Cold-Briquetted Iron and Carbon (CBIC), investigation of steelmaking behavior

Abstract

In the present paper, the effects of charging of Cold-Briquetted Iron and Carbon (CBIC) into the electric furnace on the steelmaking operating parameters was investigated and compared to the performance of Cold Direct Reduced Iron (CDRI) and Hot-Briquetted Iron (HBI) as the other products of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) family. The efficiency of the carbon charged through CBIC compared to free-charged carbon into the steelmaking furnace was also evaluated. The results revealed that although the energy consumption of CDRI is somewhat lower than CBIC, the Fe yield content of CBIC is higher and its tap time is lower than CDRI which may improve the productivity of industrial steelmaking plant. Conducting the steelmaking tests with CBIC having different carbon contents demonstrated that every 1 wt% increase in the carbon content reduces the electric energy consumption, tap time and metal yield by 1.4%, 1% and 0.35%, respectively and raises the Fe yield by 0.25%. Carbon charged through CBIC into the electric steelmaking furnace enhanced iron recovery from the molten slag more effectively and caused higher Fe yields amounts in comparison with free-charged carbon. Based on the obtained results, mass transfer of FeO through the molten slag and carbon through the molten metal were the rate-limiting steps for FeO reduction during the steelmaking experiments.