Products and processes for producing steel alloys using an electric arc furnace

Abstract

Feedstock for steel production in an arc furnace comprising a first influent comprised of cured and bound solid pieces comprised of a mixture of carbon materials, including a dominate amount of low grade coal, and a second influent comprised of ferrous material comprising scrap iron and/or steel for full reaction with the carbon material to produce the alloy.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: 
     
         1 . A method of making one or more secondary steel products in an electric arc furnace comprising the acts of:
 preparing blended, cured and bound solid soft carbon pieces as an influent into the electric arc furnace, the solid pieces comprising carbon material principally comprises of low value coal particles, coke breeze and/or petroleum coke and a carbon fixing binder;   providing ferrous material;   introducing the soft carbon solid pieces and the ferrous material into the electric arc furnace;   heat-processing the solid pieces and the ferrous material to obtain the one or more secondary steel products therefrom.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1  further comprising the act of causing the blended, cured and bound solid soft carbon pieces to comprise discarded revert material. 
     
     
         3 . In combination:
 solid blended, cured and bound soft carbon solid pieces comprising of carbon materials for use in an electric arc furnace by which a steel alloy is obtained;   the carbon materials predominantly comprising low value coal particles and also comprising a non-dominate amount of coke breeze and/or petroleum coke;   ferrous material for use in the electric arc furnace with the solid pieces;   the solid pieces further comprising by a carbon fixing binder.   
     
     
         4 . A combination according to  claim 3  wherein the solid pieces comprise, by weight, the following characteristics: moisture not to exceed 2.5%; sulfur not to exceed 2.0%; volatile residue not to exceed 2.5%; ash not to exceed 8.0%; and carbon not less than 85.0%. 
     
     
         5 . A combination according to  claim 3  wherein the solid pieces further comprising leftover revert materials from at least one blast and/or electric arc furnace. 
     
     
         6 . A method of producing steel alloy in an electric arc furnace comprising the acts:
 introducing into the electric arc furnace, while the furnace is operating, a first steel-producing influent comprising solid cured and bound pieces comprising a combination of carbon materials;   insuring that the cured and bound solid pieces predominantly comprising low value coal and further comprising coke breeze and/or petroleum coke. introducing into the electric arc furnace salvage ferrous material, with flux.   
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 6  wherein the low value coal comprises, by weight, 72-75% of the cured and bound solid pieces in the form of fixed carbon. 
     
     
         8 . A method of making a high fixed carbon influent for an electric arc furnace comprising the acts of:
 providing clean and crushed low value coal as a first influent to a blender;   providing coke as a second influent to the blender;   providing fixed carbon binder as a third influent to the blender;   proportioning the coal to comprise 72-75% by weight and the coke 10-17% by weight in the blender, whereby the coke acts as a temporary agent holding the ingredients together as a semi-solid conglomeration;   blending the ingredients in the blender until essentially homogeneous;   forming the conglomerate into small solid pieces;   firing the solid pieces to cure and bind them into high fixed carbon pieces for introduction into the electric arc furnace to produce secondary steel.   
     
     
         9 . A method of obtaining a composite fixed carbon product for secondary steelmaking in an electric arc furnace comprising the acts of:
 mixing low value coal and a lesser amount of coke together with a fixed carbon binder, the coke temporarily holding the mixture together as a semi-solid;   forming the mixture into small semi-solid pieces;   high temperature firing of the semi-solid pieces to cause them to bind and cure into fixed carbon pieces;   introducing the fixed carbon solid pieces together with scrap iron and/or steel into the electric arc furnace whereby the fixed carbon solid pieces and the scrap form steel without pre-deterioration of the fixed carbon pieces.   
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 9  wherein the high temperature firing act comprises pre-heating the semi-solid pieces to a temperature on the order of 550° F., then in an anaerobic environment to a temperature on the order of 1000° C. and anaerobically cooling the pieces. 
     
     
         11 . A low value coal-based composite source of fixed carbon in the form of cured and bound solid pieces for secondary steelmaking along with ferrous material in electric arc furnaces, the solid pieces comprising particulate low value coal in the range of 72-75% by weight, coke in the range of 10-17% by weight, a fixed carbon binder, the composite pieces being heat cured and reactively bound to prevent premature deterioration during secondary steelmaking in the arc furnace and having a fixed carbon content in the range of 75-90% by weight.