A device for the direct reduction of
metal oxides, in particular iron oxides (DRI), constituting a bell-type furnace unit 18 in connection with a
process plant utilising
hydrogen (H2) as process gas, whereby the
plant is a set of the following functional blocks: process
gas cooler 19, steam condenser 20, process gas dehumidifier 21,
mechanical filter unit 22, process blower 23,
vacuum pump unit 24, post-process gas ejection
system 25, process gas
station (H2 and N2) 26, closed-circuit cooling water
system 27, loading and unloading unit 28 and condensate container tank 29, while the bell-type furnace 18, located vertically in a two-part separable casing 1, contains, in its lower part lb, a stationary thermally insulated
hearth 10, on which the loaded charge basket with an open-work bottom 3 is placed, whereby the upper part of the furnace in the casing la, which serves as a movable bell, is equipped with an internally placed
ceramic thermal insulation 2 with a process
temperature control system: a set of electric high- power heating elements 4 and a process gas flow system 11, 12, whereby the two parts of the casing la and lb, equipped with contact flanges 5 and 16 respectively, are tightly connected with each other and, moreover, a torus-shaped process gas manifold 7, with circumferentially external outlet nozzles 9, is placed between the
hearth 10 and the basket 3, integrated in function with the support of the basket 3, whereby the manifold 7 is supplied with process gas via an
inlet channel 12 located off-axially in the
hearth 10, while in the hearth 10, below the manifold 7, an outlet duct 11 for the used process gas is axially located.