[go: up one dir, main page]

US20140000834A1 - Method for Manufacturing an Austenitic Stainless Steel from a Nickel Laterite Ore and a Chromite Ore - Google Patents

Method for Manufacturing an Austenitic Stainless Steel from a Nickel Laterite Ore and a Chromite Ore Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US20140000834A1
US20140000834A1 US13/925,500 US201313925500A US2014000834A1 US 20140000834 A1 US20140000834 A1 US 20140000834A1 US 201313925500 A US201313925500 A US 201313925500A US 2014000834 A1 US2014000834 A1 US 2014000834A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
nickel
stainless steel
ore
molten
manufacturing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US13/925,500
Inventor
Wen-Chien Hsu
Pei-Te Huang
Yi-Cheng Wu
Cheng-Tung Yang
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Yieh United Steel Corp
Original Assignee
Yieh United Steel Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Yieh United Steel Corp filed Critical Yieh United Steel Corp
Assigned to YIEH UNITED STEEL CORP. reassignment YIEH UNITED STEEL CORP. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: Hsu, Wen-Chien, HUANG, PEI-TE, WU, YI-CHENG, YANG, CHENG-TUNG
Publication of US20140000834A1 publication Critical patent/US20140000834A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
    • C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
    • C21B13/00—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes
    • C21B13/004—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes in a continuous way by reduction from ores
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
    • C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
    • C21B13/00—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes
    • C21B13/006—Starting from ores containing non ferrous metallic oxides
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
    • C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
    • C21B13/00—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes
    • C21B13/02—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes in shaft furnaces
    • C21B13/023—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes in shaft furnaces wherein iron or steel is obtained in a molten state
    • C21B13/026—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes in shaft furnaces wherein iron or steel is obtained in a molten state heated electrically
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
    • C21B—MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL
    • C21B13/00—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes
    • C21B13/08—Making spongy iron or liquid steel, by direct processes in rotary furnaces
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
    • C21C—PROCESSING OF PIG-IRON, e.g. REFINING, MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON OR STEEL; TREATMENT IN MOLTEN STATE OF FERROUS ALLOYS
    • C21C5/00—Manufacture of carbon-steel, e.g. plain mild steel, medium carbon steel or cast steel or stainless steel
    • C21C5/005—Manufacture of stainless steel
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
    • C21C—PROCESSING OF PIG-IRON, e.g. REFINING, MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON OR STEEL; TREATMENT IN MOLTEN STATE OF FERROUS ALLOYS
    • C21C5/00—Manufacture of carbon-steel, e.g. plain mild steel, medium carbon steel or cast steel or stainless steel
    • C21C5/28—Manufacture of steel in the converter
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
    • C22B23/00—Obtaining nickel or cobalt
    • C22B23/005—Preliminary treatment of ores, e.g. by roasting or by the Krupp-Renn process
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
    • C22B23/00—Obtaining nickel or cobalt
    • C22B23/02—Obtaining nickel or cobalt by dry processes
    • C22B23/023—Obtaining nickel or cobalt by dry processes with formation of ferro-nickel or ferro-cobalt
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
    • C22B34/00—Obtaining refractory metals
    • C22B34/30—Obtaining chromium, molybdenum or tungsten
    • C22B34/32—Obtaining chromium
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22C—ALLOYS
    • C22C1/00—Making non-ferrous alloys
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22C—ALLOYS
    • C22C1/00—Making non-ferrous alloys
    • C22C1/02—Making non-ferrous alloys by melting
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22C—ALLOYS
    • C22C33/00—Making ferrous alloys
    • C22C33/04—Making ferrous alloys by melting
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22C—ALLOYS
    • C22C38/00—Ferrous alloys, e.g. steel alloys
    • C22C38/18—Ferrous alloys, e.g. steel alloys containing chromium
    • C22C38/40—Ferrous alloys, e.g. steel alloys containing chromium with nickel

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel, more particularly to a method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a cost-effective method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore.
  • a method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore includes steps of:
  • a method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore includes steps of:
  • a method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore includes steps of:
  • step b) processing the nickel laterite ore into a nickel-containing precursor based on the determination made in step a);
  • the nickel laterite ore is dried in a drying kiln at a drying temperature ranging from 600 to 700 to remove free water contained in the nickel laterite ore from 30-35% to 10-20%.
