Process for recovering metals from iron oxide bearing masses

摘要

A process for recovering iron from an iron oxide bearing mass. The process includes forming a bed of lump coke in a vertical shaft furnace, feeding the iron oxide bearing mass and scrap metal onto the bed of lump coke and combusting the coke in the coke bed while injecting a plasma gas having a temperature greater than about 5,000 DEG F. into the coke bed to form a reaction zone within the coke bed having a temperature in excess of 4,000 DEG F. The iron oxide bearing mass and scrap metal fed onto the bed of lump coke is melted to form a molten phase containing molten iron oxide and molten scrap metal. The molten phase flows into the reaction zone and a film is formed on the lump coke within the reaction zone, the iron oxide in the film being reduced by carbon from the coke to form molten iron in a solid/liquid reduction. The molten iron is discharged from the furnace.