vi) any combination thereof.

[0028] In an embodiment, the steelmaking process (i) involves the production of molten iron in a blast furnace, or the production of direct reduced iron (DRI) in a process unit such as a furnace, kiln, or reactor.

[0029] In an embodiment, the method further comprises supplying the heated fluid medium produced by or within the at least one rotating device into at least one heat consuming unit within the steel production facility, the heat consuming unit being provided as any one of a heater, a burner, an oven, an incinerator, a dryer, a conveyor device, or a combination thereof. In some forms, the method may further comprise supplying the heated fluid medium to a (pre)heater configured for (pre)heating a steelmaking ladle (a vessel used to transport and pour out molten metal).

[0030] In an embodiment, the method further comprises increasing a pressure in the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device.

[0031] In an embodiment, the method includes directing an amount of electrical energy as an energy input into the at least one rotating device incorporated in a steel production facility in a range of about 5 percent to 100 percent.

[0032] In an embodiment, in the method, the amount of electrical energy introduced as energy input into the at least one rotating device integrated in the steel production facility can be derived from a renewable energy source or from different energy sources, optionally a combination of renewable energy sources.

[0033] In an embodiment, in the method, the at least one rotating device is integrated into the steel production facility together with at least one heater device capable of operating with non-electrical energy, thereby being utilized to balance fluctuations, e.g. surpluses and shortages, in the amount of electrical energy (e.g. obtained through supply and / or production), optionally renewable electrical energy.

[0034] In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a steel production facility including at least one rotating device configured to generate a heated fluid medium and at least one heat consumption unit configured to perform a process related to steel production.

[0035] In one embodiment, the steel production facility comprises at least one rotating device configured to generate a heated fluid medium and at least one heat consuming unit configured to perform a process related to steel production, the at least one rotating device comprising a casing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one rotor blade row arranged around a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, and a plurality of stationary vanes arranged in an assembly at least upstream of the at least one rotor blade row, the at least one rotor blade row generating heat as the fluid medium flow passes through the stationary vanes and the at least one rotor blade row, respectively. The at least one rotating device is configured to operate such that a series of energy transformations resulting from the transformation impart an amount of thermal energy to a fluid medium flow guided along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet, thereby generating a heated fluid medium flow, and the at least one rotating device is configured to receive an amount of input energy including electrical energy and to generate a heated fluid medium for inputting thermal energy into at least one heat consuming unit, the heat consuming unit being configured to carry out a process related to steel production at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 500°C.

[0036] In one embodiment, the at least one heat consuming unit is a furnace configured for steel making and the at least one rotating device is connected to the furnace within the steel production facility. In one embodiment, the at least one heat consuming unit is a furnace configured for reacting steel precursor materials to produce steel and the at least one rotating device is connected to the furnace within the steel production facility.

[0037] In an embodiment, the at least one heat consuming unit provided in the steel production facility is any one of (i) a blast furnace in which molten iron is produced by reducing iron ore to iron, (ii) a sintering / pellet plant configured to sinter iron ore to iron ore sinter / pellets, (iii) a furnace, kiln or reactor configured to directly reduce iron ore to direct reduced iron (DRI), (iv) a coking plant configured to coke coal to coke, (v) a post-processing unit configured to post-process steel products via any one of heat treatment, carburizing, casting and / or rolling, (vi) a reactor or series of reactors configured for endothermic reactions in steel production, in particular for endothermic reactions of off-gases generated during steel production, or (vii) any combination thereof. In an embodiment, the at least one rotating device is connected and / or incorporated in any one of (i)-(vii).

[0038] In an embodiment, the at least one heat consuming unit is formed as any one of a heater, a burner, an oven, an incinerator, a dryer, a conveyor device, or a combination thereof, and the at least one rotating device is connected to any one of these heat consuming units or any combination thereof within the steel production facility.

[0039] In an embodiment, in the steel production facility, the at least one rotating device includes two or more rows of rotor blades arranged in succession along the rotor axis. In one embodiment, a fixed vane arranged in an assembly upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades is formed as a fixed guide vane. In one embodiment, the at least one rotating device further includes a diffuser area arranged downstream of the at least one row of rotor blades. The diffuser area may be formed with or without a fixed diffuser vane. In some configurations, a vaned diffuser may be realized as a plurality of fixed vanes arranged in an assembly downstream of the at least one row of rotor blades.

[0040] In one embodiment, the at least one rotating device disposed within the steel production facility is further configured to increase pressure in the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device.

[0041] In one embodiment, the at least one heat consuming unit configured to perform steel production is a furnace configured to react steel precursor materials to produce steel.

[0042] In some embodiments, at least one rotating device provided within the steel production facility is configured to achieve fluid flow between an inlet and an outlet along a flow path established based on any one of an essentially helical orbit formed within an essentially toroidal shaped casing, an essentially helical orbit formed within an essentially tubular casing, an essentially radial orbit, and a flow path established by a fluid medium flow in the form of two spirals wound up as side-to-side vortex rings.

[0043] In a further aspect, an assembly is provided, said assembly including at least two rotating devices according to any previous aspect, said rotating devices being connected in parallel or in series.

[0044] In a further aspect, an arrangement is provided and includes at least one rotating device according to any previous aspect, wherein the at least one rotating device is connected to at least one furnace.

[0045] In a further aspect, there is provided a steel production facility configured to perform a steel production process through a method according to any of the previously defined aspects and embodiments, and the steel production facility includes at least one rotating device according to any of the previous aspects.

[0046] The usefulness of the present invention arises for a variety of reasons depending on each particular embodiment of the invention.

[0047] Overall, the embodiments provide an electrified rotating fluid heater to provide hot fluids, e.g., gas, to be used in steel production in place of fuel-fired heaters. The presented method allows for input of thermal energy into furnaces used in steel production or steel precursor production that operate at high and very high temperatures, e.g., temperatures generally above 500° C. The present invention provides an apparatus and method for heating a fluid material to temperatures in the range of about 500° C. to about 2000° C., i.e., temperatures used in steel production.

[0048] The present invention provides a method for heat treating off-gases generated in the various steelmaking stages, which can according to an embodiment be further used for synthesis gas production in an endothermic reactor integrated into the steel production facility.

[0049] Steel production facilities typically employ utilities, e.g., fired heaters, that have a high demand for thermal energy and therefore heat consumption. The heat consumption utilities are used to heat fluids to the temperatures required for the steel production process. The invention presented herein allows for the use of rotating equipment instead of conventional heat consumption utilities, e.g., fuel fired heaters. The advantages associated with using rotating equipment instead of fired heaters in a method include at least: - Support electrified heating; - Greenhouse gases (e.g. NO, CO2, CO, NO X ), other harmful components derived from the fuel (e.g., HCl, H2S, SO2, and heavy metals), particulate emissions, and smoke emissions; - the heater volume is reduced, i.e. the volume of the rotating equipment is at least an order of magnitude smaller compared to conventional process heaters or heat exchangers; - Lower investment costs; - Improved safety when using flammable and hazardous fluids / gases; - The handling of large volumes of gas is feasible; - there is no pressure drop, - the possibility of using the rotary (heater) device also for gas compression (blower function); - No dependency on temperature differences for direct heating of gases. Temperature rises in rotating equipment can range from about 10 to 1700°C or more. - the possibility of using rotating devices for indirect heating of fluids, optionally by optimizing the temperature difference in the heat exchanger; - at least partial recycling of hot process gases is possible, thus improving and making heat recovery simpler and improving energy efficiency; It is possible to further increase the temperature of the gas to be heated by adding reactive chemicals which further increase the gas temperature by an exothermic reaction, for example to 2000°C or more; This includes:

[0050] In an embodiment, the rotating machine can be used in place of conventional fired heaters or process furnaces for direct or indirect heating in steel production. Traditionally, such heat is mainly produced through the combustion of fossil fuels, which leads to significant CO2 emissions. The use of wood or other bio-based materials instead of fossil fuels has significant resource limitations and other significant impacts on the environment, such as those related to sustainable land use. As renewable electricity becomes more cost-effective, i.e., with the rapid development of wind, piezoelectric and solar power generation, it is possible to use rotating machines powered by renewable electricity instead of fossil fuel combustion. This would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The rotating machine allows for the electric heating of fluids to temperatures of up to 1700°C or more. Such temperatures are difficult or impossible to reach using current electrical heating.

[0051] The rotary device can be used to directly heat process gas, inert gas, air, or any other gas, or indirectly heat process fluids (liquid, steam, gas, steam / liquid mixture, etc.). The heated fluid generated in the rotary device can be used to heat any one of gas, steam, liquid, and solid materials. In particular, the rotary device can be used to directly heat recycled gas recycled from the exhaust gas generated from the reaction of iron or iron ore with carbon during steel production. The rotary device can at least partially replace or be combined with many types of furnaces, heaters, kilns, gasifiers, and reactors that are traditionally burned or heated (e.g., as preheaters) with solid, liquid, or gaseous fossil fuels, and in some cases bio-based fuels, including furnaces used in steel production. The heated gases can be flammable, reactive, or inert, and can be recycled back to the rotary device. In addition to heating, the rotary device can act as a combined blower-heater, increasing pressure and allowing gas to be recycled.

[0052] The heated fluid, e.g., gas, can be used for various applications. The heated object can be a solid material, a liquid, or a gas. The gas further participates in numerous reactions or is used as a heating medium. Thus, the hot gas can be used to heat solid materials, such as in steel production facilities. Furthermore, the rotating device 100 is applied within steel production processes / facilities for providing heat and fluidization in fluidized bed applications. Some examples of fluidized bed applications include drying of solids, solid catalyst type reactors with gaseous reactants, iron ore reduction, and carburization.

[0053] This invention reduces greenhouse gas emissions (CO, CO2, NO x ) and reduced particle emissions. The use of rotating equipment can also further improve the energy efficiency of these processes by creating a closed or semi-closed heating loop for the process and reducing heat losses through the flue gas. In conventional heaters, flue gas can only be partially recycled.

[0054] In addition, the solution allows for improved optimization of the temperature difference in the heat exchanger during indirect heating.

[0055] The present invention further allows for flexible use of electrical energy, e.g., electrical energy obtained from renewable sources. The production of renewable energy varies from day to day and even hour to hour. The present invention allows for balancing of the renewable electrical production by integrating the rotating devices disclosed herein with conventional fuel-operated heaters to provide heat for the steel production process, and specifically, for example, for the hot mixture of iron and carbon.

[0056] The present invention further allows for reduced on-site capital costs compared to traditional fossil-fired furnaces.

[0057] The phrase "a number of" as used herein means any positive integer starting from 1, for example, 1, 2, or 3. The term "a plurality of" as used herein means any positive integer starting from 2, for example, 2, 3, or 4. The terms "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one element from another, without denoting any order or importance, unless otherwise expressly stated.

[0058] The term "gasification" is utilized herein to indicate that a substance is converted into a gaseous form by any possible means.

[0059] Various embodiments of the invention become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0060] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the layout of a high temperature heat consuming process facility generally designated 1000, provided as a steel manufacturing process facility configured to implement a method according to an embodiment. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary layout of a rotating device 100 within a steel production facility, according to an embodiment. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary layout of rotating device 100 within a steel production facility, according to an embodiment. [Figure 2C] FIG. 2C illustrates an exemplary layout of rotating device 100 within a steel production facility, according to an embodiment. [Figure 2D] FIG. 2D illustrates an exemplary layout of rotating device 100 within a steel production facility, according to an embodiment. [Figure 2E] FIG. 2E illustrates an exemplary layout of rotating device 100 within a steel production facility, according to an embodiment. [Figure 2F]FIG. 2F illustrates an exemplary layout of rotating device 100 within a steel production facility, according to an embodiment. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus and method according to an embodiment. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus and method according to an embodiment. [Figure 3C] FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus and method according to an embodiment. [Figure 3D] FIG. 3D is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus and method according to an embodiment. [Figure 3E] FIG. 3E is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus and method according to an embodiment. [Figure 3F] FIG. 3F is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus and method according to an embodiment. [Figure 3G] FIG. 3G is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus and method according to an embodiment. [Figure 3H] FIG. 3H is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus and method according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0061] Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0062] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the layout of a high temperature steel production process facility at 1000 configured to perform a method according to an embodiment. FIGS. 2A-2F and 3B-3H describe apparatus and methods according to an embodiment. FIG. 3A generally illustrates a process and associated equipment 3000 for producing steel, which may incorporate rotating equipment as described below. FIG. 3F illustrates a process and associated equipment 4000 according to an embodiment. The drawings and associated examples are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the applicability of the inventive concepts to the layouts explicitly shown in this disclosure. Block diagram sections shown with dashed lines are optional.

