DRI production | International Iron Metallics Association

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The reducing agents are carbon monoxide and hydrogen, coming from reformed natural gas, syngas or coal. Iron ore is used mostly in pellet and/or lumpy form. </p><p> The chemical reactions involved in the direct reduction of iron are the following: </p><h5 style="text-align: center;">With H2</h5><p style="text-align: center;"><sub></sub>3Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> + H<sub>2</sub> → 2Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> + H<sub>2</sub>O<br>Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> + H<sub>2</sub> → 3 FeO + H<sub>2</sub>O<br>FeO + H<sub>2</sub> → Fe + H<sub>2</sub>O </p><h5 style="text-align: center;">With CO</h5><p style="text-align: center;">3Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3 </sub>+ CO →2Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> + CO<br>Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> + CO → 3 FeO + CO<sub>2<br></sub>FeO + CO → Fe + CO<sub>2</sub> </p><h5 style="text-align: center;">With Solid Carbon in reaction</h5><p style="text-align: center;">CO<sub>2</sub> + C → 2CO </p><h2>Direct Reduction Processes</h2><p>There are several processes for direct reduction of iron ore:<br> </p><ul> <li><strong>gas-based shaft furnace processes</strong> (Midrex® and Energiron being the main ones) - accounting for 75.8% of 2019 DRI production (total 108.1 million tonnes);</li> <li><strong>gas-based fluidized bed processes</strong> (the Finmet / Finored process being the only commercial scale one in operation) - accounting for 0.2% of 2019 DRI production</li> <li><strong>coal based rotary kiln furnaces</strong> (mainly in India) - accounting for 24% of 2019 production.</li> </ul><p>Generic illustrations of the types of process are shown in the graphics below. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="assets/images/DRI-HBIproduction/Direct-Reduction_1.jpg" alt="Overview of direct reduction process types"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Overview of direct reduction process types</strong> </p><p><br> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="assets/images/DRI-HBIproduction/HBI-DRI-Available-Processes_2.jpg" alt="Direct reduction furnace types"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Direct reduction furnace types</strong> </p><p><br> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="assets/images/DRI-HBIproduction/Direct-Reduction_process_2.jpg" alt="Direct reduction processes for iron"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Direct reduction processes for iron</strong> </p><p><br> </p><p>Illustrations of the principal processes are shown below. The Midrex® and Energiron gas-based processes use predominantly iron ore pellets as feedstock, but sometimes with inclusion of lump ore in the furnace charge. The Circored and Finmet / Finored gas-based processes utilize iron ore fines as feedstock.The SLRN coal-based rotary kiln process uses lump ore and, increasingly, pellets as feedstock. There are variants of these processes which are described on the websites of the various technology providers. </p><h3>Midrex® process<br></h3><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="assets/images/DRI-HBIproduction/Midrex_Process.jpg" alt="Midrex direct reduction process flowsheet"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Midrex® direct reduction process flowsheet</strong> </p><h3>Energiron process</h3><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="assets/images/DRI-HBIproduction/Energiron_Process_Standard.jpg" alt="Standard Energiron process flowsheet"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Standard Energiron process flowsheet</strong> </p><p><br> </p><p>Watch the Energiron process video below: </p><p><div class="videoWrapper" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; /* 16:9 */ padding-top: 25px; height: 0;"> <iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/THyPkc9NQss" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> </p><h3><br></h3><h3>Metso:Outotec Circored process</h3><h3 style="text-align: center;"><img src="/assets/components/phpthumbof/cache/MetsoOutotectCircoredFlowSheet.474634c5909e383b935566c989bebf65191.jpg" width="735" height="534"></h3><h3><br></h3><h3>Finmet / Finored Megatrain process</h3><p style="margin-left: 100px;"><img src="/assets/components/phpthumbof/cache/Finored-process2.eb00b4cfdb68b5eabe2f52503ffbe3ed191.jpg" width="928" height="545" style="width: 928px; height: 545px;"> </p><h3>SLRN process<br></h3><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="assets/images/DRI-HBIproduction/SLRN_process_flowsheet.jpg" alt="SLRN