Method and system for producing low carbon ferrochrome from chromite ore and low carbon ferrochrome produced thereby

A method of producing a metal or metal alloy from feed materials located within a chamber in a DC plasma arc furnace, wherein said metal or metal alloy comprises low carbon ferrochrome, said method comprising:

• providing a single electrically isolated graphite electrode or cathode in said DC plasma are furnace above said feed materials in said chamber;
• providing a controlled and controllable constant DC output power to said electrically isolated graphite electrode or cathode from a DC plasma power supply to initiate a DC plasma arc from said graphite electrode or cathode to heat said feed materials in said chamber to produce a molten material bath in said chamber;
• establishing the height of a bottom of said graphite electrode or cathode with respect to a surface of said molten material bath in said chamber until a desired power is established to produce said molten material bath in said chamber, said power varying as a function of the feed rate of the feed mix materials;
• and
• stirring of said molten material bath, said stirring resulting from current flowing through said molten material bath producing Joule heating coupled with a magnetic effect of current flow through said molten bath to cause a local ripple effect or stirring motion in said molten material bath.

A system for recovering low carbon ferrochrome metal from chromite ore comprising:

• a source of aluminum granules that are low in magnesium and copper contents;
• a source of burnt lime;
• a source of chromite ore, said chromite ore containing chromium oxide and iron oxides;
• a source of Argon gas;
• a conveyor configured for carrying said aluminum granules, said burnt lime, and said chromite ore as a mix of feed materials to a chamber of a direct current (DC) plasma arc furnace via a feed materials injection system, said feed materials of said mix being in a proportion as determined by thermochemical calculations for reduction of said chromium oxide and iron oxides to form low carbon ferrochrome metal;
• a conduit configured for carrying said Argon gas into said chamber via a feed materials injection system;
• said direct current (DC) plasma arc furnace comprising a single transferred arc electrode or cathode electrode, an anode electrode, a direct current (DC) power supply, and a support holding said single transferred arc cathode electrode extending into said chamber, and over said anode electrode, said DC power supply being configured when said Argon gas is in said chamber to provide electrical power to said DC arc cathode electrode to produce a plasma arc thereby heating said feed materials in said chamber to a temperature in the range of approximately 1,660{umlaut over ( )}8 C to 1850° C. wherein said aluminum in said aluminum granules acts as a reducing agent to produce an exothermic reaction reducing said chromium oxide and iron oxides in said chromite ore to produce a molten material bath in said chamber above said anode electrode, said molten material bath comprising molten low carbon ferrochrome metal with molten slag floating on top of said molten low carbon ferrochrome metal.