[0063] The heat consuming process equipment 1000, 3000, 4000 is equipment configured to perform a heat consuming industrial process 101 at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 500° C. The equipment 1000, 3000, 4000 may be represented by an industrial plant, factory, or any industrial system that includes equipment configured to perform the heat consuming industrial process described above. The heat consuming industrial process 101 may be represented by any one of the following: sintering or pelletizing of iron ore to produce sinter or pellets (see 317 in FIGS. 3A, 3C, 3F, Example 2); coking of coal to form coke (see 308 in FIG. 3B, Example 1); reduction of iron oxide to form iron using carbon coke (see 300 in FIG. 3D, Example 3) or hydrogen (see 504 in FIG. 3G, Example 6); oxygenation of molten iron to produce steel (see 328 in FIG. 3F), post-processing of steel (see 334 in FIG. 3E, Example 4); a reactor for carrying out high temperature catalytic reactions for hydrogen / syngas production (see 406 in FIG. 3F), or any combination thereof.

[0064] In an embodiment, the installation 1000, 3000, 4000 is configured to perform a heat consuming industrial process at a temperature in the range of 500-1700°C. In an embodiment, the installation 1000, 3000, 4000 is configured to perform a heat consuming industrial process that starts essentially at a temperature in the range of about 800-900°C or more. In an embodiment, the installation 1000, 3000, 4000 is configured to perform a heat consuming industrial process that starts essentially at a temperature in the range of about 1000°C or more. In an embodiment, the installation 1000, 3000, 4000 is configured to perform a heat consuming industrial process that starts essentially at a temperature in the range of about 1100-1200°C or more. In an embodiment, the installation is configured to perform a heat consuming industrial process at a temperature in the range of about 1200°C or more. In an embodiment, the installation is configured to perform a heat consuming industrial process at a temperature in the range of about 1300-1700°C or more. In embodiments, the facility is configured to perform a heat consuming industrial process at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than 1500°C. In embodiments, the facility is configured to perform a heat consuming industrial process at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than 1700°C. In some embodiments, the facility can be configured to perform an industrial process at a temperature greater than 1700°C, such as 2000°C or greater, such as a temperature in the range of about 1700°C to about 2500°C. The facility can be configured to perform an industrial process at 1700°C, 1800°C, about 1900°C, about 2000°C, about 2100°C, about 2200°C, about 2300°C, about 2400°C, about 2500°C, and any temperature value included between the aforementioned temperature points. It is noted that the facilities 1000, 3000, 4000 are not excluded from performing at least a portion of the industrial process at a temperature less than 500°C.

[0065] Unless otherwise stated, the further description makes use of the reference numbers shown in FIG. 1. The heat consuming processes and related operating units, called heat consuming process units / utilities, configured to carry out said heat consuming processes inside the facility 1000 are collectively indicated by reference number 101. The cement production facility 1000 comprises several operating units 101 configured to carry out the same or different heat consuming processes. In an embodiment, each operating unit 101 comprises or consists of at least one heat consuming device configured to carry out a heat consuming process. In an embodiment, the unit 101 is a furnace for steel making (see also reference numbers 300 in FIGS. 3A, 3D, 3F and reference number 504 in FIG. 3G). Steel production involves several high temperature processing steps. The high temperatures are typically reached by burning fuel gas or coal. Such operating steps include pre-heating gases before they enter a blast furnace, coke plant or sinter plant, reducing iron ore with a gas, e.g. hydrogen (this reaction is endothermic and requires heat to proceed) and post-processing semi-finished or finished steel products by casting and / or hot rolling. In post-processing, the steel is heated above its recrystallization temperature by burning natural gas or oil to generate heat. The semi-finished or finished steel products may include, for example, slabs, plates or sheets of steel.

[0066] The reduction of iron ore to iron is typically carried out in a furnace, e.g. a blast furnace, although it can also be achieved in a gas-solid process unit, e.g. a kiln or (fluidized bed) reactor. The latter is typically used for the production of so-called direct reduced iron (DRI) or sponge iron. In the above mentioned appliances, the iron oxide ore is reduced to iron through the removal of oxygen. The removal of oxygen from the iron oxide ore can be achieved by heating the iron oxide ore in a carbon monoxide / hydrogen rich atmosphere, through the introduction of carbon monoxide and hydrogen gases, or by adding a source of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, e.g. coal or coke.

[0067] In some embodiments, iron oxide ores are reduced to iron in a blast furnace with the aid of coke. The carbon in the coke is oxidized to CO and CO2. When coke is used as the reducing agent, the redox reaction is exothermic and the blast furnace can operate in an autothermal mode. In this case, no additional heat source is required to maintain the high reaction temperature. In modern furnaces, the temperature can be boosted higher and the reduction efficiency can be increased by feeding additional fuel, such as natural gas, into the furnace, since natural gas mainly contains methane, which acts as a reducing agent. Another means of increasing the efficiency is to pass the so-called hot blast. Hot blast is air that is heated to a temperature in the range of about 900°C to about 1300°C. This air boosts the temperature by directly burning the coke or coal.

[0068] Blast furnace gas is typically a mixture rich in nitrogen and carbon dioxide. This mixture is not flammable. The remainder consists of carbon monoxide, which has a fairly low calorific value, and hydrogen. Most of the CO2 emissions from steelmaking come from the heating of iron and coke in the blast furnace and are released in the form of furnace off-gas. There is a high interest in reducing CO2 emissions in the steel industry. One way to do this is to introduce additional renewable hydrogen into the off-gas stream and perform a reverse water-gas shift reaction (RWGS) to convert the CO2 and hydrogen to CO and water. The CO can be combined with the additional hydrogen, which produces a mixture of CO and H2 called synthesis gas (syngas). The synthesis gas can be used as a feedstock for methanol or as a feedstock for Fischer-Tropsch hydrocarbons, which have value as a feedstock for the chemical industry. The synthesis gas may be recycled in the system to serve as a reducing agent for iron oxide to iron.

[0069] One challenge with RWGS is that the reaction equilibrium is favorable for products only at temperatures above 1000°C. To heat the feed gas mixture to such temperatures, a fossil fuel-fired furnace is typically required. Fossil fuel-fired furnaces produce CO2 emissions and partially negate the benefits in applications such as blast furnace off-gas reforming to syngas. The rotary device of the present invention can be applied to bring the feed to reaction temperatures of about 1000-1200°C without additional CO2 emissions. Adding additional hydrogen into the reaction mixture helps reach the desired product composition because hydrogen pushes down the equilibrium CO2 concentration. While this may allow operation of the RWGS reactor at temperatures below 1000°C, it still requires temperatures above 650-700°C and leads to increased reactor size due to high hydrogen recycle amounts. Because the reaction requires a catalyst and is moderately endothermic, product temperatures are lower than the feed temperatures and additional rotary device / catalyst cycles or product recycles may be required to reach the desired reaction equilibrium.

[0070] An alternative to RWGS is dry reforming, where methane reacts with CO2 in blast furnace off-gas to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide (CO). The same high-temperature, catalytic, and endothermic reaction scheme applies to dry reforming as well, but methane as a feedstock is easier to access than green hydrogen. The resulting syngas has a higher CO / H2 ratio than RWGS, which may limit its applications.

[0071] Another way to mitigate CO2 emissions is to use hydrogen as a reducing agent instead of coal. Unlike coke reduction, hydrogen reduction is an endothermic reaction and requires additional heat input to maintain the reaction temperature. Such additional heat input typically comes from excess hydrogen burned in the blast furnace. The application of a rotary device in iron ore reduction with hydrogen provides this additional heat by heating the hydrogen to a temperature above the reaction temperature and recycling the gaseous reaction products, mainly water and unreacted hydrogen, partially back to the reduction operation for optimal heat recovery. In direct iron reduction (DRI) applications using hydrogen as the reducing agent, the hydrogen gas heated in the rotary device can be used in a gas-solid process unit, e.g. a kiln or a (circulating) fluidized bed type reactor. Here, the solid iron ore is contacted with the hot hydrogen gas. Additionally or alternatively, the solid iron ore feedstock can also be indirectly (pre)heated, e.g. in a fluidized bed system, by using air or other gases heated in the rotary device as a heat transfer medium. (See Example 7)

[0072] A further application of rotating equipment in the steel industry is hot rolling, where the rotating equipment recycles hot air or nitrogen around the steel sheets, bringing them above their recrystallization temperature. Recycling the hot air or nitrogen improves energy efficiency.

[0073] Steel production has high thermal energy demand and consumption, and conventional solutions (i.e., outside the scope of the heat integration scheme 1000 presented here) generate significant industrial emissions to the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide. The present disclosure provides methods and apparatus for inputting thermal energy into steel production 101, which has a high thermal energy demand, thereby significantly improving the energy efficiency of the process and / or reducing the amount of air pollutants emitted to the atmosphere, or both. Layout 1000 (FIG. 1) shows these improved equipment and methods in a schematic manner.

[0074] In an embodiment, the method includes producing a heated fluid medium, e.g., air or oxygen or fuel-enriched air, by a rotary heater unit 100 that includes or consists of at least one rotating device (hereinafter, device 100). For clarity, the rotary heater unit is designated in this disclosure by the same reference number 100 as the rotating device. The rotary heater unit is preferably integrated into a process facility 1000. In an embodiment, the heated fluid medium is produced by at least one rotating device, although in some embodiments, multiple rotating devices may be used in parallel or series.

[0075] The rotating machines 100 can be provided as stand-alone machines or as several machines arranged in series (series) or in parallel. One or more machines may be connected to a common heat consuming unit 101. The connection may be direct or through several heat exchangers.

[0076] The heat consuming unit 101 is provided as one or more furnaces or other utilities configured to carry out a process related to the production of steel. In some other configurations, the thermal energy of the fluid, e.g., gas, heated in 100 is used to carry out an endothermic reaction in the unit 101 (see description of FIG. 3F). In such cases, the fluid heated in 100 at least partially forms the process fluid of 101. In some other configurations, the fluid heated in 100 transfers its thermal energy to a process fluid used in the heat consuming unit / process 101, thereby indirectly providing the heat of reaction to said process. In the case of indirect heating, the fluid heated in 100 may be the same or different from the process fluid used in the heat consuming unit / process 101. Typically, however, it is different. For the purposes of the present invention, the terms "process fluid", "process fluid", or "process fluid stream" are used to denote any one of a gas, liquid, vapor, solid including pelletized, granular, or powdered material, or a combination thereof. In the configuration with indirect heating, the thermal energy added into the fluid in the rotating equipment 100 is transferred to the heat consuming unit / process 101 through the use of a so-called "heat exchanger" type configuration, which in this context is represented by any existing fired heater, reactor or furnace, or any conventional heat exchanger device. All these devices are considered as heat consuming units 101. In a further configuration, the fluid, e.g. gas, heated in the rotating equipment 100 does not necessarily transfer its thermal energy to the heat consuming unit 101, but the heat may be used to perform an endothermic reaction inside the same or a subsequent rotating equipment unit 100 (not shown).

[0077] The heat consuming unit / utility 101 for steel production is typically one or more furnaces. In some configurations, several devices can be connected to several heat consuming units. Different configurations, for example n+x rotating devices may be connected to n units (for example furnaces), where n is equal to or greater than zero and x is equal to or greater than 1. Thus, in some configurations, the installation 1000, and specifically the rotary heater unit 100, may include one, two, three or four parallel rotating devices 100 connected to a common heat consuming unit, for example a furnace. A number of rotating devices greater than four is not excluded. In the case of parallel connection of several rotating devices to a common heat consuming unit, one or more of said devices 100 may have different types of driving engines, for example an electric motor driven reactor can be combined with a reactor driven by a steam turbine, a gas turbine and / or a gas engine.

[0078] In an embodiment, the amount of input energy E1 is directed into at least one rotating device 100 incorporated as a (rotary) heater unit into the heat-consuming process facility 1000. The input energy E1 preferably comprises electrical energy. In some embodiments, the amount of electrical energy directed as input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated into the heat-consuming process facility is provided in the range of about 5 to about 100 percent, preferably in the range of about 50 to about 100 percent. Thus, the amount of electrical energy directed as input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated into the heat-consuming process facility may account for any one of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, and 100 percent (from the total input energy), or any intermediate value included between the above points.

[0079] Electrical energy can be supplied from external or internal sources. In practice, the electrical input energy E1 supplied into the device can be defined in terms of power, the latter being defined as the rate of energy transfer (measured in watts) per unit time.

