Patent ID: 6733561
Filing Date: 2004-05-11
Classification: C22B,Y02P

Abstract:
A continuous process for the reduction of ilmenite in a D.C. transferred arc furnace having a refractory lining and operating with a molten bath, one or more electrodes situated in the roof of the furnace acting as cathode, the molten bath acting as anode, and a frozen lining at least partly between the refractory lining and the molten bath, the process comprising the steps of:feeding the ilmenite simultaneously with carbonaceous reductant, in the absence of fluxes, to the molten bath; withdrawing titania rich slag and pig iron from the furnace; and controlling the operation of the furnace, the step of controlling the furnace including the steps of taking temperature measurements of a furnace wall adjacent the frozen lining, estimating the thickness of the frozen lining as a function of the temperature in the furnace wall, and controlling the amount of titanium dioxide in the furnace to urge a thickness of the frozen lining towards a predetermined reference value.