Ironmaking Process

A Novel Flash Ironmaking Process

Advancing a Cost-Efficient Option to Produce and Eliminate Pelletizing Operations.

Steel is used in a wide variety of manufactured products, such as skyscrapers, automobiles, and bridges. The coke oven/ process that produces pig iron for requires additional energy to prepare the raw as sinter and pellets, and consumes large amounts of which is emitted as the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Alternative processes can avoid some of these issues, but are limited by low production capacities and Large-scale bench reactor facility layout. Photo credit Berry Metal Company. raw material restrictions. Therefore, the U.S. industry would benefit from ability to use ore fines provides a cost the development of a low capital cost Applications in Our advantage over processes that require process, scalable to large capacities, that Nation’s Industry ore to be agglomerated into pellets for can take advantage of the availability of ironmaking. The fine particles also cut The flash ironmaking process could inexpensive iron ore concentrate, and the furnace’s processing time to seconds. provide steel plants with significantly can use fuels that significantly reduce This translates to a smaller system for more energy efficient and customized potentially harmful greenhouse gas the same output, reducing both capital iron production facilities than that of emissions. costs and operating costs. Other potential competing processes. The novel, high-intensity flash benefits include improved refractory life, ironmaking process is a viable alternative and ease of feeding raw materials into the Project Description that uses iron ore concentrates that are vessel. The project objective is to conduct a plentiful in the United States. The process comprehensive bench-scale testing would use inexpensive, abundant natural Potential Benefits for Our campaign for the flash ironmaking gas to both heat the ore in the furnace Industry and Our Nation process concept to: and to remove oxygen and make a higher The flash ironmaking process would • Validate the design concept of the flash purity iron. One option is to immediately reduce energy consumption up to ironmaking reactor in terms of heat use this product in an integral, direct 20% over historical values by using supply and metallization degree. steelmaking operation to maximize iron oxide concentrates that do not energy savings. Alternatively, the product require pelletization or sintering, and • Determine optimum operating could also be collected as a solid to be could eliminate the use of coke ovens. conditions in terms of reaction transported to an for Greenhouse gas emissions could be temperature, reducing gas composition, cleaner steelmaking. significantly reduced by using natural gas and particle residence time. or hydrogen as the reducing agent instead A major advantage of flash ironmaking • Identify and address potential technical of coke. Preliminary estimates show that over existing ironmaking processes that hurdles, such as refractory lining and the use of natural gas would emit 39% use shaft or fluidized-bed furnaces is iron powder collection. the elimination of sticking and particle less carbon dioxide than with a blast fusion at high temperatures. The furnace-based process. • Identify and address potential safety challenges, including emergency shut- off procedures.

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OFFICE ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OFFICE

• Design an industrial-scale pilot plant. Milestones Project Partners This project began in 2012. • Estimate costs for the industrial-scale American Iron and Steel Institute Washington, D.C. pilot system. • Complete the system design, Project Director: Larry Kavanagh specifications, and build requirements Barriers Email: [email protected] for a 1 kg/hr bench reactor at Univ. • Achieving 1,300°C–1,600°C by of Utah, compliant with all safety University of Utah reducing heat loss. and environmental regulations (Lead Research Organization) (Completed). • Achieving required particle residence Salt Lake City, UT Principal Investigator: H. Y. Sohn time by optimizing the gas flow in the • Build the system and commission the Email: [email protected] system to avoid “short circuit” paths. reactor, confirming temperatures to be greater than 1,400°C, ore feed rate to • Identifying suitable refractory lining Berry Metal Company be greater than 1 kg/hr, and operation for extended service. Harmony, PA time to be greater than 6 hours ArcelorMittal USA Pathways (Completed). East Chicago, IN Researchers will design and construct • Achieve greater than 95% metallization a large-scale bench reactor and address with 1.5 times the theoretical minimum The Timken Company administration, safety and operation amount of reducing gas (2016). Canton, Ohio issues. The reactor will be commissioned and validation tests performed. Bench- • Determine optimum conditions for the United States Steel Corporation scale reactor design verification will flash ironmaking process (2017). Pittsburgh, PA commence following commissioning • Outline cost estimates and preliminary while experimental work continues using For additional information, design for industrial pilot plant (2017). the existing small-scale lab flash reactor. please contact Large bench reactor testing will then Commercialization David R. Forrest be launched with natural gas as the Technology Manager The American Iron and Steel Institute fuel/reductant. Information regarding U.S. Department of Energy (AISI) has the expertise and will optimum operating temperature, gas Advanced Manufacturing Office be responsible for formulating a velocity, reactor dimensions, and Phone: (202) 586-5725 commercialization plan. Options  refractory type will be determined as a E-mail: [email protected] regarding the pilot plant will be provided result of the testing. Optimum operating and considered by the industrial steel parameters will be established through participants. If a commercial partner designed experiments. is identified earlier in the process, this The design team will use a physics-based partner may participate in the design and analysis employing computational fluid construction of the pilot facility. AISI will dynamics and heat transfer to assist in also maintain and coordinate intellectual the design of a pilot facility at industrial property activities regarding patents by scale. The team will then provide a means of a holding company. Initial entry design concept with construction and into the mainstream market will likely be operating cost estimates for an industrial via steel manufacturing facilities looking scale pilot-plant. for a more cost-efficient alternative ironmaking process with reduced carbon emissions.

For more information, visit: manufacturing.energy.gov

DOE/EE-0874 • Updated April 2016