Direct smelting process and apparatus

摘要

A process and apparatus for direct smelting metalliferous material is disclosed. The invention concentrates injection of solid feed materials comprising metalliferous material and carbonaceous material into a direct smelting vessel during the course of the process into a relatively small region within a metal layer in a molten bath in the vessel in order to generate a substantial upward movement of molten material and gas from the metal layer into a region in the vessel that is above the molten bath. In particular, the invention injects the solid feed materials with sufficient momentum and/or velocity via an opposed pair of lances that are oriented within the vessel and arranged to form overlapping plumes of injected material in the molten bath.

主权项

1. A molten bath-based process for direct smelting metalliferous material and producing molten metal in a direct smelting vessel having a vessel floor and an upper region, which process comprises injecting a solid metalliferous material and a solid carbonaceous material through at least one pair of opposed injection lances extending downwardly and inwardly into a molten bath in the direct smelting vessel with longitudinal axes of the lances in the pair of opposed lances intersecting within a top three quarters of a metal layer in the molten bath, as measured from the vessel floor, and selecting momentum and/or velocity of the injected material to penetrate the molten bath and to coalesce in the molten bath below a nominal interface of molten metal and molten slag in the molten bath under quiescent conditions, whereby plumes of injected material from the lances overlap in a central region of a metal layer in the molten bath and the metalliferous material at least substantially melts in the metal layer and there is upward movement of molten material and gas from the central region of the metal layer.