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Natural Resources and Engineering
Iron Unit Division |
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| Iron Unit Division |
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| ITmk3® |
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Process Summary |
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Kobe Steel has developed the ITmk3® Process,
which produces high-purity granular iron by utilizing iron ore
concentrate and non-coking coal. The ITmk3® Process
is distinctive with reduction, carburizing, melting and slag separation
occurring promptly at lower temperature.
The ITmk3® Process completely bucks conventional concepts
of ironmaking. Kobe Steel regards it as the third generation of ironmaking
technology, following the current major blast furnace-basic oxygen
furnace (BF-BOF) process and the direct reduction (DR) process represented
by the Midrex® Process. The ITmk3® Process
can make reduction reaction take place in approximately 10 minutes,
compared with 8 hours by the BF-BOF process and 6 hours by the DR
process. |
In the current iron ore market, the effective
utilization of low-grade iron ore is an issue, as it has become
more and more difficult to secure high grade iron ore. At the present,
low-grade iron ore is processed into iron ore fines, high-grade
iron ore concentrate and pellets through grinding, beneficiation
and firing, and is fed into the blast furnace and DR plant. In
the ITmk3® Process, iron ore concentrate and non-coking
coal are mixed together and agglomerated into green pellets. These
pellets, fed into a rotary hearth furnace (RHF), are changed into
granular iron, namely Iron Nuggets, through reduction and melting
occuring at a stroke.
Furthermore, the ITmk3® Process utilizes non-coking
coal as the reductant, which is abundant in volume worldwide in comparison
to metallurgical coal utilized by blast furnaces. Therefore, the
ITmk3® Process not only widens the sourcing of coal
procurement but also decreases the environmental impact by eliminating
the coking coal process required for blast furnaces.
Overcoming various difficulties, the utilization of non-coking coal
as a reductant for low-grade iron ore is embodied by the ITmk3® Process.
This process is gaining attention all over the world as a breakthrough
technology owing to the following advantages: reducing the cost for
ironmaking, widening the range of raw materials for the process,
and reducing the burden on the environment. |
Kobe Steel has constructed the world!s first
commercial plant in Minnesota, USA in cooperation with Steel Dynamics
Inc. (SDI)
>>Newsrelease |
| 1. |
Site : Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota,
USA |
| 2. |
Production capacity : 500,000 metric
tons per year |
| 3. |
Commencement of Operation : January,
2010 |
| 4. |
Name of Company : Mesabi Nugget Delaware,
LLC
(Joint venture company established by Kobe Steel and SDI in
2006) |
| 5. |
Product : Iron Nuggets for use in SDI!s
EAFs |
| 6. |
Kobe Steel's Role :
Providing the ITmk3® Process license, engineering,
major equipment supply and supervision |
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1. Utilization of low-grade iron ore
Iron ore fines produced by minutely grinding low-grade iron ore are
beneficiated in order to produce high-grade iron ore concentrate.
Conventionally, iron ore concentrate must be fired to produce
fired pellets, which are the feedstock for ironmaking in blast
furnace and DR plants. However, in the ITmk3® Process,
Iron Nuggets, which are equivalent to pig iron, can be produced
directly from green pellets without the firing process to produce
fired pellets.
2. Utilization of non-coking coal
Non-coking coal can be used as a reductant in the ITmk3® Process.
Non-coking coal is abundant all over the world and low in market
price compared with coking coal used by blast furnaces.
3. Flexible operation
ITmk3® is a simple process that uses conventional
equipment. Therefore, plant operation is quite easy. Furthermore,
a short retention time of approximate 10 minutes also facilitates
the start up and stopping of operations. |
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Environmental-friendly Technology |
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Approximate 65% of the world's crude steel
is now produced by the BF-BOF process. The BF-BOF process, of which
the scale continues expanding, is said one of the most sophisticated
ironmaking technologies. However, it is necessary to devise countermeasures
in order to reduce the environmental impact since baking the coking
coal to produce coke and sintering the iron ore fines to produce
sintered ore are required for the BF-BOF process. On the other
hand, the ITmk3® Process can decrease CO2 emission
by approximately 20%*1 compared
with Japanese blast furnaces*2 as
coke and sintered iron ore are not used. In addition, the reduction
volume of CO2 can increase in comparison
to mini-blast furnaces used mainly in China and India
| *1) |
The unit energy consumption in the
Japanese steel industry (BF-BOF process) is 20-30% lower
than that of Western countries.
Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth
(January, 2008). International Comparisons of Energy Efficiency
(Sectors of Electricity Generation, Iron and steel, Cement) |
| *2) |
Comparison figures of CO2 emission |
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| High-purity iron units are required to produce
high grade steel products, while the availability of such resources
is becoming tight. Steel producers need to secure a stable supply
of high-purity iron, and Iron Nuggets produced by the ITmk3® Process
can offer solutions with its great advantages. |
| 1. |
High quality equivalent to pig iron:
Total Fe : 96-97%, slag-free |
| 2. |
Increased productivity in EAF/BOF:
Superior melting performance due to high density and small
size of nuggets. Continuous feeding to steelmaking process
is possible. |
| 3. |
Easy transportation & handling:
No re-oxidization and fine generation |
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| 1996-1998: |
Laboratory testing |
| 1999-2000: |
Small pilot plant (3,000t/y) constructed
and operated in Kobe Steel!s Kakogawa Works, Japan |
| 2002-2004: |
Pilot demonstration plant (25,000t/y)
constructed and operated in Minnesota, USA |
| 2007: |
1st commercial plant construction started |
| 2009: |
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| 2nd half 2009: |
Commissioning started |
| Jan. 2010: |
Commencement of operation |
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ITmk3® pilot plant
Kobe Steel!s Kakogawa Works |
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ITmk3® Pilot Demonstration
Plant
Silver Bay, Minnesota, USA |
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ITmk3® Pilot Demonstration Plant
Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota, USA |
| The ITmk3® Process consists
of raw materials handling, reduction-melting, product handling
and off-gas treatment. |
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