Method and carrier for transporting reductant such as coke into a metallurgical furnace and production method of the carrier
View Patent ↗Provided is a method for transporting reductant such as coke into a metallurgical furnace containing a bottom layer containing molten metal and a top layer on top of the bottom layer containing molten metal. The method comprises a first providing step for providing reductant, a second providing step for providing metal, a forming step for forming carriers containing reductant and metal of reductant provided in the first providing step and metal provided in the second providing step, and a feeding step for feeding carriers formed in the forming step into the metallurgical furnace. Also provided is a carrier and a production method for producing carriers.
1. A method for transporting a reductant into a metallurgical furnace containing a bottom layer containing molten metal and a top layer on top of the bottom layer,
wherein the method comprises:
providing a reductant,
providing a metal,
forming carriers containing the reductant and the metal, and
feeding the carriers containing the reductant and the metal into the metallurgical furnace,
wherein the carriers have a density of 110 to 190% of the density of the top layer in the metallurgical furnace and a density that is lower than the density of the bottom layer containing molten metal in the metallurgical furnace, and wherein the carriers contain in mass percentage between 10 and 70% copper, the rest being reductant and optionally binder and impurities originating from the reductant and/or originating from the copper.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metal in the carriers is copper scrap.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the copper scrap is selected from the group consisting of rejected cast anodes, spent cast anodes, and secondary copper.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the carriers contain between 20 and 60% copper.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the carriers have an average grain size between 10 and 200 mm.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the carriers are formed by means of a press.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the pressing is by a hydraulic press.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises drying the carriers.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the carriers contain between 25 and 50% copper.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the carriers have a density of 125 to 150% of the density of the top layer in the metallurgical furnace.
11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reductant is coke.