  • the nickel laterite ore is then crushed, screened, and blended, followed by roasting in a rotary kiln at a roasting temperature ranging from 800 to 950 to remove residual free water and crystallization water from the nickel laterite ore.
  • a reducing agent such as anthracite coal is fed into the rotary kiln to obtain a pre-reduced calcine.
  • the calcine is molten in an electric furnace to obtain the molten ferronickel.
  • the tapping temperature of the slag is controlled in a range from 1550 to 1650 and the tapping temperature of the molten ferronickel is controlled in a range from 1400 to 1500 so as to obtain a better effect for separating the slag from the molten ferronickel.
  • the molten ferronickel includes: 8-15 wt % of Ni, less than 4 wt % of C, less than 2 wt % of Si, and less than 0.06 wt % of P.
  • the chromite ore (content of Cr 2 O 3 : less than 62 wt %) is mixed with a coke powder and is pressed in a ball press machine to form chromite pellets, followed by drying the chromite pellets to remove water.
  • the dried chromite pellets are then sintered in a sintering device at a temperature ranging from 1350 to 1450 to obtain a sintered chromite ore having a particle size less than 30 mm.
  • the sintered chromite ore along with a coke particle is then molten in another electric furnace to obtain the molten ferrochrome.
  • the tapping temperature of the slag is controlled in a range from 1600 to 1700.
  • the molten ferrochrome includes: less than 60 wt % of Cr, less than 9 wt % of C, less than 5 wt % of Si, and less than 0.03 wt % of P.
  • the molten ferronickel and the molten ferrochrome are transferred into a converter in a hot charging manner to obtain the molten stainless steel.
  • the molten stainless steel is charged into a continuous casting machine to obtain the stainless steel slab.
  • steps iii) and iv) can be conducted in a manner well known in the art, and thus are not described in detail herein.
  • the molten ferronickel and the molten ferrochrome can be added into the converter in a ratio determined according to the specific stainless steel to be manufactured.
  • the 202 series stainless steel contains 4-6 wt % of Ni and 17-19 wt % of Cr
  • the 304 series stainless steel contains 8-10.5 wt % of Ni and 17.5-19.5 wt % of Cr.
  • the 202 series stainless steel can be manufactured by formulating 65 wt % of the molten ferronickel with 35 wt % of the molten ferrochrome.
  • the 304 series stainless steel can be manufactured by formulating 55 wt % of the molten ferronickel with 45 wt % of the molten ferrochrome.
  • the molten ferronickel and the molten ferrochrome are obtained respectively from the nickel laterite ore and the chromite ore
  • the stainless steel of various series can be manufactured by formulating the molten ferronickel with the molten ferrochrome in a specific ratio of the molten ferronickel to the molten ferrochrome, which can be easily adjusted and controlled according to the specific stainless steel to be manufactured. Therefore, the consumption of fuel and electricity can be reduced due to the reduction of the repeated melting times, and the manufacturing cost can be effectively controlled so as to raise the profit for the manufacturer.
  • the nickel laterite ore is crushed and pulped with water to form a pulp material, followed by agitating the pulp material with a sulfuric acid solution under a high pressure atmosphere to form a mixture.
  • a solid-liquid ratio of the nickel laterite ore to the sulfuric acid solution is about 1:4 in the mixture.
  • the pulp material is agitated with the sulfuric acid solution under a pressure ranging from 4 to 5 MPa and at a temperature ranging from 250° C. to 300° C.
  • a leach solution containing nickel and cobalt is then filtered out of the mixture. The leach solution is separated by solvent extraction into an extraction solution containing nickel and an anti-extraction solution containing cobalt.
  • the extraction solution and the anti-extraction solution are electrolyzed to obtain pure nickel and pure cobalt, respectively.
  • the purity of the pure nickel is greater than 99 wt %, and the recovery rate of the pure nickel and cobalt is greater than 90% in the preferred embodiment.
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step ii) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • the pure nickel is transferred into a convertor via a belt conveyor, and the molten ferrochrome is hot charged into o the convertor to obtain the molten stainless steel.
