Patent ID: 6399016
Filing Date: 2002-06-04
Classification: C21C,C22B,F27B,F27D,Y02P

Abstract:
Direct smelting plant for producing molten metal from a metalliferous feed material including:a fixed smelting vessel to hold a molten bath having a metal layer and a slag layer on the metal layer and a gas space above the slag; a solids feed means to supply metalliferous feed material and carbonaceous material into the vessel; gas injection means extending downwardly into the vessel to inject oxidising gas into the gas space and/or the slag layer in the vessel; gas delivery duct means extending from a gas supply location away from the vessel to a delivery location above the vessel for delivery of oxidising gas into the gas injection means; offgas duct means for flow of offgas from an upper part of the vessel away from the vessel; a metal tapping means for flow of molten metal from the bath during a smelting operation out of a lower part of the vessel; a metal tapping launder to receive molten metal from the metal tapping means and to transport that molten metal away from the vessel; slag tapping means in a side wall of the vessel for tapping slag from the bath during a smelting operation; and slag tapping launder means to receive slag from the slag tapping means and to transport that slag away from the vessel; wherein the oxidising gas delivery duct means and the offgas duct means extend in a first of three discrete zones spaced circumferentially about the vessel and extending outwardly from the vessel; the metal tapping means and metal tapping launder are disposed in a second of said three zones; and the slag tapping means and slag tapping launder means are located in the third of said zones.