Method and apparatus for manufacturing granular metallic iron

An apparatus for manufacturing the granular metallic iron by reducing a raw material mixture including an iron oxide-containing material and a carbonaceous reducing agent, comprising:

• a thermal reduction furnace for reducing iron oxide in the raw material mixture by the carbonaceous reducing agent through the application of heat, thereby forming metallic iron, subsequently melting the metallic iron, and then coalescing the molten metallic iron to granular metallic iron while separating the molten metallic iron from subgenerated slag;
• at least one material-charging hopper that charges the raw material mixture into the thermal reduction furnace;
• discharging means that discharges the granular metallic iron and the slag from the thermal reduction furnace;
• and
• a sieve or magnetic classifier that separates the metallic iron and the slag;
• wherein
• the thermal reduction furnace comprises:
• a furnace body,
• a moving hearth that transfers the raw material mixture and the metallic iron in the furnace body,
• a plurality of heating burners that heat the raw material mixture in the furnace body, and
• molten metallic iron cooling and solidifying means that cools and solidifies the molten metallic iron,
• while the furnace body has a predetermined zone which has flow velocity control means to control a flow velocity of an atmospheric gas within a predetermined range.