Method for simultaneously producing iron, coke, and power
AssigneeForest Vue Research, LLC
InventorMichael P. Barkdoll
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An alternative ironmaking process for simultaneously producing a highly metalized iron/steel product, coke from coal, an iron/steel product from an iron rich feedstock, and, optionally, energy using heat recovery. The simultaneous process is performed in the environment of a non-recovery or heat recovery coke oven. The iron rich feedstock is layered on top of a coal bed. The iron rich feedstock and coal bed are heated in the presence of a reducing gas to reduce the iron oxides of the iron rich feedstock into the iron/steel product and to devolatilize the coal into coke. After quenching the iron/steel product and coke, the iron/steel product is separated from the coke.
Claims19
A process for simultaneously producing reduced iron from iron rich wastes and metallurgical coke from metallurgical coal, said process comprising the steps of:
- placing a layer of feedstock containing iron oxides on a top surface of a bed of metallurgical coal;
- placing said bed of coal containing iron oxides into a coke oven selected from the group consisting of non-recovery coke ovens and heat recovery coke ovens;
- maintaining said coke oven at a reduction temperature for a selected cycle time, said reduction temperature being a temperature sufficient to reduce said iron oxides into reduced iron and to devolatilize said coal in said bed into coke;
- providing a reducing gas in said coke oven during said selected cycle time, said reducing gas being a gas that causes said iron oxides to reduce to reduced iron at said reduction temperature;
- heating said coke oven to a melting temperature greater than the melting point of said reduced iron and below the melting temperature of iron oxide so that the melted iron flows down into the coke bed a matter of inches to a point wherein the reduced iron solidifies, which point protects the reduced iron from reoxidation and wherein the reduced iron is not in contact with underlying refractory materials;
- removing said bed and said reduced iron from said coke oven while keeping said bed substantially intact;
- cooling said bed and said reduced iron to a temperature sufficient to solidify said reduced iron;
- and
- recovering a metallurgical coke product and a reduced iron product from the coke ovens, wherein the reduced iron product has a metallization of greater than 95 wt. %.
A process for simultaneously producing reduced iron from iron rich wastes and coke from metallurgical coal, said process comprising the steps of:
- placing a layer of feedstock containing iron oxides on a bed comprising metallurgical coal;
- placing said bed in a coke oven selected from the group consisting of non-recovery coke ovens and heat recovery coke ovens;
- maintaining said coke oven at a reduction temperature for a selected cycle time, said reduction temperature being a temperature sufficient to reduce said iron oxides into reduced iron and to devolatizes said coal in said bed into coke;
- providing a reducing gas in said coke oven during said selected cycle time, said reducing gas being a gas that causes said iron oxides to reduce to reduced iron at said reduction temperature;
- heating said coke oven to a melting temperature greater than the melting point of said reduced iron and below the melting temperature of iron oxide so that the melted iron flows down into the coke bed a matter of inches to a point wherein the reduced iron solidifies, which point protects the reduced iron from reoxidation and wherein the reduced iron is not in contact with underlying refractory materials;
- removing said bed and said reduced iron from said coke oven while keeping said coke bed substantially intact;
- cooling said bed and said reduced iron to a temperature sufficient to solidify said reduced iron;
- recovering a metallurgical coke product and a reduced iron product from the coke ovens;
- and
- separating the reduced iron product from the coke product, wherein the reduced iron product has a metallization of greater than 95 wt. %.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.