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step iv) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • the aforesaid 202 series stainless steel can be manufactured by formulating 5 wt % of the pure nickel, 75 wt % of the molten ferrochrome, and 20 wt % of a carbon steel scrap.
  • the aforesaid 304 series stainless steel can be manufactured by formulating 9 wt % of the pure nickel, 76 wt % of the molten ferrochrome, and 15 wt % of a carbon steel scrap.
  • the stainless steel of various series can be manufactured by formulating the pure nickel, the molten ferrochrome, and the carbon steel scrap in a specific ratio thereof, valuable pure cobalt can be obtained in the aforesaid step I) along with the pure nickel so as to obtain an additional economic benefit.
  • the following steps are performed.
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step i) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step ii) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step iii) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step iv) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • the molten ferronickel and the molten ferrochrome can be added into the converter in a ratio determined according to the specific stainless steel to be manufactured.
  • the nickel content of the nickel laterite ore is determined to be less than 1.5 wt % based on total weight of the nickel laterite ore, the following steps are performed.
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step I) in the second preferred embodiment.
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step ii) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step III) in the second preferred embodiment.
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step IV) in the second preferred embodiment.
  • the stainless steel of various series can be manufactured by formulating the pure nickel with the molten ferrochrome along with the carbon steel scrap in a specific ratio, which can be easily adjusted and controlled according to the specific stainless steel to be manufactured. Furthermore, other noble metals, such as pure cobalt, can be obtained along with the pure nickel in the electrolytic step. Therefore, the economic value of the method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel of the present invention can be further raised.
  • both the molten ferronickel and the pure nickel can be transferred into the convertor, and the molten ferrochrome is hot charged into the convertor so as to obtain the molten stainless steel.
  • the nickel laterite ore can be effectively treated to obtain a molten ferronickel or a pure nickel. Therefore, the method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel of the present invention is relatively flexible and cost-effective as compared to the prior art.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
  • Carbon Steel Or Casting Steel Manufacturing (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Steel In Its Molten State (AREA)

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore includes the steps of determining a nickel content of the nickel laterite ore; processing the nickel laterite ore into a nickel-containing precursor based on the determination; obtaining a molten ferrochrome from the chromite ore; transferring the nickel-containing precursor into a converter, and hot charging the molten ferrochrome into the converter to obtain a molten stainless steel; and charging the molten stainless steel into a continuous casting machine to obtain a stainless steel slab.

Description

    CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
  • This application claims priority of Taiwanese application No. 101123242, filed on Jun. 28, 2012.
    • BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • 1. Field of the Invention
  • The invention relates to a method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel, more particularly to a method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore.
  • 2. Description of the Related Art
  • In a conventional method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel, scrap and ferroalloy are used as main raw materials and are smelted into a molten metal in an electric furnace. The molten metal is then transferred to a converter along with adding a ferronickel and/or a ferrochrome into the converter in a ratio determined according to the specific steel to be made (for example, 200 or 300 series stainless steel), thereby obtaining an austenitic stainless steel. Since the cost for a noble metal such as nickel is about 40-50% of the total cost for the stainless steel, the profit of the stainless steel manufacturer is easily affected or even lost due to the price volatility of the noble metal.
  • There has been developed a process for producing a stainless steel master alloy by directly smelting a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore as raw materials in an electric furnace or a blast furnace, as disclosed in Chinese Patent Publication Nos. CN 102212691 A and CN 101701312 A, so as to save the cost for manufacturing a stainless steel. However, in the process disclosed in the aforesaid prior art, the nickel laterite ore and the chromite ore are not pretreated to remove free water and crystallization water prior to the smelting procedure, and a relatively great amount of energy is consumed to remove water during the smelting procedure. Furthermore, there are other disadvantages in the process of the aforesaid prior art, such as difficulty in control of the nickel content in the molten metal, relatively great amount of impurities, and inferior recovery rate. Additionally, rare metal such as cobalt usually contained in the nickel laterite ore cannot be extracted and recovered in the process of the aforesaid prior art.
    • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a cost-effective method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore.
