Apparatus for coal-gasification and making pig iron

A melting/gasifying furnace for the production of pig iron and the gasification of fuel consisting essentially of:

• (a) a furnace main of the shaft-like form having an upper region of a smaller diameter and a lower region of a larger diameter;
• (b) a top inlet for the introduction of reduced iron, coke and auxiliary materials and a gas outlet, which are provided in the top portion of said furnace main;
• (c) a hearth and outlets for molten pig iron and slag, which are provided in the bottom portion of said furnace main;
• (d) a static coke-filled bed packed substantially with coke of the lump form provided in a major portion of said furnace main extending from the bottom of the furnace main up to the upper region thereof, said coke-filled bed including therein voids through which gas flows up in countercurrent contact with molten iron and slag which flow down;
• (e) a tuyere or tuyeres adapted to blow therethrough primarily oxygen and provided in the furnace side wall of the lower region thereof at a level corresponding to the lower region of said coke-filled bed;
• (f) a middle opening or openings adapted to feed therethrough solid lump fuel to the front region of said tuyere(s) and provided in the furnace side wall positioned above said tuyere(s) and at the transition region between said upper and lower regions of the furnace main;
• (g) a combustion zone or zones which is/are formed of a charge of solid lump fuel fed through said middle opening(s), provided in front of said tuyere(s), directed toward the axis of the furnace main, and maintained substantially depletive of air to generate a reducing hot gas primarily comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen;
• and
• (h) a melting section comprising a stock of reduced iron, coke and auxiliary materials charged through said top inlet, said melting section being borne on the top of said coke-filled bed and allowing the reducing gas to flow up therethrough to melt therein the reduced iron by the sensitive heat of the reducing gas;
• (i) wherein the fed fuel is thereby gasified by the blown oxygen in said combustion zone(s) to generate and allow said reducing hot gas to flow up throughout the coke-filled bed and the melting section, with the resultant molten iron and slag flowing down through the coke-filled bed resulting in pig iron to be collected in the hearth and to be discharged therefrom.

A furnace combined with a shaft reduction furnace for the production of pig iron consisting essentially of:

• (i) a melting/gasifying furnace for the production of pig iron and the gasification of fuel comprising:
• (a) a furnace main of the shaft-like form,
• (b) a top inlet for the introduction of reduced iron, coke and auxiliary materials and a gas outlet, which are provided in the top portion of said furnace main,
• (c) outlets for the discharge of molten pig iron and slag provided in the bottom portion of said furnace main,
• (d) a static coke-filled bed packed substantially with coke of lump form provided in a major portion of said furnace main extending from the bottom of the furnace main up to the upper portion thereof, said bed including therein voids through which gas flows up in countercurrent contact with molten iron and slag which flows down,
• (e) a tuyere or tuyeres for primarily blowing oxygen and fuel primarily comprising carbon and hydrogen, said tuyere(s) being provided in the side wall portion corresponding to the lower region of said coke-filled bed,
• (f) a combustion zone or zones provided in front of said tuyere(s), directed toward the center of the furnace main, and maintained substantially depletive of air to generate reducing gas,
• (g) a melting section borne on the top of said coke filled bed and comprising a stock of reduced iron, coke and auxiliary materials charged through said top inlet, the melting section allowing the reducing gas to flow up therethrough to melt therein the reduced iron by the sensitive heat of the reducing gas,
• (h) a hearth formed in the lowermost region of said furnace main,
• (i) wherein the blown fuel is thereby gasified by the blown oxygen in said combustion zone(s) to generate the reducing gas primarily comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen, the generated reducing gas flowing up throughout the coke-filled bed and the melting section, with the resultant molten iron and slag flowing down through the coke-filled bed resulting in pig iron to be collected in the hearth and to be discharged therefrom;
• (ii) a shaft reduction furnace for the reduction of iron ores;
• (iii) a line for connecting said gas outlet of said melting/gasifying furnace with a reduced gas blowing inlet of said shaft reduction furnace;
• and
• (iv) means for feeding reduced iron into said melting/gasifying furnace, said reduced iron being formed by reducing said iron ores in said shaft reduction furnace with a reducing gas recovered from said melting/gasifying furnace.

A furnace combined with a shaft reduction furnace for the production of pig iron consisting essentially of:

• (i) a melting/gasifying furnace for the production of pig iron and the gasification of fuel comprising:
• (a) a furnace main of shaft-like form having an upper region of a smaller diameter and a lower region of a larger diameter;
• (b) a top inlet for the introduction of reduced iron, coke and auxiliary materials and a gas outlet, which are provided in the top portion of said furnace main;
• (c) a hearth and outlets for molten pig iron and slag, which are provided in the bottom portion of said furnace main;
• (d) a static coke-filled bed packed substantially with coke of the lump form provided in a major portion of said furnace main extending from the bottom of the furnace main up to the upper region thereof, said coke-filled bed including therein voids through which gas flows up in countercurrent contact with molten iron and slag which flows down;
• (e) a tuyere or tuyeres adapted to blow therethrough primarily oxygen and provided in the furnace side wall of the lower region thereof at a level corresponding to the lower region of said coke-filled bed;
• (f) a middle opening or openings adapted to feed therethrough solid lump fuel to the front region of said tuyere(s) and provided in the furnace side wall positioned above said tuyere(s) and at the transition region between said upper and lower regions of the furnace main;
• (g) a combustion zone or zones which are formed of a charged solid lump fuel fed through said middle opening(s), provided in front of said tuyere(s), directed toward the axis of the furnace main, and maintained substantially depletive of air to generate a reducing hot gas primarily comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen;
• and
• (h) a melting section comprising a stock of reduced iron, coke and auxiliary materials charged through said top inlet, said melting section being borne on the top of said coke-filled bed and allowing the reducing gas to flow up therethrough to melt therein the reduced iron by the sensitive heat of the reducing gas;
• (i) wherein the fed fuel is thereby gasified by the blown oxygen in said combustion zone(s) to generate and allow said reducing hot gas to flow up throughout the coke-filled bed and the melting section, with the resultant molten iron and slag flowing down through the coke-filled bed resulting in pig iron to be collected in the hearth and to be discharged therefrom;
• (ii) a shaft reduction furnace for the reduction of iron ores;
• (iii) a line for connecting said gas outlet of said melting/gasifying furnace with a reduced gas blowing inlet of said shaft reduction furnace;
• and
• (iv) means for feeding reduced iron into said melting/gasifying furnace, said reduced iron being formed by reducing said iron ores in said shaft reduction furnace with a reducing gas recovered from said melting/gasifying furnace.