Energy Consumption in Smelting Reduction

The concepts of theoretical gas utilization ratio, smelting heat of iron ore and effective calorific value of coal were introduced in this work. The practical gas utilization ratio and the gas consumption in the shaft of a reduction unit for smelting reduction were discussed. The Corex process was optimized and the energy consumption was minimized according to the relationship of gas production in the smelting unit and the degree of iron ore reduction in the reduction unit. It was proven that the most important factor for saving energy in smelting reduction process is to use coal with suitable effective calorific value for the smelting heat of iron ore.