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Title: AISI Direct Steelmaking Program. Annual technical report for year ending November 30, 1991

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10123530· OSTI ID:10123530

The Direct Steelmaking Program has completed the third year of research and development since cost-share funding was provided by the Department of Energy. The physical chemistry programs conducted by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have been completed. A pilot plant has been constructed and successfully operated at Universal, Pennsylvania, and construction of a new, two-zone vessel pilot plant has been completed and trial operation is underway. The success of the pilot plant operation coupled with the development of process models involving reaction rates, heat-transfer and fluid-flow rates, and mass and energy balances has led to a basic study of a 350,000 tonne per year demonstration plant that gives promise of being a low capital and operating cost alternative for ironmaking as compared to the coke oven, blast furnace process. It has the further advantages of ease of startup and shutdown, lower energy consumption, and modularity so that capacity can be adapted to need. The physical chemistry programs at CMU and MIT studied fundamental reactions among ore, coal, flux, slag, metal droplets, and the liquid metal bath. Work at CMU centered on slag foaming studies, coal devolatilization, dissolution of hematite and wustite pellets in bath smelting slags, reduction of FeO in slag by char, extent of reverse or depostcombustion reactions in postcombustion gases, and developing an overall smelting model.

Research Organization:
American Iron and Steel Institute, Washington, DC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
FC07-89ID12847
OSTI ID:
10123530
Report Number(s):
DOE/ID/12847-3; ON: DE92008640
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Jan 1992
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English