Midrex ’Hotlink’ DRI plant for United Arab Emirates

Archiv – Midrex Technologies Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S., has signed a memorandum of understanding with Al-Ghaith Holdings in the United Arab Emirates to establish the world’s first steelmaking plant using Midrex’s direct reduced iron (DRI) hot transport system, known as Hotlink.Midrex Technologies Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S., has signed a memorandum of understanding with Al-Ghaith Holdings in the United Arab Emirates to establish the world’s first steelmaking plant using Midrex’s direct reduced iron (DRI) hot transport system, known as Hotlink.
According to Midrex, this gravity-based transport system will enable Al-Ghaith to hot charge DRI to an adjacent electric arc furnace which, in turn, will help the steelmaker to reduce its energy usage and electrode/refractory consumption. It will also help increase productivity while downsizing the electrical system, and will help produce low-nitrogen steel for flat products, says Midrex.
The hot discharge module should provide 500 000 tonnes of hot DRI per annum and will enable the plant simultaneously to produce hot briquetted iron for export. The Al-Ghaith plant is expected to be commissioned by the summer of 2005.
In related news, Midrex has announced that a demonstration plant at Silver Bay, Minnesota, U.S., has begun continuous production of iron nuggets using the ITmk3 ironmaking process developed by Kobe Steel Ltd and its subsidiary Midrex Technologies Inc. The plant, located at the Northshore Mining taconite plant, completed a successful trial run in May when it produced 5 tons of iron nuggets. The facility began 24 hours-a-day operation on June 7 and has been generating around 2 tons of nuggets per hour.
Development plans call for the demonstration plant to operate until June 2004. Preparations are being made to construct a commercial-scale plant capable of producing 500 000 tons of iron nuggets per year, with a projected start date of 2006.
The ITmk3 process uses a rotary hearth furnace to convert iron ore fines and pulverised coal into iron nuggets of the same quality as blast furnace pig iron, according to Kobe Steel and Midrex.