[0080] Details of some embodiments of the present invention implemented in the facility layout of Figure 1 are described along the lines below: With reference to Figure 1, the following reference numbers are used for elements: Streams: 1. Feed fluid, 2. Preheated feed or feed mixture, 3. Feed heated by the rotating device 100, 4. Feed fluid further heated in an additional (booster) heater unit designed to raise / boost the temperature, for example through an (exothermic) chemical reaction, 5. Hot fluid medium leaving the heat consuming process 101, 6. Fluid medium led to the purification section, 7. Product stream and / or waste gas, 8. Reactive compound or mixture of compounds, for example reactive chemicals, or support fuel used to increase the temperature of the fluid / gas in the additional heater unit 103, 9. Process stream (solid, liquid, gas, steam, or mixture thereof) to be heated by the hot fluid medium during the heat consuming process 101 (indirect heater application), 10. Heated process stream (solid, liquid, gas, steam, or mixture thereof) sent for further processing and / or storage (indirect heater application), 11. Recycle stream leaving the purification section, 12. Feed stream to the heat recovery section, 13. Hot fluid stream from the heat recovery section. Divisions (units): 100. Rotary heater unit (rotating device), 101. Heat consuming operation (process) unit (furnace), 102. Preheater unit, 103. Additional heating device (booster heater unit), 104. Heat recovery unit, 105. Purification unit.

[0081] The rotating device 100 is configured to receive a feed stream 1, hereafter feed 1. Generally, feed 1 can include or consist of any suitable fluid, such as a liquid or gas, or a combination thereof, provided as a pure component or a mixture of components. The feed can be raw gas, process gas, make-up gas (so-called replacement / supplement gas, and the like). The gaseous feed can comprise inert gas (air, nitrogen gas, and the like), or reactive gas (e.g. oxygen), flammable gas, e.g. hydrocarbon, or any other gas, such as hydrogen and ammonia. The feed is selected depending on the process, i.e. the nature of the heat consuming process 101 (and indeed the specific industry / industry field to which the heat consuming process 101 belongs) implies specific requirements and / or limitations on the choice of feed material. Thus, in the production of steel, feed 1 is typically air, or a combination of air and additional oxygen, or a combustion fuel. In the coking of coal to form coke, feed 1 is typically an oxygen-free gas, e.g. preheated carbon dioxide, or an inert gas. Additionally or alternatively, feed 1 may comprise any one of (water) steam, nitrogen (N2), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and methane (CH4).

[0082] Feed 1 preferably enters the apparatus 100 in essentially gaseous form. Preheating of the feed or conversion of liquid and essentially liquid feeds into gaseous form can be carried out in an optional preheater unit 102. The preheater unit is formed as a (pre)heater device or group of devices. In the preheater unit 102, the feed stream initially provided in gaseous form (e.g. process gas) can be further heated (e.g. superheated). In the preheater unit 102, feed 1 can be evaporated if it is not already in gaseous form and, optionally, superheated.

[0083] The preheater unit 102 may be any conventional device / system configured to provide heat to a fluid material. In some forms, the preheater unit 102 may be a fired heater (i.e., a direct fired heat exchanger that uses hot combustion gases (flue gases) to increase the temperature of a fluid feed, e.g., a process fluid, flowing through coils disposed within the heater). Additionally or alternatively, the preheater unit 102 may be configured to utilize energy made available by other units in the heat consuming facility (e.g., by extracting thermal energy from the hot stream 13 arriving from a heat recovery section). The preheater unit 102 may thus be configured to utilize other steam streams, as well as electrical and / or waste heat streams (not shown).

[0084] In this embodiment, which is steel production, depending on the heat consuming process and associated equipment, the feed stream 1 used to produce a heated fluid medium, such as air, by the rotary heater unit (apparatus 100) may include unused feed (fresh feed) and / or recycle streams. Thus, feed 1 can consist of any one of fresh feed, recycle (fluid) streams, and mixtures thereof. Stream 2, representing the preheated feed, may include, in addition to feed 1, all recycle streams, such as those arriving from the purification section 105 and / or the heat recovery section 104.

[0085] The temperature is increased to a level required or to a maximum level achieved by the rotating device. If the temperature increase achieved by the rotating device 100 is not sufficient for the heat consuming process and / or if, for example, the temperature of the fluid needs to be increased again after the fluid has transferred its heat to the heat consuming process, the temperature can be further increased downstream of the rotating heater unit 100 (100A) by additional heater units (100B, 103), further called "booster" heaters. See the explanation for FIG. 2B. Each additional heater unit comprises or consists of an additional heating device realized according to:

[0086] In a heat consuming process, such as steel production as described herein, the primary sources of heat consumption are heating of the working fluid and / or associated equipment, and endothermic reactions (reactions that require external energy to proceed). In some applications, heat can be recovered from the heat consuming process 101. The heat recovery section is shown in FIG. 1 at 104. The recovered heat can be further used to heat the feed stream 1 and / or the recycle stream (a separate recycle stream is shown in FIG. 1 at 11).

[0087] Heat recovery may be provided through collecting gases exiting the process unit 101 and recycling these gases to the preheater unit 102 and / or the rotary device 100. The heat recovery unit 104 may be represented by at least one heat exchange unit (not shown). Heat exchangers based on any suitable technology may be utilized. Heat recovery may be optional in heating the feed gas if the heat is consumed elsewhere or if it is not possible to recover the heat for safety or other reasons.

[0088] In the facility layout 1000, the heat recovery unit 104 can be located before and / or after the preheater 102. In the latter configuration, the heat recovery unit 104 is arranged to recover heat from the hot fluid medium (stream 5) flowing from the steel production process 101. This heat may be further utilized to heat the feed stream 1 and the recycle stream 11. On the other hand, if the heat recovery unit 104 is located before the preheater 102, the feed 1 is first directed to the unit 104 (as stream 12) and then returned to the preheating section 102 as stream 13. In such a case, the unit 104 acts as a first preheater.

[0089] In some cases the gases require purification, e.g. from dust and particulates, before being led to the heat recovery section. Purification can be achieved, e.g., by a series of filters arranged before the heat recovery section 104 (not shown). Additionally or alternatively, the gases leaving the process unit 101 may be led to a purification unit 105 (bypassing the heat recovery section 104) and returned to the heat recovery section after purification (not shown).

[0090] In addition to value products, the process gas may also contain unwanted impurities and by-products. Impurities and by-products may accumulate in the heater devices 100, 103 and / or be harmful to the process unit 101, causing corrosion and poisoning the catalyst bed. Purification and separation of the stream discharged from the heat consuming process 101 is performed in the purification unit 105. The unit 105 may include several appliances, such as filters, cyclones, etc., configured to mechanically remove dust and solid particles. Any conventional purification / separation method and device may be utilized. Exemplary purification / separation methods include cryogenic separation, membrane processing, pressure swing adsorption (PSA), distillation, absorption, and any combination of these methods. The unit 105 may include devices configured to increase the gas pressure, for example by compression. Typically, the purification unit 105 operates at a lower temperature than the process unit 101. Therefore, the product gas stream is cooled (for example in the heat recovery section 104) before entering the purification unit. It is also important to control the composition of the recycle gas 11 in order to minimize the extent of reactor bed fouling at 101 .

[0091] The purification unit 105 can be further configured to purify the flue gas, e.g., carbon dioxide, for further carbon capture. The flue gas discharged from the cement production facility as stream 7 (FIG. 1) can be further directed to a carbon capture section (not shown). Suitable flue gas purification methods include, for example, PSA, distillation, absorption, etc.

[0092] The heated fluid medium required to carry out the heat consuming process 101 is generated by at least one rotating device 100 .

[0093] In one embodiment, the heated fluid medium is generated in the rotating device 100. Here, a quantity of thermal energy is added directly into the fluid medium propagated through said device. In such a case, the heated fluid medium generated in the rotating device may for example be a process gas, for example a hydrocarbon-containing gas (for example methane) (see FIG. 1, streams 1-4, in particular stream 2), whereas the hot fluid medium 5 leaving the heat consumption unit 101 may be a product-containing stream. In the case of direct heating, streams 1-5 are associated with working or process fluids. Direct heating of process fluids is described in more detail in connection with FIG. 3F.

[0094] The heated fluid medium generated in the rotating device can further be used as a carrier to transfer heat energy to the heat consuming process 100. The carrier is configured to perform or mediate the heat consuming process (101) related to the production of steel. For example, an inert gas, such as air, nitrogen, or steam (H2O), can be heated in the rotating device 100 and further used to transport heat generated by the rotating device to a furnace configured to perform the process 101 related to the production of steel. In this regard, the generation of the heated medium (e.g., a fluid or solid stream utilized by the process 101) can be performed outside the rotating device through a heat transfer process between the heated fluid medium generated in the rotating device and an appropriate medium utilized by the process 101 and thus bypassing the rotating device. FIG. 1 thus shows stream 9 (process stream) bypassing the rotary device 100 and meaning in this context the feed / process stream (e.g. iron ore sinter, coke, and / or limestone), whereas streams 1-4 arriving at the process unit 101 via the rotary heater 100 mean the fluid medium (e.g. air, nitrogen, steam or other inert heating medium) led to the process unit 101 to heat the "cold" process stream 9. Inert hot gas is preferably used as the heating medium in indirect heating applications when the process stream to be heated is at high temperature or under vacuum. Stream 10 respectively represents the "hot" process / product stream. In case the unit 101 is a blast furnace for producing steel (as described in relation to FIG. 3D), stream 10 represents the molten product containing stream (molten metallic iron shown in FIG. 3D in relation to reference 324), whereas stream 5 represents the inert fluid medium stream (same as 1-4) leaving the unit / process 101. In indirect heating, streams 9 and 10 refer to the working or process fluids, whereas streams 1-5 represent the heat transfer media. Thus, in indirect heating, unit 101 acts as a "heat exchanger" type device, which allows the transfer of thermal energy between two fluids flowing through the device, without direct contact between said fluids.

[0095] According to an embodiment, a rotating machine 100 configured to generate a heated fluid medium to be fed into a steel production facility includes a rotor including a plurality of rotor blades arranged in at least one row around a rotor hub or rotor disk mounted on a rotor shaft, and a casing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, the rotor being enclosed inside the casing. In the machine 100, a quantity of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium flow guided along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy transformations that occur when the fluid medium flow propagates between the inlet and the outlet inside the casing of the rotating machine and passes through the at least one row of rotor blades, thereby generating a heated fluid medium flow.

[0096] The embodiment of the rotary device 100 generally follows the disclosures of rotary reactor devices according to U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,937 (Bushuev), U.S. Pat. No. 9,494,038 (Bushuev), and U.S. Pat. No. 9,234,140 (Seppala et al.), and radial reactor devices according to U.S. Pat. No. 10,744,480 (Xu and Rosic), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Any other embodiment that can be configured to employ the method according to the embodiment may also be utilized.

[0097] In the above referenced patents, rotating turbomachinery type devices are designed as reactors for processing hydrocarbons, specifically for steam cracking. The general requirements for these applications are rapid heating of the gases, high temperatures, short residence times, and plug flow (a flow model that does not imply axial mixing). These requirements lead to designs in which the turbomachinery type reactors have several heating stages housed in a relatively small volume.

[0098] The present disclosure can be used as a heater to electrify rotating equipment (including but not limited to those referenced above) and generate a heated fluid medium that is further fed into a heat consuming process 101, such as a process related to the production of steel. The incorporation of a rotating equipment heater unit into a heat consuming process can significantly reduce greenhouse gas and particulate emissions. As an example, the rotating equipment can replace fuel-fired heaters in a variety of applications. The temperature range can be extended from about 1000°C (generally achievable with the reactor equipment referenced above) to at least about 1700°C and even up to 2500°C. Rotating equipment configurations that can achieve these high temperatures are possible due to the absence of aerodynamic hurdles.

[0099] The rotating device 100, which is adapted according to the embodiment to be installed in a steel production facility and adapted to generate a heated fluid medium for the method according to the embodiment, thus comprises a rotor shaft positioned along a horizontal (longitudinal) axis with at least one rotor unit mounted on the rotor shaft. The rotor unit comprises a plurality of rotor (working) blades arranged around a rotor hub or rotor disk. Together, the rotor blades form a rotor blade cascade. The rotating device 100 thus comprises a plurality of rotor (working) blades arranged in at least one row around a rotor hub or rotor disk mounted on a rotor shaft, which rotor blades form an essentially annular rotor blade assembly or rotor blade cascade.

[0100] In an embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a plurality of stationary vanes arranged in an assembly at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades, in which the rotating apparatus is operated such that a quantity of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium flow channeled along a flow path formed within the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy conversions occurring as the fluid medium flow passes through the stationary vanes and the at least one row of rotor blades, respectively, thereby generating a heated fluid medium flow.

