Flash Ironmaking

Book excerpt: This book addresses the two major issues faced by the modern steel industry: CO2 emissions and energy consumption. The steel industry accounts for 6.7% of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions and consumes 6% of the total energy consumed in manufacturing. In response to these critical issues, a new technology called flash ironmaking has been developed, aimed at producing iron directly from iron ore concentrate using gaseous reductants/fuels such as natural gas or hydrogen. This ironmaking technology takes advantage of the rapid reaction rate of fine particles and bypasses the palletization process. This book discusses the principles of flash ironmaking, laboratory experiments, and design and operation of a prototype flash reactor. Provides theories and principles of ironmaking and a novel ironmaking technology Includes laboratory experiments to establish the kinetic feasibility of flash ironmaking Covers the design and operation of a prototype flash reactor as well as the design of industrial-size flash ironmaking reactors Describes various cases of flow sheet development, which forms the basis for process analysis and simulation Presents economic analysis case studies Presenting a novel technology that addresses contemporary issues facing one of the largest manufacturing industries, this book is aimed at professionals and researchers in metallurgy, materials engineering, manufacturing engineering, and related disciplines.