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AssigneeNucor Corporation
InventorsRodney James Dry, Mark Hayton
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An improved direct smelting system and process using a smelt reduction vessel (SRV), and optionally, a cyclone converter furnace (CCF). The improved system and process utilizes a fast quench system in which hot process offgas containing molten material is quench-cooled from greater than 1400° C. (2552° F.) to no more than 600° C. (1112° F.) in a time-of-flight of no greater than 1 second. The quenching occurs using water spray injection and vaporization to cool, stress and break solid slag into slag pieces small enough to remove from the quenching system. The improved system eliminates plant availability problems associated with (i) accretion formation in the offgas train as hot process offgas cools down in a conventional (slow) manner to allow for steam-raising for power generation or other heat recovery purposes, and (ii) trigger mechanisms causing slag foaming events in the SRV that propagate up the offgas train.
A direct smelting method for production of molten metal and slag within a direct smelting system, wherein the direct smelting system comprises:
A direct smelting system for production of molten metal and slag, the direct smelting system comprising:
A method of forming pig iron using a quench system operatively coupled to a smelt reduction vessel (SRV), wherein the quench system comprises a dogleg duct and a quench nozzle system operatively coupled to the dogleg duct, the method comprising:
A quench system for use with a smelt reduction vessel (SRV), for production of molten metal and slag, the quench system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.