[0101] In some embodiments, the stationary vanes may be arranged in a stationary vane cascade (stator). The stationary vane cascade may be provided in an essentially annular assembly upstream of at least one row of rotor blades. The stationary vanes arranged in the assembly upstream of at least one row of rotor blades may be provided as stationary guide vanes, e.g., inlet guide vanes (IGVs), and may be configured with a profile, size, and arrangement about a central axis to direct fluid flow into the rotor in a predetermined direction, e.g., to control, and in some cases maximize, the inherent work input capability of the rotor.

[0102] The rotating machine is formed with two or more essentially annular rotor blade rows (rotor blade cascades) arranged consecutively on / along the rotor shaft. In such a case, the fixed guide vanes may be provided upstream of the first rotor blade row, upstream of each rotor blade row in turn, or upstream of any selected rotor blade row in the consecutive arrangement of rotor blade rows.

[0103] In an embodiment, the rotary device 100 further comprises a diffuser region arranged downstream of at least one rotor blade row (rotor blade cascade). In this embodiment, the rotary device is operated such that a quantity of thermal energy is imparted to the fluid medium flow guided along a flow passage formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy transformations occurring as the fluid medium flow passes successively through the stationary guide vanes, the at least one rotor blade row, and the diffuser region, thereby generating a heated fluid medium flow. The diffuser region can be formed with or without stationary diffuser vanes. In some embodiments, a vaned or vaneless diffuser is arranged in the diffuser region downstream of at least one rotor blade cascade. In some embodiments, the diffuser can be realized as a plurality of stationary (stator) vanes. These stationary vanes are arranged to form a diffuser vane cascade, which is provided as an essentially annular assembly downstream of the rotor.

[0104] The rotor, stationary guide vanes, and diffuser region are enclosed within an internal passage (duct) formed within the casing.

[0105] In some configurations, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,744,480 (Xu and Rosic), the provision of a diffuser may be omitted and the diffuser area may be formed by an essentially vane-free portion of the duct (the so-called vaneless space) located downstream of the rotor and configured with respect to its geometry and / or dimensional parameters to diffuse the high velocity fluid flow arriving from the rotor.

[0106] The provision of a vaneless section of the duct is common to all the configurations of the rotating device 100. Depending on the configuration, the vaneless section (vaneless space) is located downstream of the rotor blades (see U.S. Pat. No. 10,744,480 to Xu and Rosic) or downstream of the diffuser vane cascade (see U.S. Pat. No. 9,494,038 to Bushuev and U.S. Pat. No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al.). In some configurations, such as those described by Seppala et al., the rotating and fixed blade rows in the internal passage inside the casing are arranged such that a vaneless section is formed between the outlet from the fixed diffuser vanes located downstream of the rotor blades and the inlet to the fixed guide blades located upstream of the rotor blades of the following rotor blade cascade unit.

[0107] The terms "upstream" and "downstream" as used herein refer to the spatial and / or functional location of a given part or component, here a structural part or component relative to the rotor, in the direction of fluid flow (from inlet to outlet) through the entire device.

[0108] Overall, a rotor with a working blade cascade may be positioned between rows of fixed (stator) vanes arranged in an essentially annular assembly (called a cascade) on one or both sides of the working blade row. Configurations including two or more rows of rotor blades / rotor blade cascades arranged consecutively (sequentially) on / along the rotor shaft are conceivable, with or without fixed blades between them. If there are no fixed vanes between the rows of rotor blades, the velocity of the fluid medium propagating through the duct increases in each subsequent row. In such a case, a number of stationary vanes may be arranged in said sequence upstream of the first rotor blade cascade (as fixed guide vanes) and downstream of the last rotor blade cascade (as fixed diffuser vanes).

[0109] The rotor blade rows (rotor blade cascade) confined around the rotor and the part of the duct downstream of said rotor blades can be considered as a minimum process stage (hereafter stage) shaped to mediate a complete energy conversion cycle. Thus, the amount of kinetic energy added to the fluid medium flow by at least one rotating blade row is sufficient to raise the temperature of the fluid medium to a predetermined value when said fluid medium flow leaves the rotor blades and propagates in the duct towards the following rotor blade row or enters the same rotor blade row following an essentially helical trajectory formed inside the essentially toroidal shaped casing. The duct (confining the rotor circumference) is preferably shaped in such a way that as the fluid flow propagates in the duct, it slows down, dissipates kinetic energy into the internal energy of the fluid medium, and adds an amount of thermal energy to the fluid medium flow.

[0110] A fixed guide blade row, located upstream of at least one rotor blade row, provides the required flow conditions at the entry of the rotating blade rows (cascade) during the energy conversion cycle.

[0111] In some configurations, the process stage is established by an assembly consisting of a fixed guide vane (upstream of the rotor blades), a row of rotor blades and a diffuser area arranged downstream of said rotor blades. The diffuser area is optionally provided as an essentially vane-free part of the tact provided with the diffuser vanes. During the energy conversion cycle enabled by the successive controlled propagation of the fluid medium flow through the fixed guide vanes, at least one row of rotor blades and the diffuser area, respectively, the mechanical energy of the rotor shaft is converted into kinetic energy and then into the internal energy of the fluid, which subsequently increases the fluid temperature. The amount of kinetic energy imparted to the fluid medium flow by the rotating blade row is sufficient to raise the temperature of the fluid medium to a predetermined value when said fluid medium flow leaves the rotor blades and passes through the diffuser area in a duct, the fluid decelerates, dissipates the kinetic energy into the internal energy of the fluid medium and an amount of thermal energy is added to the fluid medium flow. Within the rotor blade rows, the flow accelerates and the mechanical energy of the shaft and the rotating blades is transferred to the fluid flow. In at least a portion of each rotor blade row, the flow can reach supersonic flow conditions. In the diffuser region, the high-speed fluid flow arriving from the rotor is diffused with a significant entropy increase. This causes the flow to dissipate kinetic energy into the internal energy of the fluid material, which in turn provides thermal energy to the fluid. If the flow upstream of the diffuser is supersonic, the kinetic energy of the fluid flow is converted into the internal energy of the fluid through a system of multiple shocks and viscous mixing and dissipation. The increase in the internal energy of the fluid results in an increase in the fluid temperature. The energy conversion function can be performed, for example, by a vaneless section of a duct located downstream of the rotor blades (see U.S. Pat. No. 10,744,480 to Xu and Rosic) and / or by a diffuser vane assembly (see U.S. Pat. No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al.).

[0112] The rotating machine 100 can be formed as a multi-stage or single stage solution. A multi-stage configuration can be considered to include several rotor units (e.g. 1-5 rotor blade rows arranged consecutively on / along the rotor shaft) alternating with a common diffuser area (vaned or vaned).

[0113] In an exemplary embodiment outlined in US Pat. No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al., the rotating device 100 can be realized substantially in the shape of a ring torus, where the cross section of the duct in the meridian plane forms a ring-like profile. The device includes a rotor unit arranged between stationary guide vanes (nozzle vanes) and stationary diverging vanes. Stages are formed with rows of stationary nozzle vanes, rotor blades, and diverging vanes. Through these the fluid flow propagates successively according to a flow path established on the basis of an essentially helical trajectory. In this embodiment, the fluid flow circulates through the rotating rotor blade cascade several times, propagating between an inlet and an outlet inside the device. A similar ring-shaped embodiment is described in US Pat. No. 9,494,038 to Bushuev.

[0114] In another exemplary configuration, as outlined in U.S. Patent No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al., the rotating machine 100 may be configured as an essentially tubular, axial-type turbomachine. In such a configuration, the machine includes an elongated (elongated) rotor hub along which a plurality of rotor blades are arranged in several successive rows. The rotor is enclosed within a casing, the inner surface of which includes stationary (stator) vanes and diffuser vanes. The stationary and diffuser vanes are positioned longitudinally (from inlet to outlet along the length of the rotor shaft) along the rotor hub, alternating with the blades / vanes of the stator, rotor cascade, and diffuser cascade. The blades of the rotor cascade at a particular location longitudinally along the rotor form a stage together with adjacent pairs of stationary guide (nozzle) vanes and diffuser vanes, respectively.

[0115] In the described configuration, subsequent stages have blade / vane-free spaces between them.

[0116] In yet another exemplary configuration outlined in U.S. Pat. No. 10,744,480 to Xu and Rosic, the rotary machine 100 may be configured as a radial turbomachine. Radial turbomachines generally follow the design for centrifugal compressors or centrifugal pumps. The term "centrifugal" implies that the fluid flow inside the machine is radial, and thus the machine may be referred to as a "radial flow machine" in this disclosure. The machine includes several rotor units mounted on an elongated shaft. Each rotor unit is preceded by a fixed guide vane. A vaneless section of duct (e.g., a U-bend or S-bend) shaped in a manner that allows for energy conversion is disposed after the rotor units. Additionally, the configuration may include a separate diffuser device (vaned or vaneless) disposed downstream of the rotor.

[0117] In all the above forms, the rotating device 100 functions in the same way in the method disclosed herein. During operation, an amount of input energy directed into at least one rotating device incorporated in a heat consuming process installation is converted into mechanical energy of the rotor. Conditions in the rotating device are adjusted to create flow conditions. In this flow condition, the amount of kinetic energy imparted to the fluid medium flow by the rotating blades of the rotor is sufficient to raise the temperature of the fluid medium to a predetermined value when said fluid medium flow leaves at least one rotor blade row and enters a subsequent or the same rotor blade row by passing through a duct and / or a diffuser region. The rotor blade row may be preceded by a fixed guide vane. Conditions that can be adjusted therefore include at least adjusting the fluid medium flow propagating between an inlet and an outlet inside the casing of the rotating device. Adjusting the flow may include adjusting an operation-related parameter of such device, such as temperature, mass flow rate, pressure, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the flow conditions can be adjusted by changing the shape of a duct formed inside the casing.

[0118] In some exemplary configurations, the rotating device can be configured to achieve fluid flow between the inlet and the outlet along a flow path established based on any one of an essentially helical orbit formed inside an essentially toroidal shaped casing as discussed in either one of U.S. Patent No. 9,494,038 to Bushuev and U.S. Patent No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al., an essentially helical orbit formed inside an essentially tubular casing as discussed in U.S. Patent No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al., an essentially radial orbit as discussed in U.S. Patent No. 10,744,480 to Xu and Rosic, and a flow path established by a fluid medium flow in the form of two spirals rolled up as side-to-side vortex rings as discussed in U.S. Patent No. 7,232,937 to Bushuev. The aerodynamic design of the rotating device can be varied.

[0119] The rotating devices utilize a drive engine. In a preferred embodiment, the devices utilize electrical energy as input energy, and thus the devices are electric motor driven. For the purposes of this disclosure, any suitable type of electric motor (i.e., a device capable of transferring energy from a power source to a mechanical load) can be utilized. Suitable couplings disposed between the motor drive shaft and the rotor shaft, as well as various appliances, such as power converters, controllers, and the like, are not described herein. Additionally, the devices can be directly driven, for example, by a gas or steam turbine, or any other suitable drive device. In a layout involving the parallel connection of several rotating devices 100 to a common heat consuming unit 101, such as a furnace, one or more of the devices may utilize different types of drive engines, for example, electric motor driven devices can be combined with devices driven by steam turbines, gas turbines, and / or gas engines.

[0120] Electric power (defined as the rate of energy transfer per unit time) can be provided into the rotating equipment through the supply of electrical current to an electric motor used to drive the rotating shaft of the equipment. The supply of electrical power into the rotating equipment can be achieved from an external source (relative to the rotating heater unit / apparatus 100 and / or the heat consuming process equipment 1000). Additionally or alternatively, electrical energy can be produced within the equipment 1000.

[0121] The external source includes various support facilities provided for sustainable energy production. Thus, the power can be provided from a power generation system utilizing at least one renewable energy source, or a combination of power generation systems utilizing different renewable energy sources. The external source of renewable energy can be provided as solar power, wind power, and / or hydroelectric power. Thus, power can be received into the process from at least one of the following units: a solar power generation system, a wind power generation system, and a hydroelectric power generation system. In some exemplary examples, a nuclear power plant can be provided as an external power source. Nuclear power plants are generally considered to be emission-free. "Nuclear power plant" should be interpreted as using traditional nuclear power, and additionally or instead of nuclear fusion power.

