ITmk3 Technology

Development of direct iron reduction process based on coal, called ITmk3® (Iron-Making Technology Mark “3”), has been started by Japanese company Kobe Steel, Ltd in 1996. The objective was to create a modern technology to produce high quality products for metallurgical industry with successive significant reduction in production costs and lower environmental hazard.

ITmk3® technology is a simple process with a single-step furnace operation. It uses rotary hearth furnace (RHF) to transform iron fines and pulverized coal into iron nuggets. Reduction, melting and slag separation completes within ten minutes. Process temperature is 1350-1450°C.

In 1999 a pilot installation with capacity of 2,8 thousand tons of finished products per year was constructed in Kanagawa (Japan). Then, in May 2003 a Pilot Demonstration Plant with annual capacity of already 25 thousand tons was constructed in Silver Bay city (Minnesota State, USA). In May 2004, first lot of iron granules was produced which later was called nuggets.
The products of Pilot Demonstration Plant (around 9 thousand tons) were successfully used in electric arc furnace (EAF) of USA plants that produce high grade steel products: cold-and hot-rolled sheet, building bar of particular quality.
Currently, a commercial ITmk3 plant with 500 thousand tons of iron nuggets capacity per year is under construction in USA.

What is the constituent of high industrial, technological and commercial, social potential of ITmk3?

1. High quality of the product. Iron nuggets have much higher technical specifications (content of metallic iron is: 96-98%) in comparison to directly reduced iron (DRI) and is an equivalent to pig iron from the blast furnace. At the same time the size and the form of iron nuggets provide easy melting inside the oxygen converter or EAF and providing their continuous charging.
2. Significant cost saving of utilities. Comparing to multistep steel casting process using blast furnaces and other technologies of direct reduction of iron (DRI), based on use of large quantities of expensive natural gas, ITmk3 requires fuel recourses of significantly less volume and less cost.
3. High performance of fuel utilization. ITmk3 process flow provides practically complete utilization of chemical energy of natural gas components in the production process. Combustion gases do not escape the system which is a vital difference from typical blast furnace.
4. Low overhead production costs. Cost effectiveness is achieved as the result of simplicity, high degree of the process, reliability and small size of the plant and maintenance staff.
5. Possibility to use various raw materials. Direct reduction of iron Itmk3 plant is a flexible technology for carbon sources: possibility to use coal (noncoking one), oil coke or other carbon containing materials. In technological process low grade iron ores can be used.
6. Lower development pressure on environment. ITmk3® technology practically makes no harmful impact on environment since the process does not require coking plant or sintering plants. As the result, in comparison with typical system blast furnace emissions have less NOx, SOx and particulate matters (PM).
7. Possibility to contribute into industrial development of regions and creation of new jobs. There are many poor iron ore deposits and due to that it is not profitable to make investments into construction of mining and metallurgical plant of traditional model (mining and beneficiation) at these deposits. Nevertheless, it becomes possible in case of implementation of ITmk3 technology providing with high added value, low production costs, relatively low capital investments and required essentially smaller production site.

Many companies in different countries of the world have announced their plans to establish plants based on ITmk3 technology. They are, in particular, Cleveland Cliffs, Steel Dynamics (both - USA), Metinvest (Ukraine); companies from Russia, Kazakhstan, India and Australia.

On 22 November, 2007 Reuters agency has announced that Kobe Steel Ltd., Japan jointly with Steel Dynamics Inc., USA plan to construct pellets production plant in USA. Companies intended to apply ITmk3 technology in their new project. The plant will be located in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota State, USA. Nowadays the construction is under its run and has to be finished according to its scheduled in November, 2009.