DRI Pellets as a Scrap Substitute at Ispat Inland Inc.'s No. 4 BOF Shop

摘要

Ispat International N.V., a global steel company, is the world's leading producer and consumer of Direct Reduce Iron (DRI) pellets. DRI is consumed in electric arc furnaces (EAFs) at several Ispat International N.V. steel plants located in Trinidad, Mexico, Canada and Germany. Shortly after being acquired by Ispat International N.V. in 1998, Ispat Inland Inc. was requested to conduct trials with DRI to explore the potential for using DRI pellets in BOF Steelmaking. As a result, approximately 275 metric tons of DRI produced using the Midrex process at Caribbean Ispat Ltd., Trinidad was used and evaluated at Ispat Inland Inc's No. 4 BOF Shop. The evaluation process involved running a series of trials using DRI as a primary scrap substitute. During these trials, DRI pellets were dribble fed into the furnace shortly after ignition, added to the scrap box along with the scrap as part of the scrap charge and used as a dynamic coolant. The primary objectives were to get an understanding of the problems associated with handling, transporting and storing DRI, to develop furnace practices for its use, and to determine whether DRI had any significant impact on operating parameters and steel composition. In addition, a brief summary of existing literature on utilizing DRI in BOF steelrnaking is presented.