Direct smelting apparatus and process

A direct smelting process for producing metal from a metalliferous feed material in a metallurgical vessel which process includes the steps of:

• (a) forming a molten bath having a metal layer and a slag layer on the metal layer in the vessel;
• (b) injecting feed material which includes metalliferous feed material and carbonaceous material with a carrier gas into the molten bath via a plurality of pairs of lances/tuyeres extending downwardly and inwardly into the vessel, with a first lance/tuyere of each pair injecting metalliferous feed material at a temperature of at least 200° C., and a second lance/tuyere of each pair injecting carbonaceous material at a temperature of less than 200° C., and smelting metalliferous material in the molten bath, whereby the feed material and carrier gas injection causes gas flow that entrains molten material in the metal layer and carries molten material upwardly as splashes, droplets and streams and forms a transition zone in a gas continuous space in the vessel above the slag layer;
• (c) injecting an oxygen-containing gas into the vessel via one or more than one lance/tuyere extending downwardly into the vessel and post-combusting reaction gases released from the molten bath, whereby ascending and thereafter descending splashes, droplets and streams of molten material facilitate heat transfer to the molten bath, and whereby the transition zone minimizes radiation heat loss from the vessel via the side walls in contact with the transition zone;
• and
• (d) tapping molten metal and slag from the vessel.