Patent ID: 7504065
Filing Date: 2009-03-17
Classification: C21B,C21C,F27B,F27D,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A direct smelting plant for producing molten metal from a metalliferous feed material including: a. a fixed smelting vessel to hold a molten bath of metal and slag and a gas space above the bath; b. a metalliferous material supply system adapted to supply pre-heated metalliferous material into the vessel, said metalliferous material supply system including two or more pairs of solids injection lances arranged around and to extend downwardly and inwardly into the vessel through openings in a side wall of the vessel, and a main supply line and a pair of branch lines for supplying said metalliferous material to the lances of each pair of lances with the branch lines for each pair of lances being of substantially the same length and interconnecting the main supply line and the lances of the pair of lances and including an upwardly extending section and an inwardly and downwardly extending section which describe an acute angle, the inwardly and downwardly extending section extending from an upper end of the upwardly extending section and being connected to an inlet of the lance and coaxial with the lance, and with the lances of each pair of lances being located on the vessel so as to be diametrically opposed to each other; c. a carbonaceous material supply system adapted to supply carbonaceous material for use in the vessel; d. a gas injection lance extending downwardly into the vessel to inject an oxygen-containing gas into the gas space and/or the bath in the vessel; e. a gas delivery duct extending from a gas supply location away from the vessel to a delivery location above the vessel for delivery of the oxygen-containing gas into the gas injection lance; f. an off-gas duct for facilitating flow of off-gas from the vessel away from the vessel; g. a metal tapping system adapted to tap molten metal from the bath and to transport molten metal away from the vessel; and h. a slag tapping system adapted to tap slag from the bath and to transport slag away from the vessel.