Reduction behavior of carbon composite iron ore hot briquette in shaft furnace and scope on blast furnace performance reinforcement

The reduction and melting behavior of carbon composite iron ore hot briquette in shaft furnace are discussed. As these agglomerates are made by the use of thermal plasticity of coal, the reduction rate by chain reactions in interface between ore and coal could be increased. The carbon composite iron ore hot briquettes achieve 95 % reduction degree in about 10-min descent time to the 1 100degreesC heat reserve zone bottom end and the drop of molten iron temperature is kept to 20degreesC. As a result, it is expected that these new agglomerates could decrease the fuel rate and discharging amount of CO2 as well as have a possibility of extension of furnace life. Finally the paper ends by shaping the future of blast furnace on environmental phases for the new century. Especially,it is expected that carbon composite iron ore hot briquette lowers temperature of heat reserve zone and shortens the length, suggesting the possibility of shortening of the reserve zone (inactivity zone), that is, shortening of the blast furnace height.