8th International Congress on Science and Technology of Ironmaking - ICSTI 2018

Japanese steelmakers have executed “development of technologies for environmentally harmonized steelmaking process, ‘CO2 ultimate reduction in steelmaking process by innovative technology for Cool Earth 50’ (COURSE50)” since FY 2008. This is a national project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The target of COURSE50 is the mitigation of approximately 30% of CO2 emissions in integrated steel plants. For this purpose, two technologies are investigated, which include a) Intensified hydrogen reduction in blast furnace and b) Separation and recovery of CO2 from the blast furnace gas via chemical absorption and physical adsorption methods by the effective utilization of unused waste heat in steel works. The concept of the intensified hydrogen reduction of iron ore is as follows. Intensified hydrogen reduction must ensure the heat balance by decreasing the carbon direct reduction ratio, which is an endothermic reaction. To verify this concept, the experimental blast furnace is constructed in Kimitsu works, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation. Main methods of decreasing the carbon direct reduction ratio are blast and raw material control.And reasonability of the results is affirmed by comparison between results of three dimensional mathmatical calculation model and actual results of experimental blast furnace. The outline of results of the experimental blast furnace are reported and the basic concept is recognized through the experiment.