Genrikh Dorofeev

Abstract:

In a previous paper, the ORIEN Technology was introduced as a new, compact, energy intensive and self-sufficient as well as environmentally friendly iron and steel technology that has numerous advantages compared to the classical iron and steel production technologies. The purpose of this paper is to describe the basic physicochemical principles of this process. The core of the technology, that can otherwise be named a direct iron-ore to steel technology, is a special direct liquid-state reduction of unique iron-ore cold-pressed briquettes in a single electric furnace unit achieving simultaneously the reduction of iron ore in the briquettes and converting it into steel based on the principles of the energy self-sufficiency. The output of ORIEN process is a unique iron melt of a special type in which the carbon exists in non-equilibrium colloidal form and can be controlled to vary widely from 0.04% to 30%. Based on these fundamentals the new ORIEN technology can be used to produce various degrees of iron melts with different carbon contents in a single electric furnace unit and to replace the classical heavy flowsheet of agglomeration/sinter/pelletizing, coke batteries, blast furnace and BOF convertors. This opens the road for a paradigm shift for fundamental environmental protection, saving energy, decreasing cost and increasing the quality of the steel.