Method for discharging reduced product from a movable-hearth furnace and a discharging device

A method for discharging a reduced product produced on a movable hearth of a movable-hearth furnace, comprising:

• removing the reduced product from the movable hearth by scooping the reduced product and the solid reductant with a screen;
• separating the reduced product from a solid reductant by removing the reduced product having a larger grain size from the solid reductant layer and discharging the reduced product with a screw feeder having an axis of rotation which substantially spans the movable hearth in the widthwise direction of the movable hearth and extends outwardly of the movable-hearth furnace, and which operates in such a manner that a part of the solid reductant is left on the solid reductant layer by controlling the position of the axis of the screw feeder with respect to the movable hearth;
• either leaving substances other than the reduced product on the solid reductant layer or returning the substances onto the solid reductant layer;
• and
• discharging the reduced product to the outside of the movable-hearth furnace.

A discharging device for discharging a reduced product produced on a movable hearth of a movable-hearth furnace, comprising:

• removal means for removing the reduced product from the movable hearth;
• separation means for separating the reduced product from a solid reductant layer located on the movable hearth;
• leaving-returning means connected to either leaving substances other than the reduced product on the solid reductant layer or returning the substances onto the solid reductant layer;
• and
• discharge means connected to discharge the reduced product outwardly of the movable-hearth furnace,
• wherein the removal means, the separation means and the discharge means comprise a screw feeder which substantially spans the movable hearth in the widthwise direction thereof and extends outwardly from the movable-hearth furnace, and a casing disposed at a downstream side of the screw feeder in the direction of movement of the movable hearth, the casing being formed with a sidewall extending along a rotational axis of the screw feeder and a bottom plate extending from the sidewall substantially parallel to the movable hearth.