Iron production method of operation in a rotary hearth furnace and improved furnace apparatus

Abstract

The present invention is an apparatus and method for the direct reduction of iron oxide utilizing a rotary hearth furnace to form a high purity carbon-containing iron metal button. The hearth layer may be a refractory or a vitreous hearth layer of iron oxide, carbon, and silica compounds. Additionally, coating materials may be introduced onto the refractory or vitreous hearth layer before iron oxide ore and carbon materials are added, with the coating materials preventing attack of the molten iron on the hearth layer. The coating materials may include compounds of carbon, iron oxide, silicon oxide, magnesium oxide, and / or aluminum oxide. The coating materials may be placed as a solid or a slurry on the hearth layer and heated, which provides a protective layer onto which the iron oxide ores and carbon materials are placed. The iron oxide is reduced and forms molten globules of high purity iron and residual carbon, which remain separate from the hearth layer. An improved apparatus includes a cooling plate that is placed in close proximity with the refractory or vitreous hearth layer, cooling the molten globules to form iron metal buttons that are removed from the hearth layer. The improvements due to the present apparatus and method of operation provide high purity iron and carbon solid buttons, which are separate from slag particulates, and discharged without significant loss of iron product to the interior surfaces of the furnace.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 108,045, filed on Nov. 12, 1998.[0002] This invention relates to an apparatus and method for operation of an ore processing furnace for improved processing of iron oxide reduction. More particularly, this invention relates to the method of operation of a furnace for production of high purity iron and an improved furnace apparatus for iron reduction.[0003] In 1987, Midrex received U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,214, that taught reduction in a rotary hearth furnace and a method of operation which required less energy and a smaller smelting furnace by introducing reductant gases and fuel into the rotary hearth furnace.[0004] All major steelmaking processes require the input of iron bearing materials as process feedstocks. For a steelmaking method utilizing a basic oxygen furnace, the iron bearing materials are usually blast furnace hot metal and steel scrap. A broadly used iron source is a product known as Direct Re...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] In the direct reduction of iron oxide in furnaces, this invention improves the utilization of a rotary hearth furnace using a method for producing high purity iron product from iron oxide feed material containing carbon compounds, including the steps of providing a rotary hearth furnace having a hearth layer which consists of a refractory layer or a vitreous hearth layer formed by placing iron oxide, carbon, and silica compounds on the sub-hearth layer; heating the iron oxide, carbon, and silica compounds forming a vitreous hearth layer; placing coating materials on the hearth surface to form a coated hearth layer; feeding iron oxide material into the furnace and onto the coated hearth layer; heating the iron oxide material on the coated hearth layer; reducing the iron oxide materials on the coated hearth layer; forming liquid iron and carbon globules on the coated hearth layer, with separated slag materials; cooling the iron and carbon globules with a cooling surface, creating a solid button of iron and carbon product; and discharging iron and carbon product and slag material from the furnace. An improved apparatus includes a rotary hearth furnace having a cooling plate that is placed in close proximity with the hearth layer or refractory surface, the cooling plate cools the iron globules to form solid high purity iron and low carbon buttons that are removed from the vitreous hearth layer. The improvements due to the present apparatus and method of operation are providing high purity iron and low carbon buttons which are separated from the slag particulates, discharging the buttons from the furnace without significant loss of high purity iron in the hearth furnace, and generating iron buttons with iron content of approximately 95% or greater, and carbon content of approximately 5% or less in the discharged buttons of iron material.OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Problems solved by technology

Such a coating or bonding condition makes it difficult to remove or discharge the purified solid iron and low carbon product from the furnace.

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