MPEI has developed an energy-efficient method of steel production

MPEI scientists have developed a method for straight liquid-phase reduction of steel from ores, characterized by reduced energy consumption.

As a result of the research, MPEI scientists have created a design for a perspective reactor for the continuous reduction of iron with a carbon-hydrogen mixture without the use of coal and coke. The energy source for the reduction reactions is natural gas. The developed method excludes coking, sintering and blast domain production and significantly reduces the technological process of steel smelting. The realization of this development provides for the construction of a fundamentally new metallurgical enterprise.

“The integration of the technology, developed by MPEI scientists will almost halve the energy intensity of steel production and emissions of pollutants into the environment. This effect is achieved through the realization of a continuous and one-stage process of direct reduction of iron” – commented Nikolay Rogalev, MPEI Rector.

One of the trends in the development of the steel industry at the global level is the integration of the technologies for non-domain iron recovery. The most famous example of such technology is Midrex, and among the domestic developments is ROMELT. The method developed at MPEI excludes additional equipment for producing reducing gas, as implemented in Midrex and does not use coal, which is necessary in ROMELT.

With a grant support, the work was carried out in the project “Development and research of constructive solutions for the use of hydrogen and increasing the efficiency of the iron reduction process in steel production" for the implementation of the research program “Priority 2030: Technologies of the Future” 2022-2024, by Konstantin Stroganov, project manager Ph.D. (Techn.), Associate Professor of the Department of Innovative Technologies for High-Tech Industries.