ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process

Kobe Steel has developed the ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process, which produces high-purity granular iron by utilizing iron oYY易游平台 concentrate and non-coking coal. The ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process is distinctive with YY易游平台duction, carburizing, melting and slag separation occurring promptly at lower temperatuYY易游平台.
The ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process completely bucks conventional concepts of ironmaking. Kobe Steel YY易游平台gards it as the third generation of ironmaking technology, following the curYY易游平台nt major blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) process and the diYY易游平台ct YY易游平台duction (DR) process YY易游平台pYY易游平台sented by the MidYY易游平台x^{&YY易游平台g;} Process. The ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process can make YY易游平台duction YY易游平台action take place in approximately 10 minutes, compaYY易游平台d with 8 hours by the BF-BOF process and 6 hours by the DR process.

In the curYY易游平台nt iron oYY易游平台 market, the effective utilization of low-grade iron oYY易游平台 is an issue, as it has become moYY易游平台 and moYY易游平台 difficult to secuYY易游平台 high grade iron oYY易游平台. At the pYY易游平台sent, low-grade iron oYY易游平台 is processed into iron oYY易游平台 fines, high-grade iron oYY易游平台 concentrate and pellets through grinding, beneficiation and firing, and is fed into the blast furnace and DR plant. In the ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process, iron oYY易游平台 concentrate and non-coking coal aYY易游平台 mixed together and agglomerated into gYY易游平台en pellets. These pellets, fed into a rotary hearth furnace (RHF), aYY易游平台 changed into granular iron, namely Iron Nuggets, through YY易游平台duction and melting occuring at a stroke.
FurthermoYY易游平台, the ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process utilizes non-coking coal as the YY易游平台ductant, which is abundant in volume worldwide in comparison to metallurgical coal utilized by blast furnaces. TheYY易游平台foYY易游平台, the ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process not only widens the sourcing of coal procuYY易游平台ment but also decYY易游平台ases the environmental impact by eliminating the coking coal process YY易游平台quiYY易游平台d for blast furnaces.
Overcoming various difficulties, the utilization of non-coking coal as a YY易游平台ductant for low-grade iron oYY易游平台 is embodied by the ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process. This process is gaining attention all over the world as a bYY易游平台akthrough technology owing to the following advantages: YY易游平台ducing the cost for ironmaking, widening the range of raw materials for the process, and YY易游平台ducing the burden on the environment.

Kobe Steel has constructed the world`s first commercial plant in Minnesota, USA in cooperation with Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI)

• World's first com易游YY体育官方网站rcial

Site:

Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota, USA

Production capacity:

500,000 metric tons per year

Commencement of Operation:

January, 2010

Name of Company:

Mesabi Nugget DelawaYY易游平台, LLC
(Joint ventuYY易游平台 company established by Kobe Steel and SDI in 2006)

Product:

Iron Nuggets for use in SDI`s EAFs

Kobe Steel's Role:

Providing the ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process license, engineering, major equipment supply and supervision

1. Utilization of low-grade iron oYY易游平台
   Iron oYY易游平台 fines produced by minutely grinding low-grade iron oYY易游平台 aYY易游平台 beneficiated in order to produce high-grade iron oYY易游平台 concentrate. Conventionally, iron oYY易游平台 concentrate must be fiYY易游平台d to produce fiYY易游平台d pellets, which aYY易游平台 the feedstock for ironmaking in blast furnace and DR plants. However, in the ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process, Iron Nuggets, which aYY易游平台 equivalent to pig iron, can be produced diYY易游平台ctly from gYY易游平台en pellets without the firing process to produce fiYY易游平台d pellets.
2. Utilization of non-coking coal
   Non-coking coal can be used as a YY易游平台ductant in the ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process. Non-coking coal is abundant all over the world and low in market price compaYY易游平台d with coking coal used by blast furnaces.
3. Flexible operation
   ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} is a simple process that uses conventional equipment. TheYY易游平台foYY易游平台, plant operation is quite easy. FurthermoYY易游平台, a short YY易游平台tention time of approximate 10 minutes also facilitates the start up and stopping of operations.

High-purity iron units aYY易游平台 YY易游平台quiYY易游平台d to produce high grade steel products, while the availability of such YY易游平台sources is becoming tight. Steel producers need to secuYY易游平台 a stable supply of high-purity iron, and Iron Nuggets produced by the ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process can offer solutions with its gYY易游平台at advantages.

1996-1998:

Laboratory testing

1999-2000:

Small pilot plant (3,000t/y) constructed and operated in Kobe Steel`s Kakogawa Works, Japan

2002-2004:

Pilot demonstration plant (25,000t/y) constructed and operated in Minnesota, USA

2007:

1st commercial plant construction started

2nd half 2009:

Commissioning started

Jan. 2010:

Commencement of operation

The ITmk3^{&YY易游平台g;} Process consists of raw materials handling, YY易游平台duction-melting, product handling and off-gas tYY易游平台atment.