Method for operating a blast furnace installation

A method for operating a blast furnace, by improving the efficiency of hydrogen utilisation in a blast furnace, the method comprising the combination of H2 addition to the blast furnace, with a reforming reaction, wherein the part of hydrogen utilization in a blast furnace installation comprising the blast furnace, a reforming plant and a cowper plant is above 60% of the hydrogen fed to the blast furnace, wherein the hydrogen utilization is defined as:

• (hydrogen input to the blast furnace installation-hydrogen export from the blast furnace installation)/(hydrogen input to the blast furnace installation), wherein the hydrogen fed to the blast furnace is defined as the total hydrogen content of the gas in a cohesive zone of the blast furnace and of the shaft gas injected to the blast furnace at shaft level and the hydrogen fed to the blast furnace is totaling a flow of minimum 200 Nm3/t of produced hot metal and out of which a minimum of 50 Nm3/t of hot metal are fed to the blast furnace installation in form of molecular hydrogen H2, wherein the hydrogen input to the blast furnace includes in particular the hydrogen contained in the syngas, in the injected molecular hydrogen H2, in the other hydrogen containing gases, in the injected coal and/or tar, in the humidity of the injected gases and solid fuels and in the humidity of the hot blast.

A blast furnace installation comprising a blast furnace provided with a shaft, tuyeres arranged for feeding a first stream of a hydrogen containing gas to the blast furnace and gas inlets in the shaft of the blast furnace arranged for feeding a stream of syngas to the blast furnace, said blast furnace installation further comprising:

• a reforming plant comprising at least one reformer in fluidic connection with the top of the blast furnace and with a source of a hydrocarbon containing gas, said reformer being arranged for converting a stream of blast furnace gas and the hydrocarbon containing gas to a stream of syngas and being in fluidic downstream connection with said gas inlets in the shaft of the blast furnace;
• and
• a source of a stream of H2 in fluidic connection with the at least one reformer and/or with the gas inlets in the shaft and/or the tuyere of the blast furnace.