Patent ID: 8313690
Filing Date: 2012-11-20
Classification: C21B,C21C,F27B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A direct smelting plant for producing molten metal from a metalliferous feed material using a molten bath based direct smelting process, the plant comprising: (a) a fixed direct smelting vessel to hold a molten bath of metal and slag and a gas space above the bath, the vessel including a hearth and a side wall; (b) a solids feed assembly to supply solid feed material, including metalliferous feed material and carbonaceous material, from a solid feed material supply location away from the vessel into the vessel; (c) an oxygen-containing gas feed assembly to supply an oxygen-containing gas from an oxygen-containing gas supply location away from the vessel into the vessel, the oxygen-containing gas feed assembly including: (d) an offgas duct assembly to facilitate flow of offgas from the vessel, the offgas duct assembly including two offgas ducts of matching diameter extending outwardly from a cylindrical upper section of the side wall of the vessel, the offgas ducts being positioned below the ring main and above the plurality of gas injection lances, and wherein the offgas ducts are positioned with respect to the cylindrical upper section of the side wall so that central axes of the ducts intersect each other and intersect a point on a radial line that extends from a central vertical axis of the vessel away from the ducts; (e) a metal tapping assembly to tap molten metal from the bath during a smelting operation; and (f) a slag tapping assembly to tap slag from the bath during a smelting operation.