A new combined process of residual oil thermal cracking and iron ore reduction is under development.
Fine iron ore is used as fluidized medium and is coated with petroleum coke in the thermal cracking process. The iron ore coated with the coke is fed to a fluidized-bed reactor where the coke is gasified with steam and oxygen to produce reducing gas, and then the iron ore is reduced with the reducing gas in another fluidized-bed reactor.
This paper summarizes experimental results of gasification and reduction by use of a batch type fluidized-bed reactor.
Reducing gas with high hydrogen content was generated and sulfur in the petroleum coke was effectively removed during gasification. The iron ore coated with 4wt% coke was rapidly reduced with hydrogen gas without occurence of sticking at a temperature of 900°C. The degree of reduction reached 95% in 10 min at 850°C and a pressure of 5 kg/cm2.
