Method for smelting reduction of iron ore and apparatus therefor

An apparatus for a smelting reduction of iron ore comprising:

• a preheat and prereduction furnace means for preheating and prereducing iron ore;
• a smelting reduction furnace means into which preheated and prereduced iron ore from said preheat and prereduction furnace means, carbonaceous material and flux are charged and in which said preheated and prereduced iron ore is smelted and reduced, said smelting reduction furnace means having a bottom wall and side walls;
• a top blow oxygen lance having decarburizing nozzles and post-combustion nozzles at one end thereof for blowing oxygen into molten metal contained in said smelting reduction furnace means;
• at least one side tuyere disposed in a side wall of the smelting reduction furnace means and at least one bottom tuyere disposed at the bottom of the smelting reduction furnace means through which a stirring gas is blown through molten metal contained in the smelting reduction furnace means to cause a portion of the upper surface of the molten metal to swell upwardly, at least a part of said stirring gas blown through said at least one side tuyere being directed at the upwardly swollen portion of the molten metal to agitate said molten metal;
• and
• at least one upgrading tuyere through which a gas upgrading agent is blown to an infurnace gas generated from said smelting reduction furnace means, said upgrading tuyere being disposed in a gas exhaust pipe which leads the infurnace gas from the smelting reduction furnace means to the preheat and prereduction furnace means.