Patent ID: 7494615
Filing Date: 2009-02-24
Classification: C21B,C21C,F27B,F27D

Abstract:
1. A direct smelting plant for producing molten metal from a metalliferous feed material in a direct smelting process, including: (a) a direct smelting vessel for holding a molten bath of metal and slag and a gas space above the bath; (b) a solids feed means in the form of a means for injecting ground or pulverised solid carbonaceous material into the vessel, the carbonaceous material feed means including a grinding or pulverising means for producing ground or pulverised solid carbonaceous material, a plurality of lances for injecting the carbonaceous material into the vessel, and a carbonaceous material injection means for supplying ground or pulverised carbonaceous material under pressure to the lances and injecting carbonaceous material into the vessel via the lances, whereby the carbonaceous material injection means includes separate supply lines for each of the lances and a hopper for storing ground or pulverised solid carbonaceous material that is adapted to split the carbonaceous material into a plurality of uniform streams for feeding into the supply lines and is thereby adapted to supply carbonaceous material to each lance independently of the supply of carbonaceous material to the other lance or lances so that a breakdown of one or more than one lance or a breakdown of the carbonaceous material injection means for that lance or lances does not prevent the supply of carbonaceous material to the remaining operating lance or lances; (c) a separate solids feed means in the form of a means for injecting solid metalliferous feed material into the vessel, the metalliferous material feed means including a plurality of lances for injecting metalliferous feed material into the vessel; (d) a gas injection means for injecting an oxygen-containing gas into the vessel; (e) an offgas duct means for facilitating flow of offgas from the vessel away from the vessel; (f) a metal tapping means for tapping molten metal from the bath and transporting that molten metal away from the vessel; and (g) a slag tapping means for tapping slag from the bath and transporting that slag away from the vessel.