Process and plant for producing a metal melt

A process for producing a metal melt by reducing metal-oxide-containing material, in particular iron-oxide-containing material, in a fluidized-bed reactor by the fluidized-bed method and by subsequently melting down the reduced material in a melt-down gasifier, in which there is generated from carbon-containing material a reducing gas which is used for reducing the metal-oxide-containing material by the fluidized-bed method, wherein both the reducing of the metal-oxide-containing material and the melting-down of the reduced material are effected under atmospheric excess pressure, and wherein for the purpose of transferring the reduced material from at least one fluidized-bed reactor into the melt-down gasifier a lower pressure is set in an intermediate vessel situated above the melt-down gasifier than in the fluidized-bed reactor and the reduced material is allowed to flow, under relaxation, upwards from the fluidized-bed reactor into the intermediate vessel and conducted from the intermediate vessel via a sluice system into the melt-down gasifier while being pressurized.