Direct smelting process

US6602321B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES PTY LIMITED · AU

Inventors

• Rodney James Dry · Perth, AU
• Robin John Batterham · Melbourne, AU

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 4, 2001
• Grant date: Aug 5, 2003
• Expiry date: Jun 4, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P10/20
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A direct smelting process and a fixed, ie non-rotatable, metallurgical vessel for producing metal from a metalliferous feed material is disclosed. The process is a molten bath-based process which includes injecting solid feed materials with a carrier gas into the molten bath via one or more downwardly extending lance/tuyere (11) and causing gas flow from the molten bath at a flow rate of at least 0.30 Nm3/s/m2 at the interface between the metal layer (15) and the slag layer (16) of the molten bath (under quiescent conditions).