Steelmaking facility comprising a direct reduction plant and an electric-arc furnace

摘要

A steelmaking plant including a pressurized direct reduction reactor for continuous production of hot direct reduced iron with a batch-melting furnace and a standby cooler, all three being capable of being situated side-by-side, with such DRI being able to be alternatively fed to the furnace or to the cooler. The furnace is selectively charged through a diverter valve by a pneumatic transport system with the hot DRI being entrained in a carrier gas fed into a receiving bin (having an upper DRI/gas disengagement space and a lower DRI buffer portion). A pressurized charge of the DRI accumulated in such disengaging/buffer bin is periodically fed down into a dosing/depressurization bin which in turn depressurizes the DRI and feeds a batch of DRI down into the furnace. Upon sensing that the buffer portion is full, the DRI is then pneumatically diverted to the cooler, such as during furnace maintenance shut down.

主权项

1. A steelmaking plant comprising:
a direct reduction reactor for continuously producing hot direct reduced iron, DRI, with a discharge at its lower end; a DRI melting furnace; a separate DRI cooler positioned aside from said reactor; a pressurized disengagement buffer bin located above said melting furnace; a dosing depressurizing bin located in series between said disengagement buffer bin and said melting furnace and having a capacity to hold a charge of DRI of at least one heat size for said furnace; a pneumatic transport apparatus for conducting said hot DRI with a carrier gas from said reactor discharge to feed selectively, at a level above the discharge of said reactor, either said furnace via said bins or said cooler; said disengagement buffer bin having an upper portion, with space sufficient to disengage DRI from the carrier gas, and also having as its lower portion a buffering capacity to receive a continuing influx of DRI in sufficient excess of one heat size for said furnace to accommodate delays in the melting furnace until the buffering capacity is full; a first conduit means for conveying hot DRI from said reduction reactor to said disengagement buffer bin as part of the pneumatic transport apparatus; a second conduit means for conveying hot DRI from said disengagement buffer bin to said dosing depressurizing bin; a third conduit means for conveying hot DRI from said dosing depressurizing bin to said melting furnace; a fourth conduit means for conveying said hot DRI from said reduction reactor to said DRI cooler as part of the pneumatic transport apparatus; and a diverter valve for selectively directing a continuous flow of DRI from the reactor to one at least said first or fourth conduits.