Process for producing molten iron and apparatus for producing molten iron

摘要

A process for producing molten iron with a combination of a moving-hearth reducing furnace and an iron bath-type melting furnace that includes charging a bedding carbonaceous material on a hearth of the moving-hearth reducing furnace and placing carbonaceous material-containing agglomerates containing a powdery iron oxide source and a powdery carbonaceous reductant on the bedding carbonaceous material; thermally reducing the carbonaceous material-containing agglomerates while moving the hearth in the moving-hearth reducing furnace to generate solid reduced iron and simultaneously thermally carbonizing the bedding carbonaceous material to generate char; hot-forming the solid reduced iron and the char into agglomerates without substantial cooling; continuously charging the agglomerates into the iron bath-type melting furnace from thereabove; and blowing oxygen-containing gas into the iron bath-type melting furnace to melt the solid reduced iron and to thereby generate molten iron.