[0122] Electricity can be provided from a power plant that utilizes a turbine as a kinetic energy source to drive a generator. In some cases, the power for driving at least one device 100 can be provided from at least one gas turbine (GT), for example provided as a separate unit or within a cogeneration unit and / or within a combined cycle power plant. The power can thus be provided from at least one of the following units: a combined cycle gas turbine plant (CCGT), and / or a cogeneration unit configured for electricity production combined with heat recovery and utilization through combined heat and power (CHP). In some examples, the CHP plant can be a biomass combustion plant to increase the share of renewable energy in the described process. Additionally or alternatively, the supply of power can be realized from a spark ignition engine, for example a gas engine, and / or a compression engine, for example a diesel engine, optionally provided as part of an engine power plant. Additionally, any conventional power plant configured to produce electrical energy from fossil feedstocks such as coal, oil, natural gas, gasoline, and the like, typically mediated through the use of steam turbines, may be used to generate electrical energy as an input energy for the rotating machine 100. Hydrogen may also be utilized as a renewable energy source and reconverted, for example, to electricity using fuel cells.

[0123] Any combination of the above power sources implemented as external and internal sources is contemplated. Capturing low emission power from another (external) source improves the energy efficiency of heat consuming process equipment.

[0124] The introduction of input energy, including electrical power, into the driving engine of the rotating equipment may be further accompanied by directing mechanical shaft power from a power turbine to the driving engine, optionally utilizing thermal energy generated elsewhere in the plant 1000 or external to the plant. Shaft power is defined as the mechanical power transferred from one rotating element to another, calculated as the sum of the shaft torque and the rotational speed. Mechanical power is defined as the amount of work or energy (measured in watts) per unit time.

[0125] In practice, the shaft power from, for example, the electric motor and the power turbine may be split so that either one of them may provide the total shaft power or a portion thereof.

[0126] 2A-2D show an exemplary layout of a rotating device 100 forming a rotary heater unit inside a facility 1000 with respect to a preheater unit 102, a temperature booster section 103 and a heat recovery unit 104. The following reference symbols are used for the components: 100, 100A, 100B - rotary heater unit (rotating device), 101 - heat consuming unit / process, 102 - preheater unit, 103 - additional heating device (booster heater).

[0127] FIG. 2A shows a schematic representation of a basic embodiment of a rotating device 100 configured to inject heat into a fluid medium stream (feed stream 1) conducted through the rotating device. The heated streams leaving the device 100 are respectively indicated with the reference number 2. In the basic embodiment, the rotor system of the rotating device 100 is aerodynamically configured so that a volume of fluid is heated to a predetermined temperature while propagating along a flow path formed between an inlet and an outlet in the casing of the device 100 (so-called "one-pass" embodiment). The device 100 allows a temperature increase (delta T, ΔT) in one stage in the range of about 10° C. to about 120° C., in some embodiments up to about 500° C. Thus, in the case of multi-stage embodiments, the fluid can be heated up to 1000° C. in a "one-pass" implementation (a temperature increase of 100° C. per stage in the case of a 10-stage device). Since the residence time that the fluid medium spends passing through the device stages is on the order of a few seconds, for example on the order of about 0.01 to 1.0 milliseconds, already in the basic form a fast and efficient heating can be achieved. The temperature increase can be optimized as needed.

[0128] 2B illustrates the basic concept involved in so-called booster heating, which is any method of heating a fluid medium, e.g., a process gas, beyond the capabilities of a stand-alone heating device 100.

[0129] The temperature boost can be considered thermal, chemical or both. In the first configuration, also called "thermal boost", an additional rotary heater device (shown as 100B in Figs. 2B, 2C and 2D) is placed downstream of the "primary" rotary heater device (shown as 100A in Figs. 2B, 2C and 2D). The devices 100A, 100B are generally recognized within the scope of this disclosure as rotary heater unit 100. The production of a heated fluid medium can thus be achieved by providing at least two rotary devices 100A, 100B connected in series. A fluid medium stream (feed stream 1) is heated to a predetermined temperature in at least the first rotary device (100A) in the series, referred to here as the primary heater. The fluid medium flow (see flow 2) is then further heated in at least the second rotating device (100B) in the series by injecting an additional amount of thermal energy into the fluid medium flow (see flow 3) propagating through the second rotating device 100B, "preheated" in the first rotating device 100A. The device 100B is therefore called a booster heater. The devices 100A, 100B may be identical or may vary in terms of size or internal design. A train of two or more booster devices, for example 100B, may be arranged after the primary heater 100A. The booster devices may be arranged in parallel or in series, or in any combination that allows the optimization of their rotational speed and aerodynamic characteristics.

[0130] In a second additional or alternative configuration (also referred to as "chemical boost"), an additional heating device, indicated by reference numeral 103 (FIGS. 1, 2B), is configured to receive a reactive component 5, such as a combustible fuel, into the fluid media stream propagating therethrough, thereby providing heat by exothermic reaction prior to directing said fluid media stream to the heat consuming process 101 of steel production. In this configuration, a temperature boost can be achieved by introducing (e.g. injecting) a reactive chemical 5 into the fluid media stream directed through the additional heater unit / heating device 103. Note that stream 5 in FIG. 2B corresponds to stream 8 shown in FIG. 1.

[0131] The reactive chemical-based booster heater unit 103 may be placed after the thermal booster heater unit 100, 100B (FIG. 2B) or immediately after the primary heater 100, 100A (FIG. 1). The reactive chemicals (reactants) 5 may include combustion gases, such as hydrogen gas, hydrocarbons, ammonia, oxygen, air, other gases and / or any other suitable reactive compounds, optionally with a catalyst. In the unit 103, by exothermic reactions, the fluid stream can be heated to a level that typically cannot be achieved by a single rotating device that does not participate in chemical-mediated heating (see stream 4). For example, a fuel gas, such as hydrogen, can be introduced into an oxygen-containing process gas, such as air. At high temperatures, hydrogen and oxygen enter into an exothermic reaction to produce water molecules (hydrogen combustion).

[0132] The temperature of the gas may be increased by injecting fuel gas with air (or enriched oxygen) through a burner into the booster heater unit 103. Air and / or oxygen may be added if the heated gas contains flammable gases and these gases may be consumed only for heating. The process gas may contain H2, NH3, CO, fuel gases (methane, propane, etc.) that may be combusted to produce heat. If feasible, heat may also be produced by injecting other reactive gases.

[0133] The additional heater 103 configured for chemical boosting may be formed as a piece of pipe or as a chamber in which an exothermic reaction takes place and / or may include at least one rotating device 100 arranged to receive a reactive compound for supporting an exothermic reaction to produce additional heat energy. The booster section 103 may thus include at least one rotating device 100. Optionally, the reactive chemical may be injected directly into the heat consuming process 101 (not shown). Additionally or alternatively, reactive chemical mediated boosting may also be implemented in a single device 100, 103 modified accordingly.

[0134] In a configuration involving booster heating, the temperature of a fluid medium stream preheated to a predetermined temperature in a first rotating device (100A) can be further increased to a maximum limit in a subsequent heater unit (100B, 103). As an example, the temperature of a fluid medium stream preheated to about 1700° C. in the primary heater (100A) can be further increased to 2500° C. or more in a subsequent heater unit (100B, 103).

[0135] The above concepts can be used separately or in combination to introduce reactive chemicals 5 into any one of the parallel or series (continuous) connected devices 100. A booster heater is optional.

[0136] Additionally or alternatively, pre-heating and additional heating may be performed in the same apparatus 100 (not shown). This may be accomplished in a multi-stage configuration, which includes several rotor units (e.g., 1-5 rotor blade rows arranged consecutively on / along the rotor shaft) alternating with a common diffuser region (vaned or vaned).

[0137] Additionally or alternatively, booster heating can be used, for example, when the temperature of a fluid once heated in a rotating device 100 needs to be increased again after the fluid has transferred its heat to a heat consuming process 101. An exemplary configuration is shown in FIG. 2E, which includes several rotating heater devices 100 (100A, 100B and / or optionally 103) alternating with heat consuming units 101. Such a configuration can be used when a temperature drop occurs in each unit 101 and needs to be increased again between the units 101. The arrangement of FIG. 2E can be useful for a series of successive catalytic endothermic reactors (here heat consuming units 101), where the temperature drops from reactor to reactor and has to be increased again between the reactors. See also the explanation of FIG. 3F. Here, section 406 represents a catalytic reactor or a series of catalytic reactors, depending on the application.

[0138] A rotating device assembly can be established when at least two rotating devices, e.g. 100A, 100B and optionally 103 (if 103 is implemented as a rotating device 100), are connected in parallel or in series (see e.g. Figs. 2B-2D). The connection between the rotating devices 100 realized as "primary" heaters 100A or "booster" heaters 100B, 103 can be mechanical and / or functional. A functional connection (e.g. in terms of achievable heat input) can be established when at least two individual, physically integrated or not integrated, individual equipment units are coordinated. In the latter case, the coordination between the at least two rotating devices can be established via some auxiliary equipment (not shown). In some forms, the assembly includes at least two devices connected in a mirror-like manner to each other. Thereby, said at least two devices are at least functionally connected via their central (rotor) axis. Such a mirrored configuration may be further defined as having at least two rotating devices 100 mechanically connected in series (in series), while the functional connection may be considered as a parallel (array) connection. In some cases, the "mirrored" array may be further modified to include at least two inlets and a common exhaust (ejection) module located essentially at the center of the array.

[0139] The rotating devices (see 100A, 100B, 103 in FIG. 2B) can be assembled on the same (rotor) shaft. Each rotating device can optionally be equipped with a separate drive (motor) allowing independent optimization of the device. If two or more separate rotating devices are used, the construction costs (materials, etc.) can be optimized in terms of operating temperatures and pressures.

[0140] Additionally or alternatively, at least one rotating device within the assembly can be designed to increase the pressure of the fluid flow, and thus at least one rotating device within the assembly can be assigned a combination of heater and blower functions.

[0141] Additionally or alternatively, a stream containing a reactive or inert gas (e.g., stream 8 in FIG. 1 ) can be fed to the rotating device 100 (not shown) or to any equipment downstream of said device (e.g., into the heat-consuming process section 101). Thus, a reactive gas (e.g., stream 8 in FIG. 1 ) can be injected directly into the heat-consuming process unit 101 if the heat-consuming process unit 101 is configured to receive such chemicals. In the production of steel or steel precursor materials, a supporting fuel (8) can be injected directly into the process unit 101, e.g., a furnace, to generate heat and / or participate in the reaction. One example is the reduction of iron ore with methane or hydrogen in a blast furnace (as discussed in more detail further below).

[0142] FIG. 2C shows the use of a rotary heater arrangement 100A, 100B (optional) with indirect process heating. The rotary arrangement 100 (100A, 100B) can be used to indirectly heat a fluid in a heat consuming unit 101. Heat is transferred between two immiscible fluids in a form of a heat exchanger type. Thus, a fluid, e.g. a gas or a liquid, can be evaporated (vaporized) or superheated in a feasible heat exchanger arrangement 101 against the fluid heated in the rotary arrangement 100. The heat consuming unit 101, formed to correspond to a heat consuming process, can be represented by any (existing) fired heater, reactor or furnace, or any conventional heat exchanger arrangement. The type of said "heat exchanger" form (101) can be selected as required for optimal heat transfer. The heating gas (see streams 1-3) can be selected to be optimal for heating and safety (e.g. steam, N2, air). The gas heated in rotating devices 100A, 100B can be at near atmospheric pressure, or the pressure can be increased to improve heat transfer. The heat transfer medium 3 heated in device 100 (Stream 3 exiting 100B) is directed to a heat consuming process 101, where heat is transferred from stream 3 to a "cold" process stream 6, thereby producing a "hot" process stream 7. Stream 4 represents the heat transfer medium effluent, respectively.

[0143] Process streams 6 and 7 in FIG. 2C thus correspond to streams 9 and 10, respectively, in FIG. 1 (indirect heating configuration), whereas heat transfer medium streams 3 and 4 in FIG. 2C correspond to streams 3 (optionally 4) and 5, respectively (indirect heating configuration).

[0144] Another exemplary configuration for directly heating a process fluid by a rotating device 100 is presented in Fig. 2F. A heat consuming unit 101 is set up to act as a heat exchanger configured to heat a process inlet stream to a predetermined temperature by a heating medium (heat transfer medium) stream provided by the rotating device 100. The configuration of Fig. 2F may be applied to heat a gaseous medium, e.g. hydrogen (gas) and / or a hydrogen-containing gas stream, in the heat exchanger 101 inside a steel production facility. The same layout may be applied to increase the temperature of any other process stream flowing through the heat exchanger device (see e.g. Fig. 3G).

