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Kobe Steel Begins Production using ITmk3 Process
Jan. 18, 2010 The world's first commercial plant using Kobe Steel’s ITmk3® process successfully began production of iron nuggets in the United States on January 12. Kobe Steel and Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI) constructed the plant at Hoyt Lakes, Minn.
Production of iron nuggets is expected to reach the facility's annual design capacity of 500,000 tonnes in mid-2010.
ITmk3 is said to be an innovative, next-generation ironmaking process, noted for the following characteristics:
- High-grade iron nuggets produced in about 10 minutes, with better meltability than blast-furnace pig iron when used in the steelmaking stage
- Ability to use lower-cost iron ore fines and steaming coal
- About 20% less carbon dioxide emitted compared to pig iron produced in a blast furnace.
The ITmk3 process also enables mining companies to produce iron nuggets to add value to their natural resources and expand their markets to include electric-arc furnace steelmakers, according to Kobe Steel.
The ITmk3 process is as follows:
- Pulverized iron ore and pulverized coal are agglomerated into ball-shaped pellets
- The pellets are fed into a rotary hearth furnace; reduction, melting, and slag separation occur in about 10 minutes
- The resulting product is high-grade iron nuggets.
Kobe Steel is working on iron nugget projects in North America, Vietnam, India, Russia, Australia, and other countries, a cumulative production capacity of several million tonnes of iron nuggets.
Following the completion of trials in July 2004 conducted at a demonstration plant in Minnesota, Kobe Steel and SDI formed a joint venture, Mesabi Nugget Delaware, LLC, to operate the commercial-scale plant. Full-scale construction of the facility began in November 2007. Mesabi Nugget Delaware will operate the ITmk3 Plant and sell the iron nuggets. Kobe Steel provided the ITmk3 process license, engineering services, primary production equipment, and technical support.
SDI plans to use the nuggets produced by the Minnesota ITmk3 Plant in its steel mills.