Hismelt (R) - Direct ironmaking becomes a reality

Conference item

Following extensive trials on a 100 000 tpa Research and Development facility at Kwinana, Western Australia, HIsmelt Corporation (wholly owned by Rio Tinto) are confident of the future commercial success of this technology.The HIsmelt process uses iron ore fines and non-coking coals to produce molten pig iron suitable for feeding to BOF and EAF steelmaking vessels. The unique process configuration combines direct injection of raw materials into the molten iron bath, high rates of metal and slag mixing, and effective post-combustion of the bath gases to achieve efficient coal utilisation. This is the key to the strong economic performance of the process.HIsmelt has demonstrated its flexibility in using a wide range of ferrous feedstocks including steelplant wastes and high phosphorus ores. Coals covering a wide range of analyses have also been trialed and their performance parameters quantified.Another key factor in the success of the development has been the engineering of an inherently simple smelting vessel system which has demonstrated a high level of integrity resulting in trials of up to 38 days duration with greater than 99 per cent availability.The results demonstrate that HIsmelt has overcome its development challenges and is ready for commercial application.

Authors: Sherrington, D

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: ICARISM '99: PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ALTERNATIVE ROUTES OF IRON AND STEELMAKING
• Volume: 99
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 167-171
• Publication date: 1999-01-01
• Event title: International Conference on Alternative Routes of Iron and Steelmaking (ICARISM 99)
• ISBN: 1875776702