MIDREX Direct Reduction Process Overview
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ScribdTranslationsMIDREX Direct Reduction Process Overview
Translated by
ScribdTranslationsTHE DIRECT REDUCTION OF THE
MINERAL
OF IRON
• Ore reduction consists of producing metallic Iron
from Iron oxides using a reducing agent, either a
gas or solid.
THE DIRECT REDUCTION OF
IRON ORE
• The reducing agents used are carbon (C), carbon
monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H 2 ).
Agent
Reducer
OR
c co H, 2
THE DIRECT REDUCTION OF
IRON ORE
Direct Reduction Reduction
Mechanism • Reducibility
Astier's Law >> Low Ganga Porosity
Exhaust gases
mineral pellets
Reducing gases
REACTOR
Reduced output
for briquetting
MIDREX PROCESS
• This process was developed in 1964 by Surface
Combustion.
• It combines shaft furnace and
reducing gas generator
technology into an economical
continuous direct reduction
system.
• It uses gaseous reducing agents
produced from natural gas.
•
MIDREX PROCESS
The MIDREX Direct Reduction process is used in the plant to
transform iron ore with a low degree of metallization into a
direct reduction iron product with a high percentage of
purity, and in this way it is suitable for use in the
manufacture of steel, iron and foundry applications.
following the following sequence
– Hematite (Fe2 O3)
– Magnetites (Fe3 O4)
– Wustites (FeO)
– Metallic iron (Fe)
Fe2O3 ^ Fe3O4 ^ FeO ^ Fe
• REACTIONS
3 Fe2O3 + CO = 2 Fe3O4 + CO2 +
15.1 kcal DH = -15.1 kcal 2 Fe3O4 + 2 CO = 6 FeO + CO2 - 10.6
MIDREX PROCESS
kcal DH = +10.6 kcal 6 FeO + 6 CO = 6 Fe + 6 CO2 + 19.2 kcal
DH = -19.2 kcal Fe2O3 + 3 CO = 2 Fe + 3 CO2 + 7.9 kcal DH = -
7.9 kcal
MIDREX PROCESS
The process is divided into three parts:
- Reduction Heat Recovery Reformer
• REDUCTION: The iron ore is introduced into hoppers located at
the top of the furnace, where it descends through the furnace
MIDREX PROCESS
by the action of gravity, while it is heated and gases are injected
in countercurrent with high H2 contents. and CO2 to obtain
oxygen-free reduced iron. These gases react with the Fe2O3
present in the iron ore and transform it into metallic iron,
leaving H2O and CO2.
Fe2O3 + 3H2 ---> 2Fe + 3H2O
Fe2O3 + 3CO ---> 2Fe + 3CO2
The rate at which these reactions occur determines the residence
time necessary to metallize the product (3 to 6 hours).
•
MIDREX
This reaction period is
PROCESS
sufficient to reduce the
incoming iron oxide feed to Iron oxide -Feeding hopper
uniform metallization levels of Upper Gas — Ratio hopper Zone of
92% or greater.
—Distribution Pipe
Preheating
Reduction Zone
• The formation reactions are Reducing Gas
endothermic Nozzles Zone of
feeders Transition
PCold Gas Outlet
• Direct Reduced Iron is —Cold Gas Inlet
Zone of
Cooling
discharged hot to feed a
Zone of
briquetting machine to —p HierFoMIDREX
Download
produce hot briquetting iron
HIB.
•
MIDREX PROCESS
- REFORMER: It is a furnace covered with refractory material and
alloy tubes filled with catalyst, inside this, the gas is heated and
reformed as it passes through the tubes. The gas that has been
reformed again has 90% to 92% H 2 and CO 2 , which is why it is used
as a reducing gas inside the furnace. The reaction that allows this
process to be carried out is the following:
CH4 + CO2 --->2CO + 2H2
To maximize reforming efficiency, the gases that have been used in
CH4 + H2O---> CO + 3H2
Reformer Tubes
With Catalyst
Gas Reduction
the furnace are recycled and mixed
with
gas
fresh natural gas. Feeding
Gas Fuels and
Combustion Air
3kkEE4
• HEAT RECOVERY: In this part of the process, the heat from
the Reformer smoke is used to preheat the feed gas, the
MIDREX PROCESS
combustion air to the burners and the natural gas from the
process.
