Direct smelting process

A direct smelting process for producing metal from a metalliferous feed material in a fixed metallurgical vessel, the process comprising 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 metalliferous feed material and/or solid carbonaceous material with a carrier gas into the molten bath via one or more than one downwardly extending lance/tuyere and smelting metalliferous material to metal in the molten bath, whereby the solids and gas injection causes gas flow from the molten bath at a flow rate of at least 0.30 Nm3/s/m2 at the location of the interface between the metal layer and the slag layer under the quiescent conditions, which gas flow entrains molten material in the molten bath 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, whereby splashes, droplets and streams of molten material contact the side walls of the vessel and form a protective layer of slag;
• and
• (c) injecting an oxygen-containing gas into the vessel via one or more than one lance/tuyere 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 minimises radiation heat loss from the vessel via the side walls in contact with the transition zone.