direct reduction process flowsheet"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>SLRN direct reduction process flowsheet</strong> </p> </main> <aside class="small-12 medium-4 large-3 columns"> <div data-sticky-container> <div class="sticky" data-sticky data-anchor="maincontent" data-margin-top="4">  <div> <ul class="menu vertical"> <h3>Production Technologies</h3> <li> <a href="pig-iron-bf.html">Pig Iron Production - Blast Furnace Route</a> </li><li> <a href="pig-iron-ilmenite-route.html">Pig iron production - Ilmenite route</a> </li><li> <a href="hbi-production.html">HBI production</a> </li><li> DRI production </li> </ul> </div>    </div> </div> </aside> </div> <section id="footertopper"> <div class="row"> <div class="small-12 medium-6 large-6 columns">   </div> <div class="small-12 medium-6 large-3 columns">   </div> <div class="small-12 medium-12 large-3 columns">  </div> </div> </section>  <footer>  <div class="row hide-for-print"> <div class="columns small-12 medium-6 large-7"> <h4>International Iron Metallics Association</h4> <p>The IIMA is dedicated to those involved in the ore-based metallics value chain - raw material supply, production and transformation, trading and distribution, transportation and logistics, technology and equipment. Its members account for more than 80% of production and international trade in ore-based metallics.<br><br> Ore-based metallics - merchant pig iron (MPI), direct reduced iron (DRI), hot briquetted iron (HBI), granulated pig iron (GPI) - are value-adding feedstock materials for the iron & steel and ferrous casting industries and IIMA has as its principal objective their promotion through product and market support, innovation, education and regulatory support.</p> </div> <div class="columns hide-for-small hide-for-medium large-1">   </div> <div class="columns small-6 medium-3 large-2"> <ul class="menu vertical"><li class="first"><a href="contact-us.html" title="Contact Us" >Contact Us</a></li> <li><a href="news-and-events.html" title="News & Events" >News & Events</a></li> <li><a href="become-a-member.html" title="Join Us" >Join Us</a></li> <li><a href="about-us.html" title="About IIMA" >About IIMA</a></li> <li class="last"><a href="site-search.html" title="Search" >Search</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="columns small-6 medium-3 large-3"> <ul class="menu vertical"><li class="first"><a href="disclaimer.html" title="Disclaimer" >Disclaimer</a></li> <li><a href="assets/files/Public-Area/Membership/IIMAArticlesofAssociationJuly2021Final.pdf" title="Articles of Association" target="_blank">Articles of Association</a></li> <li><a href="code-of-conduct.html" title="Code of Conduct" >Code of Conduct</a></li> <li><a href="privacy.html" title="Privacy" >Privacy</a></li> <li><a href="acknowledgements.html" title="Acknowledgements" >Acknowledgements</a></li> <li class="last"><a href="sitemap.html" title="Sitemap" >Sitemap</a></li> </ul> </div> </div>  </footer>  <div class="row hide-for-print">  <div class="small-12 medium-9 large-9 columns" id="credits"> <p>© 2021 International Iron Metallics Association | powered by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bluespark.co.uk" title="blue spark web design sevenoaks kent">blue spark</a>*</p> </div>  <div class="small-12 medium-3 large-3 columns hide-for-print" id="social"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/21228763" title="linkedin" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-linkedin"></i></a>  </div> </div>  <script src="dist/bower_components/jquery/dist/jquery.min.js"></script> <script src="dist/bower_components/what-input/dist/what-input.min.js"></script> <script src="dist/bower_components/foundation-sites/dist/js/foundation.min.js"></script> <script src="dist/js/app-min.js"></script> <script src="dist/bower_components/foundation-sites/dist/js/plugins/foundation.dropdown.js"></script>  <script> $('[data-open-details]').click(function (e) { e.preventDefault(); $(this).next().toggleClass('is-active'); $(this).toggleClass('is-active'); }); </script>   <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/cookieconsent2/3.0.3/cookieconsent.min.css" /> <script src="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/cookieconsent2/3.0.3/cookieconsent.min.js"></script> <script> window.addEventListener("load", function(){ window.cookieconsent.initialise({ "palette": { "popup": { "background": "#efefef", "text": "#404040" }, "button": { "background": "#669933" } }, "content": { "href": "http://www.metallics.org/privacy.html" } })}); </script> </body> </html>

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DRI production | International Iron Metallics Association