[0145] Although the heating of the gaseous medium can be performed in the rotating equipment 100 by simply using steam as the heating fluid (not shown), when the pressure of the gaseous process fluid stream is increased, for example to values ​​above 10 bar, or when the temperature of said gaseous process fluid stream becomes very high, for example up to values ​​above 1000° C., it is beneficial to apply the indirect heating concept shown in FIG. 2F. Designing a rotating equipment to operate at high pressure and / or high temperature increases its material requirements and complicates its technical solution, which increases the cost of the equipment. However, designing the equipment for low pressure heating of an inert gas, for example air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide or steam, and using the heated gas to heat hydrogen or other process streams in the process unit 101 (in the form of a heat exchanger) can result in a lower overall cost of the heating system.

[0146] In FIG. 2F, the rotating device 100 is used to heat a non-working fluid (e.g., an inert fluid), such as air, (water) steam, carbon dioxide, or nitrogen gas (N2), at low pressure, e.g., less than 10 bar. Such a non-working fluid is further called the "heat transfer medium". The temperature of the inlet stream 4 (heat transfer medium, cold) entering the device 100 is about 200-1100°C, and the temperature of the outlet stream 3 (heat transfer medium, hot) leaving the device 100 is about 800-1200°C, respectively. The temperature of the "cold" process fluid 6 (e.g., hydrogen) entering the heat consuming unit 101 is about 20-500°C, whereas the temperature of the "hot" process outlet stream 7 leaving 101 is about 700-1000°C. To allow the transfer of heat from the heat transfer fluid into the process fluid, the temperature of the heated fluid discharged from the rotating device 100 must exceed the target temperature of the heated process fluid.

[0147] The "hot" heat transfer fluid 3 discharged from the rotating device 100 is introduced into a heat consuming unit 101, provided in the layout of FIG. 2F as a heat exchanger that allows the transfer of thermal energy from the heat transfer medium (the inert fluid heated in 100) through a heat transfer surface to the process fluid, resulting in heating of the hydrogen stream. The heat transfer medium cools as it donates its heat to the process stream. By reintroducing the cooled heat transfer medium 4 into the rotating device 100, the thermal efficiency of the system can be improved.

[0148] Although the materials of the heat exchanger 101 are selected to withstand high temperature hydrogen atmosphere and / or high pressure, for stationary equipment such as a heat exchanger, it is still a more cost-effective option than the rotating equipment 100.

[0149] The use of the rotating machine 100 allows the optimization of the temperature difference of the heat exchanger form (here represented by the heat consuming unit 101) to minimize the size of the unit 101 (formed as a heat exchanger, reactor, furnace, heater, etc.) and the undesired reactions (fouling, coking) that occur on the surface due to excessively high surface temperatures that may cause excessive fouling in the process heater. The use of indirect heating allows the replacement of process heaters in various applications, for example related to refining and / or petrochemical production, for example in steel production for the evaporation of heavy streams where the operating pressure is usually low.

[0150] FIG. 2D shows the rotary heater apparatus 100A with a preheater 102 and a recycled process fluid (stream 4) recycled from a heat consuming process (not shown). The preheater can be electric, fired, a combustion engine, a gas turbine, etc., and it can be a heat exchanger to recover excess heat from any hot stream in the process. The presence of the preheater 102 is optional. This concept can include an optional booster heater 100B located downstream of the apparatus 100A. Thermal or chemical booster heating can be used. Stream 1′ represents the (feed) fluid sent to the preheater 102. The fluid is further propagated through the rotary apparatus 100A, 100B, where the feed is heated and sent in stream 3 to the heat consuming process.

[0151] Any one of the rotating devices 100A, 100B can be equipped with a fluid recycle device (see flow 4 in FIG. 2D). Any combination of rotating devices and fluid recycle devices is contemplated. Recycling is made possible through recirculation of the fluid media stream through at least one rotating device.

[0152] In some configurations, the rotary device 100 can utilize low oxygen content flue gas discharged from a conventional combustion heater. In such cases, the hot flue gas discharged from the combustion heater is mixed with recycle gas (stream 4 in FIG. 2D) and used for heating in the rotary heater 100, 100A. The oxygen content in the flue gas used in the described case is preferably below the flammability limit to allow safe heating.

[0153] The following description refers to Figure 3A, which shows an overview of a steel production process 3000 implemented in a suitable steel production facility. In the process / facility 3000, a blast furnace 300 operates with raw materials in the form of iron ore sinter 302 and coke 304. Both are solid materials that are typically fed into the furnace through an opening at the top of the furnace. Both raw materials require a preparation process to optimize the utilization of the raw materials in the blast furnace.

[0154] In the coking process 308, coke is produced from the coal 306. During coking, the coal 306 is heated to 1000-1250°C for approximately 18 hours in the absence of oxygen to remove volatile impurities such as heavy aromatic hydrocarbons, sulfur, and ammonia. These volatile materials are released into what is known as coke plant off-gas (COG) 310. Coke plant off-gas is also rich in CO, CO2, and hydrogen. The high temperatures required for coking are typically achieved by burning fossil fuels 312.

[0155] Iron ore 314 is sintered in a sintering plant 317 to form iron ore sinter 302. In a typical sintering process, crushed iron ore 314 is transported on a conveyor belt. Fine coke powder 316 is mixed with the iron ore 314 to provide fuel for heating. A burner configured to burn natural gas 318 is used to place the iron ore 314 and coke 316 mixture on a flame, and off-gases 320 resulting from burning the mixture are drawn off from underneath the conveyor belt, thus providing uniform heat distribution throughout the bed of material on the belt. The solid product, clean iron ore sinter 302, is crushed, cooled and sized after sintering to form the feedstock for the blast furnace 300.

[0156] In the blast furnace 300, coke 304 and iron ore sinter 302 are fed into the furnace along with limestone and hot air or oxygen (1000-1200°C) 322 (the latter typically fed into the furnace from the bottom). The hot air 322 reacts with the coke 304 and powdered coal and forms reducing gas. The reducing gas removes oxygen from the iron ore 302. At the same time, heat is generated that is needed to melt the reduced iron ore. Limestone is added to aid in the removal of sand silicates in the form of "slag". Products from the blast furnace include molten product (molten metallic iron) 324, slag 325, and blast furnace gas (BFG) 326. BFG is rich in CO and hydrogen.

[0157] After the blast furnace 300, the molten metal product 324 is mixed with pure oxygen 327 in a basic oxygen furnace 328. The basic oxygen furnace removes carbon and other chemical impurities through an oxygen converter process to form a steel product 330, typically in the form of steel plate. Most of the carbon is removed as CO, forming a basic oxygen furnace gas (BOFG) 332 that is rich in CO and therefore rich in heating value and carbon content. As the steel plate 330 cools, it is typically sent to a post-processing unit 334, such as a hot rolling mill, where the steel plate 330 is hot rolled into coils 336 before shipping to the customer. During hot rolling, natural gas 338 is burned on top of the steel plate 330 to heat the steel plate 330 to 1000-1270°C and produce a CO2-rich off-gas 340. Any impurities (slag) were removed from the surface of the steel plate 330 and the plate was rolled to a desired thickness, cooled, and rolled into coils 336 for shipping.

[0158] The main off-gases from steelmaking are coke plant off-gas (COG)310, blast furnace gas (BFG)326, and basic oxygen furnace gas (BOFG)332. All of these gases are rich in nitrogen and CO2, but they also contain components with calorific value (hydrogen, CO, and hydrocarbons) and are therefore typically incinerated in power plants342 for energy, producing a CO2-rich off-gas344. Recently, material valorisation of these off-gases has been extensively investigated. The most promising routes for material valorisation of these streams include reverse water-gas shift reaction and dry reforming. Both of these can be used together with reducing chemicals (hydrogen or methane) to convert the CO2 and hydrocarbons in the gas stream into a synthesis gas-like mixture of CO and hydrogen. Synthesis gas (syngas) can be converted to base chemicals in a number of ways. The most industrially relevant of these methods are methanol production and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.

[0159] "Valorisation" as used herein means the economic analysis of the reuse and recycling of waste materials. Thus, as used herein, "valorisation" is synonymous with "recycling". EXAMPLES

[0160] The following non-limiting examples illustrate the use of rotating device 100 in steelmaking.

[0161] Example 1: Providing heat for a coking plant (FIG. 3B) FIG. 3B is a block diagram illustrating the use of rotating device 100 in a coking process 308.

[0162] Instead of heating the coal in a coke plant with fossil fuel-fired heaters, the rotary device 100 can be used to provide heat for the coking of the coal. Heating can be achieved by circulating gas 346 (air, nitrogen, steam) through the rotary device 100. In the rotary device, the gas is heated to about 1300-1500°C. The heated gas 348 is then transferred to the coke oven 308, where it gives up some of its heat to the coal 306. The coking process typically operates at about 1200°C for about 18 hours. The tail gas 350 from the coking oven, which has been cooled to a lower temperature for the oven 308 but is still on the order of about 500°C, can be recycled back to the rotary device for optimal heat integration and heat and energy recycling. Depending on the amount of tail gas 350 recycled from the oven 308 to the rotary device 100, the amount of gas 346 required to maintain optimal flow rate and energy capacity can be correspondingly reduced. Through recycling of the exhaust gas 350, the amount of off-gas 310 released to the atmosphere can be minimized.

[0163] The coking process and related plant 308 corresponds to the steam heat consuming unit 101 .

[0164] Example 2: Providing heat for a sintering plant (FIG. 3C) FIG. 3C is a block diagram showing the use of a rotating device in a sinter plant (see sinter plant 317 in FIG. 3A).

[0165] Instead of heating the crude iron ore with fossil fuel fired heaters and coke in a sinter plant, the tumbling machine 100 can be used to heat the oxidized iron ore for reduction to iron ore sinter. Heating can be done by circulating gas 352 (air, nitrogen, steam) through the tumbling machine 100. In the tumbling machine the gas is heated to about 1200° C. The heated gas 354 is then delivered to a conveyor belt 356, where the reduction of the oxidized iron ore 314 to iron ore sinter 302 takes place. The conveyor belt can be perforated. The exhaust gas 358 resulting from the conveyor belt 356 can be partially recycled back to the tumbling machine 100 for optimal heat integration. A portion of the recycled gas is purged as purge gas 360 (and replaced with a similar amount of fresh gas / make-up gas 352) using a gas splitter or scrubber 362, depending on the accumulation of impurities in the recycle. Alternatively, impurities resulting from the sintering process may be removed from the recycled gases, thereby maintaining the impurity concentration at an acceptable level.

[0166] In some embodiments, section 317 represents a pellet plant. Both the sintering and pelletizing processes perform essentially the same function, namely, preparing iron ore material for processing in a blast furnace. Iron ore sinter and pellets are both agglomerated forms of iron ore suitable for use as a charge material in a blast furnace.

[0167] The sintering / pelletizing process and associated sinter / pellet plant 317 corresponds to the heat consuming unit 101 described above.

[0168] Example 3: Heating of hot gas for blast furnace (FIG. 3D) FIG. 3D is a block diagram showing the use of rotating equipment in a blast furnace.

[0169] During the reduction of iron oxide to iron, the blast furnace 300 requires air or oxygen to convert the coal to CO. CO acts as a reducing gas for the conversion of iron ore to iron. To reduce the consumption of coke in the blast furnace 300 and the subsequent generation of CO, it is common practice to externally preheat this air or oxygen to about 1200°C. First, the preheating of the air / oxygen or "hot blast" is done through capturing a portion of the heat from the blast furnace off-gas 364 and reaching a final temperature of about 1200°C via heat provided from fossil fuel incineration. The rotating device 100 can be used to provide a final heating step instead of fossil fuels (which would otherwise be burned in the furnace 300). In addition, the rotating device 100 can also be used to recycle a portion of the blast furnace off-gas 364 back to the blast furnace 300 for valorization of unreacted CO in the off-gas.

[0170] In this embodiment, the blast furnace 300 receives a feedstock 366. The feedstock 366 includes iron ore sinter 302, coke 304 (see FIG. 3A), and limestone. Heated air or oxygen 368 is provided by the rotating device 100. The iron ore sinter in the feedstock 366 has the formula: 3CO(g) + Fe2O3(s) → 2Fe(l) + 3CO2(g) Reaction 1: Reduction of iron ore It is first reduced at about 700° C. in a reaction with

[0171] At about 800-850° C., both the carbon dioxide in the supplied air 368 and the carbon dioxide resulting from the reaction are converted into the following reaction product: CO2(g) + C(s) → 2CO(g) Reaction 2: Reaction of carbon dioxide with coke It reacts with the coke in the feedstock 366 in a reaction having the formula:

[0172] At approximately 850°C, limestone has the formula: CaCO3(s) → CaO(s) + CO2(g) CaO(s) + SiO2(s) → CaSiO3(l) Reaction 3: Decomposition of limestone and forms a slag (CaSiO3).

