Ilmenite Smelted by Oxygen-Enriched Top-Blown Smelting Reduction Original Research Article

Total ilmenite from Yunnan, China, difficult to smelt in blast furnace, was smelted by oxygen-enriched top-blown smelting reduction ironmaking technology. Much more details on smelting were discussed. Specifically, the influence of reduction temperature, slag basicity and molar ratio of carbon to oxygen on the reduction quality level including iron recovery and titanium and sulfur contents in the pig iron produced in the experiment was investigated. Iron recovery rate could reach 95% with titanium content below 0. 05% in pig iron produced, under the conditions of holding time of 30 min at 1 823 K, basicity of 1.1, carbon to oxygen molar ratio of 1. 0 and oxygen-enriched flow rate of 250 L/h. Oxidization potential of top-space of smelting reduction vessel and slag combination could create the driving force to partition phosphorous, titanium and silicon into the slag, which ensured low contents of the impurities involved above and carbon in pig iron. In addition, it avoided the generation of Ti(C, N) that could reduce interfacial tension of slag, which induced the formation of foaming slag seriously. Furthermore, jam of chargings and bubble flooding would be triggered, resulting in deterioration of BF state, increase of iron loss and decline of desulfurization rate.