Method for operating a metallurgical furnace

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022145411-A1
Application number	US-202017611367-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 13, 2020
Priority date	May 14, 2019
Publication date	May 12, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for operating a metallurgical furnace and a simplified way of providing synthesis gas for a metallurgical furnace, includes the following steps
performing a combustion process outside the metallurgical furnace by combusting a carbon-containing material with an oxygen-rich gas to produce an offgas, which offgas is a CO 2 containing gas; and combining the offgas, while having an elevated combustion-induced temperature due to the combustion process, with a hydrocarbon-containing fuel gas to obtain a first gas mixture having a temperature above a reforming temperature necessary for a reforming process, preferably a dry reforming process; the first gas mixture undergoing the reforming process, thereby producing a synthesis gas containing CO and H 2 , the reforming process being performed non-catalytically; and feeding the synthesis gas into the metallurgical furnace.

First claim

1 . A method for operating a metallurgical furnace, the method including the following steps:
performing a combustion process outside the metallurgical furnace by combusting a carbon-containing material with an oxygen-rich gas having a O 2 concentration significantly higher than air to produce an offgas, which offgas is a CO 2 containing gas, combining the offgas, while having an elevated combustion-induced temperature above 1000° C. due to the combustion process, with a hydrocarbon-containing fuel gas to obtain a first gas mixture having a temperature above a reforming temperature necessary for a reforming process, the first gas mixture undergoing the reforming process, thereby producing a synthesis gas containing CO and H 2 , the reforming process being performed non-catalytically and being a dry reforming process and/or a wet reforming process, and feeding the synthesis gas into the metallurgical furnace.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the oxygen-rich gas contains at least 60% of O 2 .

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the offgas, when being combined with the fuel gas, has a combustion-induced temperature above 1500° C.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel gas, when being combined with the offgas, has a temperature below 100° C.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the offgas and the fuel gas are combined with a supplemental gas, which is a CO 2 containing gas, to obtain the first gas mixture.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the carbon-containing material comprises tar, coke breeze, charcoal, coal and/or heavy fuel oil.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel gas comprises natural gas, coke oven gas and/or biogas.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the synthesis gas immediately after the reforming process has a post-reforming temperature above 1000° C.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metallurgical furnace is a shaft furnace.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metallurgical furnace is a blast furnace.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the synthesis gas is fed into the blast furnace at a tuyere level.

12 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the synthesis gas is fed into the blast furnace at a shaft level ( 10 . 2 ) above the tuyere level.

13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the synthesis gas is fed into the metallurgical furnace along with an additive gas having a temperature lower than the post-reforming temperature of the synthesis gas, which additive gas is a CO and/or H 2 containing gas.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the synthesis gas is mixed with the additive gas to form a second gas mixture before it is fed into the metallurgical furnace.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the second gas mixture has a temperature between 700° C. and 1200° C.

16 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Wurth Paul Sa

Inventors

• Castagnola Cristiano
• Micheletti Lorenzo

Classifications

• Y02P10/122

  by capturing or storing CO2 · CPC title

• C21B2100/22

  by reforming · CPC title

• C21B5/06 Primary

  using top gas in the blast furnace process · CPC title

• C21B2100/26

  by adding additional fuel in recirculation pipes · CPC title

• C21B13/0073

  Selection or treatment of the reducing gases · CPC title