[0173] At approximately 1000°C, the hot air reacts with the following formula: C(s) + O2(g) → CO2(g) Reaction 4: Oxidation of coke It reacts with coke in a reaction having the formula:

[0174] In the blast furnace 300, the molten iron 324 has the greatest density and is extracted from the bottom of the furnace. The molten slag 325 is located on top of the molten iron 324 and is extracted from a position above the molten iron 324.

[0175] Exhaust gas 364 exits the blast furnace 300 and is combined with fresh air 370 in a heat exchanger 372 in an amount necessary to replace the air consumed in the blast furnace 300. Some of the exhaust gas 364 and fresh air 370 are diverted to the rotating device 100 while some is diverted to a gas splitter / scrubber 362 to capture excess CO2. Blast furnace gas (BFG) 326 is discharged from the scrubber 362 and the remaining gas is recombined in the rotating device 100.

[0176] After the blast furnace 100, the molten metal product (molten iron 324) is mixed with pure hydrogen in a basic oxygen furnace 328 (see Figs. 3A, 3F). In this process, carbon and chemical impurities contained in the molten metallic iron are oxidized, which removes impurities and reduces the carbon content. In the basic oxygen furnace 328, the molten iron is converted into low carbon steel. Basic oxygen furnace (BOFG) 332 is discharged from the oxygen converter furnace 328 for further processing. In the layout of Fig. 3F, the BOFG 332 can be recycled fully or partially back to the rotating device 100. The steel melt is further transported to a post-processing unit 334 via a ladle (not shown).

[0177] The post-treatment unit 334 can be configured to post-treat the steel product through one of heat treatment, carburizing, casting, and / or rolling. In the carburizing process, the steel product is upgraded with a carbon source, e.g., carbon monoxide, to make it harder. The unit 334 can include a casting unit, e.g., a continuous caster, where the steel plate 330 is produced, and a rolling mill, e.g., a (continuous) hot rolling mill. The rolling mill can send the cooled steel plate 330 to be rolled into coils 336 before shipping to the customer. In some cases, at least the caster can be integrated with an oxygen converter 328 (see FIG. 3F). An example of the installation of the rotating device 100 in the post-treatment unit 334 is shown in FIG. 3E (Example 4).

[0178] The blast furnace 300 corresponds to the heat consuming unit 101 described above.

[0179] Example 4: Heating of steel plate in hot rolling process by rotating device (FIG. 3E) FIG. 3E is a block diagram showing the use of a rotating device in hot rolling.

[0180] FIG. 3E shows the incorporation of the rotating device 100 into a post-processing unit 334 that includes at least a rolling mill. During hot rolling, the steel sheets 330 are brought into a state in which they can be rolled by heating them to a temperature of about 1000-1270° C. Typically, the high temperature is achieved by burning natural gas (338, see FIGS. 3A, 3F) on top of the steel sheets 330 to heat them. The rotating device 100 can take the place of natural gas burners and provide hot gas 374 (nitrogen, air, steam) to heat the steel sheets 330 to the required temperature. Heat losses during hot rolling can be minimized by at least partially recycling the hot rolling off-gas 376 through the rotating device.

[0181] The post-treatment unit 334 corresponds to the heat consumption unit 101 described above.

[0182] Example 5: Material valorization of coke plant, basic oxygen furnace, and blast furnace off-gases (FIG. 3F: Steel production - valorization of off-gases) Coke plant, basic oxygen furnace, and blast furnace off-gases are rich in calorific value and carbon. These streams can therefore be materially or energetically valorized. Energetic valorization is the standard method of valorizing gases by burning them in a power plant or generating equipment for energy. However, this results in CO2 emissions, and recent innovation activities have focused on material valorization of these streams. Material valorization of streams containing hydrogen and C1 chemicals is typically performed by converting the hydrocarbons and CO2 into synthesis gas. Syngas is a mixture of CO and hydrogen in varying ratios and is the feedstock for several common base chemical reactions such as the methanol synthesis in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. An even simpler way to valorize these gases is to manipulate these components (sometimes together with an external methane source) towards maximum CO and H2 content. Both CO and H2 can act as reducing agents in the blast furnace and therefore can be recycled back into the blast furnace after removal of impurities. Table 1 shows the typical compositions of the three main off-gas streams resulting from steelmaking (source: Angewandte Chemie; Volume 60, Issue 21; May 17, 2021, Pages 11852-11857).

[0183] [Table 1]

[0184] Adjusting the gas composition towards the optimum CO / H ratio required by the selected application involves four commonly known high temperature catalytic reactions: TIFF2024538964000003.tif5170Reaction 5: Water-gas shift reaction TIFF2024538964000004.tif5170Reaction 6: Reverse water gas shift reaction TIFF2024538964000005.tif5170Reaction 7: Reverse water-gas shift reaction TIFF2024538964000006.tif5170Reaction 8: Methane "dry" reforming This can be done using:

[0185] Since avoidance of CO2 emissions is typically a goal of such C1 chemistry operations, reaction 5 (the water-gas shift reaction WGS) is not recommended because it produces CO2. Instead, it is desirable to use sustainable hydrogen generated from electrolysis or methane pyrolysis to increase the proportion of hydrogen in the syngas mixture.

[0186] The temperatures required by reverse water gas shift reaction, methane steam reforming, or methane "dry" reforming are typically 800° C. to 1200° C., and such high temperatures are achieved today by burning fossil fuels. The rotating device 100 is an electrified, emissions-free technology for heating off-gas to the temperatures required by these catalytic reactions.

[0187] Figure 3F shows the use of a rotating device 100 in a high temperature catalytic reactor to adjust the CO / H2 ratio and maximize the syngas content in the steel rolling mill off-gas. Component numbers are the same as in Figure 3A.

[0188] Each of the blast furnace 300, coking process 308, sinter plant / pellet plant 317, and basic oxygen furnace 328 produces off-gases carrying residual heat. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3F, these off-gases are redirected to the rotary device 100, which further heats these off-gases to the temperatures required for the catalytic reactions described in reactions 5-8. Depending on the needs of the catalytic reactions in the next steps, make-up hydrogen and / or methane 402, typically originating from renewable sources, may be added to the rotary device 100 to be heated.

[0189] The heated off-gas and make-up hydrogen / methane 404 are then transported to a catalytic reactor 406. The catalytic reactor is configured for endothermic high temperature reactions described in reactions 5-8. The catalytic reactor 406 may be a series of reactors depending on the needs of the application. These series of reactors may be realized as shown in FIG. 2E, where each unit 101 represents a catalytic reactor. The product 408 resulting from the catalytic reactor 406, i.e., the product gas with the desired ratio of H2 and CO, is transported to a unit 410 for cleaning or scrubbing in preparation for final use or recycling. The unit 410 may have an inert gas (water vapor, nitrogen gas, etc.) purge 412, and the final product 414 is discharged from the unit 410. The final product 414 may be recycled to the catalytic reactor for further reaction or higher yield, recycled to the blast furnace 300 for further iron ore reduction, sent to a methanol production process, or sent to a Fischer-Tropsch reaction depending on the intended end use.

[0190] 3F shows that the rotary device 100 may be used to collect tail gases (see streams 310 (COG), 320 (off-gas from sintering / pellet plant), 326 (BFG) and 332 (BOFG)) produced in the steel manufacturing facility 1000, 4000. When hydrogen or methane is added with stream 402, the resulting gas mixture 404 may be used to produce synthesis gas in an endothermic catalytic reactor 406 with a desired CO / H ratio for further purification to produce fuels and chemicals (not shown).

[0191] Referring to FIG. 3F, any one of the sintering / pelletizing plant 317, the coking plant 308, the blast furnace 300, the basic oxygen furnace 328, the steel post-treatment unit 334, and the reactor 406, and / or any combination thereof, corresponds to the heat consuming unit 101 described herein above.

[0192] Example 6: Preheating of hydrogen for direct hydrogen reduction of iron ore (FIG. 3G) A novel method to mitigate CO2 emissions generated by the steel industry is to use hydrogen as a reducing agent instead of coal. Unlike coke reduction, hydrogen reduction is an endothermic reaction and requires additional heat input to heat the hydrogen to the reaction temperature and to maintain the reaction temperature. Such additional heat input typically comes from excess hydrogen oxidized in the furnace, which results in a significant increase in hydrogen consumption.

[0193] The application of the rotary device 100 in the reduction of iron ore with hydrogen provides this additional heat by heating the hydrogen to a temperature above the reduction temperature of about 900° C., and recycling the gaseous reaction products, primarily water and unreacted hydrogen, partially back into the reduction process for optimal heat recovery.

[0194] FIG. 3G shows the application of the rotary device 100 in the process of reducing iron ore to iron by hydrogen (direct hydrogen reduction of iron ore to produce direct displacement iron (DRI) or sponge iron). Iron ore / pellets 502 are fed to a process unit 504 for steel production. The process unit 504 can be formed as a furnace, optionally a blast furnace, a kiln, or a reactor. Hot unreacted hydrogen and water 506 are discharged to a heat exchanger / economiser 508 at about 200° C. Hot gases 510 are discharged from the heat exchanger 508 to the rotary device 100. Liquid water 512 from the heat exchanger 508 is transferred to a water separator 514. The water separator separates the water 516 from the unreacted hydrogen 518, which is passed to the heat exchanger 508. The hot gas 510 from the heat exchanger 508 delivered to the rotary device 100 is combined with make-up hydrogen 520, typically coming from a renewable source. The hot gas 510 and make-up hydrogen 520 are heated to about 1200° C. and charged in the form of a hot gas stream 522 into the DRI furnace, kiln, or reactor 504. The hot gas stream 522 reacts with the iron ore sinter / pellets to produce sponge iron 524 suitable for forming into steel. Figures 3D and 3G thus show the main reduction process of iron ore to iron. Here, the process of Figure 3D shows the production of molten iron in a blast furnace 300, whereas Figure 3G shows the direct reduction process of iron ore to metallic iron without melting it. The reduction occurs in process units 300 (blast furnace) or 504 (DRI furnace, kiln, or reactor) (Figures 3D, 3G, respectively). The process unit uses iron ore sinter / pellets 302 or 502 as raw material. The iron ore sinter / pellets (302 or 502) are fed into the furnace (300, 504) from a sinter plant or pellet plant 317 respectively.

[0195] The DRI process unit 504 corresponds to the heat consuming unit 101 described herein above.

[0196] FIG. 3H shows how the CO2 emission sources are apportioned in traditional steelmaking. FIG. 3H, together with Examples 1-6 (FIGS. 3B-3G), shows that the rotary equipment 100, when installed in a steel production facility to fully or partially replace the energy carriers derived by oil and coal, can support energy efficiency and CO2 emission mitigation in all major steelmaking processes. In cases where CO2 emissions are still generated, the rotary equipment can be used to operate these emissions together with other off-gas components and external hydrogen / methane sources to prepare these streams for introduction into material use. The rotary equipment can be applied in both conventional coke-based iron ore reduction processes and novel hydrogen-based reduction processes with favorable effects on emissions and energy efficiency.

[0197] Example 7: Application of a rotating device in a kiln-type process unit for pelletizing and direct reduction of low-quality iron ore to direct reduced iron (DRI) Example 7 complements Example 6 above. The rotary device 100 can be used to produce a heated fluid medium in the process of direct reduction of iron ore in a heat consumption unit 101. The heat consumption unit 101 is configured as a process unit for reducing iron ore to metallic iron without melting it. As mentioned above, the DRI process can be carried out in a furnace, kiln or reactor of the fluidized bed type, typically using hydrogen gas, coke gas as the reducing agent, where the solids are contacted with the hot reducing gas. Various types of kilns can be used, for example rotary kilns or grate kilns.

[0198] An exemplary rotary kiln is a rotating horizontal vessel where rotation about the vessel axis mixes the solids inside the kiln. Specially designed internals can be added to improve mixing of the solids and hot gases. A grate kiln is a type of kiln where the incoming solid raw materials are first broken down by "grating" them and then sized to optimize their surface area for contact with the hot gases. In steelmaking, grate kilns can be used to pelletize low-quality iron sources (lump ore, beach sand, ilmenite, and iron ore fines) that are not converted to iron ore sinter in the sinter plant. These pellets can be fed to the blast furnace as a co-feed with the iron ore sinter (see FIG. 3, iron ore sinter / pellets 502 fed into the DRI process unit 504).

[0199] Rotary kilns can be used to directly reduce iron ore to iron by mixing it with coke and contacting the solid mixture with hot air. The coke reacts with oxygen in the hot air to produce CO. The CO acts as a reducing agent for the iron ore, converting it to iron and CO2. Although the reaction scheme and reactants are the same as in a blast furnace (see FIG. 3D and Example 3), rotary kilns allow the use of iron ore with a lower iron content to produce a solid iron product (direct reduced iron, DRI) for steelmaking.

