Process for producing stainless steel using direct reduction furnaces for ferrochrome and ferronickel on the primary side of a converter

A process for producing stainless steel based on chromium ore and nickel ore in several process steps coordinated via intermediate products ferrochromium and ferronickel, the process comprising the steps of:

• providing a process line (10) having a processing converter (6), two direct reduction furnaces (3,4) arranged parallel to each other on a primary side of the processing converter, a transfer ladle (5) for transferring melt from the direct reduction furnaces (3, 4) to the processing converter (6), a foundry ladle (7) for transporting a produced stainless steel to a casting machine (8);
• producing liquid steel with ferrochromium and liquid steel with ferronickel in two separate direct reduction processes using low-cost chromium ore material (1) and nickel ore raw material mixtures (2) in the direct reduction furnaces (3, 4), respectively;
• tapping the liquid steel from the two direct reduction furnaces (3, 4) into a transfer ladle (5), liquid steel with ferrochromium being tapped first and liquid steel with ferronickel being tapped thereafter;
• charging the metal mixture of the liquid steel with ferrochromium and the liquid steel with ferronickel contained in the transfer ladle (5) into the processing converter (6);
• producing the stainless steel in the converter (6) by oxidation of the metal mixture, slag reduction, and adjustment of a chemical target analysis;
• and
• tapping the produced liquid stainless steel into a foundry ladle (7) and transporting the stainless steel to the casting machine (8).