Research and Development > JFE TECHNICAL REPORT > No.13 Special Issue on “Ironmaking Technology” and “Slag Products” > Development of the Process for Producing Pre-reduced Agglomerates

No.13 Special Issue on “Ironmaking Technology” and “Slag Products”

Development of the Process for Producing Pre-reduced Agglomerates

MACHIDA Satoshi     SATO Hideaki     TAKEDA Kanji

Abstract

The Japanese steel industry, accounting for more than 11% of total energy consumption in Japan, addresses the Voluntary Action Program for Environmental Protection, which targets reducing 9% CO₂ emissions in 2010 compared with 1990. Especially, the approaches of ironmaking process, consuming the largest energy in steel works, have become important. From the above background, the production process of prereduced agglomerates (PRA), which are reduced simultaneously with agglomeration on existing sintering machine, was proposed. It can be expected that the use of PRA on the blast furnace reduce total CO₂ emissions from the ironmaking process by more than 10%. In laboratory tests, a 45% reduction was achieved by examining suitable conditions for the coke breeze size, oxygen partial pressure in the suction gas and the granulated particle structure. Appling a briquette made by compression, reduction degree of 60% in the briquette was achieved and 70% reduction was achieved when the briquette was coated with a melt-retarding material. In addition, it was found that the pressure drop of the blast furnace using PRA was lower than that of conventional sinter, and decreases with an increase in the reduction degree in the PRA.

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