Smoke
BASIC PROCESS CONTROLS
> - Reducing gas quality (reducer/oxidizer): The normal set
point consists of approximately 2.5% CO2.
MIDREX PROCESS
> - H2O/CO ratio (in the reformer gas): This is maintained at a
level of 1.5 to 1.7 to 1. The operational water temperature
set point is approximately 55°C to 60°C.
> -Bustle gas temperature : Enrichment natural gas has been
added to the cooled stream and these are added to the
reformed gas in the reformed gas mixer. This mixture (with
controlled temperature and methane content) is now called
bustle gas.
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BASIC PROCESS CONTROLS
> - Control of metallization In the MIDREX process the
metallization achieved is around 92% and the most
interesting thing about these processes is that they
have a heat consumption of only 2.5 Gcal/MT and
MIDREX PROCESS
that they completely differ from rotary kiln systems
to carbon and which are of the order of 5 Gcal/MT.
MIDREX PROCESS
METALLIC FREIGHT AVAILABILITY, COSTS AND QUALITY OF
STEEL
• Sponge iron is not subject to fluctuations in price, quality or
supply (which is used in other reduction methods).
• Using a mixture of sponge iron and scrap, steel mills that
are integrated with the direct reduction process increase
their productivity through higher melting speed and more
precise control of the final product.
• The thermal and chemical conditions at the end of the
loading period allow better control of the carbon, sulfur and
phosphorus content during the melting period and a
shortening of the refining time.
MIDREX PROCESS
METALLIC FREIGHT AVAILABILITY, COSTS AND QUALITY OF
STEEL
• The purity of sponge iron makes it possible to produce high-
quality steel with a very low level of impurities.
• The stable cost of metallic iron units, combined with the
increased productivity of electric arc furnaces, substantially
improves the economics of steel production.
• This reduction in the time between castings means
increasing productivity and lowering the cost of liquid steel.
Continuous charging
The Midrex process has a continuous loading system, where the
metallized material is automatically transported from the storage silo
to the loading silos located near the arc furnaces,
MIDREX PROCESS
Environmental control
Midrex direct reduction process plants easily fall within
environmental pollution standards.
Raw material diversity
The basic raw material is hematite; This can be consumed in its
natural state (“lumps”) or enriched and transformed into “pellets”.
Some Midrex plants use 100% pellets, at the other extreme, up to
60% lump can be used with high productivity.
High metallization
To produce one ton of sponge iron, approximately 1.46 ton of iron oxide
ore (hematite) is required. Approximately 30% of the weight of the raw
material is lost with the removal of oxygen. The metallized product has a
degree of metallization of 92 –96%.
Carbon content control
MIDREX PROCESS
In the Midrex direct reduction process, carburization is controlled to
keep the carbon content of the sponge iron within certain limits,
currently the range is between 2 and 2.5%.
Fe2 + 2CO ---> Fe3C + CO2
3Fe + CO + H2 > Fe3C + H2O3Fe + CH4 > Fe3C + 2H2O
QUALITY
The thing is that since it comes from a primary material, with demanding
specifications, it does not incorporate contaminants into the steel
(unlike what happens with scrap metal, which recycles undesirable
materials).
• The average quality of Midrex is presented in the following table:
Parameter Range
% Metallization 94,5 – 95,5
% Carbon 2,0 –2,5
MIDREX PROCESS
% Total Iron 92,5 – 93.0
% SiO2 1,9
% Al2O3 0,7
%P 0,048
%S 0,003