Apparatus for the production of liquid iron, especially for directly producing liquid iron from ore

Abstract

A method for producing liquid iron, especially for producing liquid iron directly from iron ore, mainly comprising the steps of saturating an iron bath in a container by blowing particulate carbon into the bath, dropping iron ore onto a central portion of the bath surface to form a cone of iron ore thereon, blowing oxygen onto an uncovered border zone of the bath surface, blowing particulate carbon by means of a carrier gas into the bath between the bottom of the container and the bath surface, and mixing the bath by blowing a neutral gas through a porous member from a substantially central portion of the bottom of the container in upward direction through the bath, whereby the necessary energy for melting the iron ore is produced by afterburning of the CO producing during blowing of oxygen onto the border zone; and an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.