[0200] Grate and rotary kilns are often used in combination: pellets produced in the grate kiln can be fed into the rotary kiln for direct reduction, or the rotary kiln can be part of a grate kiln system to improve heat transfer between the solids and the hot gases.

[0201] The application of the rotary kiln and the rotating device in the grate kiln is straightforward and broadly follows the path shown in the description of FIG. 3D (Example 3). A typical way to introduce hot gas into the kiln is to burn natural gas originating from the hot end of the kiln. Instead of burning natural gas, hot air at 1200-1700° C. originating from the rotating device of the present invention can be fed to the hot end of the kiln to provide the necessary heating.

[0202] Alternatively, in some applications, the gas heated in the rotary device 100 can be hydrogen. In this case, the use of coke (and the associated CO2 emissions) is not necessary since the hot hydrogen can act as a reducing agent for the iron ore. Unreacted hydrogen and water produced in the hydrogen reduction reaction can be separated after the kiln, and the hydrogen can be recycled back through the rotary device to the kiln, further improving both energy and material recycling. Direct reduction of iron ore with hydrogen is described in connection with FIG. 3G.

[0203] As is clear to those skilled in the art, with the development of technology the basic idea of ​​the invention can be realized and combined in various ways, the invention and its embodiments are thus not limited to the above examples, which may vary widely within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for producing steel, the method comprising generating a heated fluid medium by means of at least one rotating device incorporated within steel production equipment, said at least one rotating device comprising a casing having at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one row of rotor blades disposed around a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, a plurality of stationary vanes arranged upstream of at least said at least one row of rotor blades so as to form an assembly, wherein an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium flow guided along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy conversions occurring when the fluid medium flow passes through the stationary vanes and the at least one row of rotor blades respectively, thereby generating a flow of heated fluid medium, the method further comprising - introducing an amount of input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated within the steel production equipment, wherein the input energy includes electrical energy, - supplying a flow of heated fluid medium generated by the at least one rotating device into the steel production equipment, and - operating the at least one rotating device and the steel production equipment so as to carry out steel production at a temperature essentially equal to about 500 °C or at a temperature exceeding about 500 °C. A method for producing steel, further comprising the above.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein within the steel production equipment, the at least one rotating device is connected to a furnace formed for steelmaking.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein within the steel production equipment, the at least one rotating device is connected to at least one furnace formed to react a steel precursor material for producing steel.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein within the steel production equipment, the at least one rotating device is connected to at least one furnace formed as a blast furnace for producing molten iron by reducing iron ore to iron.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein within the steel production equipment, the at least one rotating device is further connected to at least one process unit formed as a furnace, kiln, or reactor for directly reducing iron ore to direct reduced iron (DRI).

6. within the steel production facility, the at least one rotating device is (i) a sintering / pelletizing plant formed to sinter iron ore into iron ore sinter / pellets, (ii) a coking plant formed to coke coal into coke, (iii) a post-treatment unit formed to post-treat steel products via any one of heat treatment, carburizing, casting, and / or rolling, (iv) a reactor or a series of reactors formed for the endothermic reaction of off-gas generated during steel production, or (vi) any combination thereof, further connected to or incorporated into any one of the above, the method according to claim 1 or 2.

7. generating, by the rotating device, the fluid medium heated to a temperature essentially equal to 500 °C, or a temperature exceeding about 500 °C, preferably essentially equal to about 1200 °C, or exceeding about 1200 °C, more preferably essentially equal to about 1700 °C, or exceeding about 1700 °C, the method according to claim 1 or 2.

8. adjusting the velocity and / or pressure of the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device to create the conditions under which the heated fluid medium is generated, the method according to claim 1 or 2.

9. the heated fluid medium is generated by at least one rotating device including two or more rotor blade rows continuously arranged along the rotor shaft, the method according to claim 1 or 2.

10. the heated fluid medium is generated by at least one rotating device further including a diffuser region disposed downstream of the at least one rotor blade row, and the method includes operating the at least one rotating device incorporated into the steel production facility such that an amount of thermal energy is imparted to the fluid medium flow guided along the flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy conversions occurring when the fluid medium flow successively passes through the stationary vanes, the rotor blades, and the diffuser region, thereby generating a flow of the heated fluid medium, the method according to claim 1 or 2.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein within the rotating device, the diffuser region is formed with or without fixed diffuser vanes.

12. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of thermal energy added to the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device is controlled by adjusting the amount of input energy introduced into the at least one rotating device incorporated within the steel production facility.

13. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising arranging an additional heating device downstream of the at least one rotating device and introducing a reactive compound or a mixture of reactive compounds into a fluid medium flow propagating through the additional heating device, whereby an amount of thermal energy is immediately added to the fluid medium flow through an exothermic reaction.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the reactive compound or the mixture of reactive compounds is introduced into the fluid medium flow preheated to a predetermined temperature.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the reactive compound or the mixture of reactive compounds is introduced into the fluid medium flow preheated to a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 1700 °C.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the preheating of the fluid medium to the predetermined temperature is carried out within the rotating device.

17. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heated fluid medium is generated by at least two rotating devices incorporated within the steel production facility, and the at least two rotating devices are connected in parallel or in series.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the heated fluid medium is generated by at least two continuously connected rotating devices, the fluid medium flow is preheated to a predetermined temperature within at least a first rotating device within the continuum, and an additional amount of thermal energy is introduced into the preheated fluid medium flow propagating through the second rotating device, whereby the fluid medium flow is further heated within at least the second rotating device within the continuum.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein within at least the first rotating device within the continuum, the fluid medium flow is preheated to a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 1700 °C.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein by introducing the reactive compound or mixture of reactive compounds into the stream, the additional amount of thermal energy is added to the fluid medium stream propagating through the at least second rotating device within the continuous.

21. The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising introducing the reactive compound or mixture of reactive compounds into a process related to the production of steel.

22. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heated fluid medium generated by the at least one rotating device is selected from the group consisting of a supply gas, a recycle gas, a makeup gas, and a process fluid.

23. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fluid medium entering the rotating device is an essentially gaseous medium.

24. The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising generating the heated fluid medium within the rotating device.

25. The heated fluid medium generated in the rotating device may be air, steam (H ２ O), nitrogen (N ２ ), hydrogen (H ２ ), carbon dioxide (CO ２ ), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH ４ ), or any combination thereof.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein the heated fluid medium generated within the rotating device is a recycle gas recycled from off-gas generated from reacting a steel precursor material to produce steel.

27. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising, outside the rotating device, generating a heated fluid medium, such as a gas, a vapor, a liquid, and mixtures thereof, and / or a heated solid material, through a heat transfer process between the heated fluid medium generated within the rotating device and any one of the above substances bypassing the rotating device.

28. The heated fluid medium generated by the at least one rotating device is supplied into at least one heat-consuming unit within the steel production facility, and the heat-consuming unit is provided as any one of (i) a furnace, kiln or reactor configured to produce steel, (ii) a sintering / pelletizing plant configured to sinter iron ore into iron ore sinter / pellets, (iii) a coking plant configured to coke coal into coke, (iv) a post-treatment unit configured to post-treat steel products via any one of heat treatment, carburizing, casting, and / or rolling, (v) a reactor or series of reactors configured for the endothermic reaction of off-gases generated during steel production, or (vi) any combination thereof, according to the method of claim 1 or 2.

29. The heated fluid medium generated by the at least one rotating device is further supplied into at least one heat-consuming unit within the steel production facility, and the at least one heat-consuming unit is provided as any one of a heater, burner, oven, incinerator, dryer, conveyor device, or a combination thereof, according to the method of claim 1 or 2.

30. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising increasing the pressure in the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device.

31. The amount of energy directed as input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated within the steel production facility is in the range of about 5 percent to 100 percent, according to the method of claim 1 or 2.

32. The amount of electrical energy directed as input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated within the steel production facility can be obtained from a renewable energy source, or various different energy sources, optionally a combination of renewable energy sources, according to the method of claim 1 or 2.

33. The at least one rotating device is incorporated into the steel production facility together with at least one heater device operable with non-electrical energy, thereby being utilized to balance fluctuations in the amount of electrical energy, optionally the amount of renewable electrical energy, such as supply surpluses and shortages, according to the method of claim 1 or 2.

34. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the energy efficiency of the steel production equipment is improved and / or the greenhouse gas emissions and particulate emissions in the steel production equipment are reduced.

35. A steel production facility, comprising at least one rotating device configured to generate a heated fluid medium and at least one heat-consuming unit configured to perform a process related to steel production, wherein the at least one rotating device comprises a casing having at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one row of rotor blades arranged around a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, and a plurality of fixed vanes arranged to form an assembly at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades, wherein the at least one rotating device is formed such that an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium flow guided along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy conversions that occur when the fluid medium flow passes through the fixed vanes and the at least one row of rotor blades, respectively, thereby generating a flow of heated fluid medium, and the at least one rotating device is formed to receive an amount of input energy including electrical energy and to generate a heated fluid medium for inputting thermal energy into at least one heat-consuming unit, and the heat-consuming unit is formed to perform a process related to steel production at a temperature essentially equal to about 500 °C or a temperature exceeding about 500 °C , a steel production facility.

36. The steel production facility according to claim 35, wherein the at least one heat-consuming unit is a furnace formed for steelmaking and the at least one rotating device is connected to the furnace.

37. The steel production facility according to claim 35 or 36, wherein the at least one heat-consuming unit is a furnace formed to react a steel precursor material for producing steel and the at least one rotating device is connected to the furnace.

38. The at least one heat-consuming unit is any one of (i) a blast furnace in which molten iron is produced by reducing iron ore to iron, (ii) a sintering / pelletizing plant formed to sinter iron ore into iron ore sinter / pellets, (iii) a furnace, kiln, or reactor formed to directly reduce iron ore to direct reduced iron (DRI), (iv) a coking plant formed to coke coal into coke, (v) a post-treatment unit formed to post-treat steel products through any one of heat treatment, carburizing, casting, and / or rolling, (vi) a reactor or series of reactors formed for the endothermic reaction of off-gas generated during steel production, or (vii) any combination thereof, and the at least one rotating device is connected to and / or incorporated in any one of (i) to (vii). The steel production facility according to claim 35.

39. The steel production facility according to claim 35 or 36, wherein the at least one rotating device is further connected to a heat-consuming unit formed as any one of a heater, a burner, an oven, an incinerator, a dryer, a conveyor device, or a combination thereof.

40. The steel production facility according to claim 35, wherein the at least one rotating device includes two or more rotor blade rows continuously arranged along the rotor shaft.

41. The steel production facility according to claim 35, wherein the at least one rotating device further includes a diffuser region arranged downstream of the at least one rotor blade row.

42. The steel production facility according to claim 41, wherein the rotating device includes the diffuser region formed with or without fixed diffuser vanes.

43. The steel production facility according to claim 35, wherein the at least one rotating device is further formed to increase the pressure in the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device.

44. The steel production facility according to claim 35 or 36, wherein at least two rotating devices are arranged to form an assembly and are connected in parallel or in series.

45. A steel production facility formed to carry out a process related to producing steel through the method according to claim 1 or 2.

46. A method of introducing thermal energy into a process related to producing steel within a steel production facility, the method comprising generating a heated fluid medium by at least one rotating device incorporated within the steel production facility, the at least one rotating device comprising a casing having at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one rotor blade row disposed around a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, a plurality of fixed vanes arranged upstream of at least the at least one rotor blade row to form an assembly, and comprising the method comprising - incorporating the at least one rotating device into a steel production facility configured to carry out a process related to producing steel at a temperature essentially equal to about 500 °C or above about 500 °C, - introducing an amount of input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated within the steel production facility, wherein the input energy includes electrical energy, and - operating the at least one rotating device incorporated within the steel production facility such that an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium flow guided along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy conversions occurring as the fluid medium flow passes through the fixed vanes and the at least one rotor blade row respectively, thereby generating a flow of the heated fluid medium, further comprising A method of introducing thermal energy.

47. The process related to producing steel within the steel production facility is (i) a process of manufacturing steel carried out in a furnace, (ii) a process of sintering iron ore into iron ore sinter / pellets carried out in a sintering / pellet plant, (iii) a process of coking coal into coke carried out in a coking plant, (iv) a process of post-treating a steel product via any one of heat treatment, carburizing, casting, and / or rolling carried out in a post-treatment unit, (v) an endothermic reaction carried out in a reactor or a series of reactors during steel production, or (vi) any combination thereof The method according to claim 46, which is any one of.

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