Method for operating a blast furnace

Abstract

A method for operating a blast furnace, including collecting a blast furnace gas from the blast furnace, the blast furnace gas being a CO2 containing gas, combining the blast furnace gas with a fuel gas to obtain a gas mixture, the fuel gas being a hydrocarbon containing gas, subjecting the gas mixture to a reforming process, thereby producing a synthesis gas containing CO and H2; and feeding at least a portion of the synthesis gas and an oxygen-rich gas into the blast furnace, where the blast furnace gas is combined with the fuel gas while containing substantially the same amount of CO2 as when exiting the blast furnace and wherein the blast furnace gas is combined with the fuel gas in an over-stoichiometric ratio, so that the synthesis gas contains a surplus portion of the blast furnace gas.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.