Patent ID: 8317898

Claim:
A method for production of molten metal, the method comprising: inserting into a melt gasifier oxygen, a reducing agent and iron, the iron having been reduced from iron ore in at least one reduction reactor, wherein the reducing agent is gasified with the oxygen, which gasifying produces cupola gas, and the iron, which has been reduced from iron ore in the at least one reduction reactor, which reducing produces top gas, is melted by heat generated by the gasification in the melt gasifier, and using the cupola gas from the melt gasifier as at least a fraction of reduction gas, and drawing off top gas from the reduction reactor; and providing at least part of the heat energy of at least one of the top gas and of the fraction of the reduction gas for use as cooling gas and for use as excess gas for indirect heating of at least one further gas used in the method, wherein the further gases used in the method are top gas recirculated into the reduction reactor after at least cooling and cleaning, and top gas introduced into the melt gasifier after at least cooling and cleaning.