  • According to a first aspect of this invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore. The method includes steps of:
  • a) crushing, screening, and blending the nickel laterite ore, followed by roasting the nickel laterite ore in a rotary kiln to remove free water and crystallization water along with charging a reducing agent into the rotary kiln to obtain a calcine, and smelting the calcine in an electric furnace to obtain a molten ferronickel;
  • b) sintering the chromite ore in a sintering device to obtain a sintered chromite ore, followed by smelting the sintered chromite ore along with a coke particle in another electric furnace to obtain a molten ferrochrome;
  • c) hot charging the molten ferronickel and the molten ferrochrome into a converter to obtain a molten stainless steel; and
  • d) charging the molten stainless steel into a continuous casting machine to obtain a stainless steel slab.
  • According to a second aspect of this invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore. The method includes steps of:
  • a) crushing the nickel laterite ore and pulping the nickel laterite ore with water to form a pulp material, followed by agitating the pulp material with a sulfuric acid solution under a high pressure atmosphere to form a mixture, filtering a leach solution containing nickel and cobalt out of the mixture, separating the leach solution by solvent extraction into an extraction solution containing nickel and an anti-extraction solution containing cobalt, and electrolyzing the extraction solution and the anti-extraction solution to obtain pure nickel and pure cobalt, respectively;
  • b) sintering the chromite ore in a sintering device to obtain a sintered chromite ore, followed by smelting the sintered chromite ore in an electric furnace to obtain a molten ferrochrome;
  • c) transferring the pure nickel into a converter, and hot charging the molten ferrochrome into the converter to obtain a molten stainless steel; and
  • d) charging the molten stainless steel into a continuous casting machine to obtain a stainless steel slab.
  • According to a third aspect of this invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore. The method includes steps of:
  • a) determining whether a nickel content of the nickel laterite ore is less than 1.5 wt % based on total weight of the nickel laterite ore;
  • b) processing the nickel laterite ore into a nickel-containing precursor based on the determination made in step a);
  • c) sintering the chromite ore in a sintering device to obtain a sintered chromite ore, followed by smelting the sintered chromite ore along with a coke particle in an electric furnace to obtain a molten ferrochrome;
  • d) transferring the nickel-containing precursor into a converter, and hot charging the molten ferrochrome into the converter to obtain a molten stainless steel; and
      • e) charging the molten stainless steel into a continuous casting machine to obtain a stainless steel slab.
    DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
  • A method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention includes steps of:
  • i) obtaining a molten ferronickel:
  • The nickel laterite ore is dried in a drying kiln at a drying temperature ranging from 600 to 700 to remove free water contained in the nickel laterite ore from 30-35% to 10-20%. The nickel laterite ore is then crushed, screened, and blended, followed by roasting in a rotary kiln at a roasting temperature ranging from 800 to 950 to remove residual free water and crystallization water from the nickel laterite ore. When the nickel laterite ore is roasted in the rotary kiln, a reducing agent such as anthracite coal is fed into the rotary kiln to obtain a pre-reduced calcine. The calcine is molten in an electric furnace to obtain the molten ferronickel. The tapping temperature of the slag is controlled in a range from 1550 to 1650 and the tapping temperature of the molten ferronickel is controlled in a range from 1400 to 1500 so as to obtain a better effect for separating the slag from the molten ferronickel. The molten ferronickel includes: 8-15 wt % of Ni, less than 4 wt % of C, less than 2 wt % of Si, and less than 0.06 wt % of P.
  • ii) obtaining a molten ferrochrome:
  • The chromite ore (content of Cr2O3: less than 62 wt %) is mixed with a coke powder and is pressed in a ball press machine to form chromite pellets, followed by drying the chromite pellets to remove water. The dried chromite pellets are then sintered in a sintering device at a temperature ranging from 1350 to 1450 to obtain a sintered chromite ore having a particle size less than 30 mm. The sintered chromite ore along with a coke particle is then molten in another electric furnace to obtain the molten ferrochrome. The tapping temperature of the slag is controlled in a range from 1600 to 1700. The molten ferrochrome includes: less than 60 wt % of Cr, less than 9 wt % of C, less than 5 wt % of Si, and less than 0.03 wt % of P.
  • iii) obtaining a molten stainless steel:
  • The molten ferronickel and the molten ferrochrome are transferred into a converter in a hot charging manner to obtain the molten stainless steel.
  • iv) obtaining a stainless steel slab:
  • The molten stainless steel is charged into a continuous casting machine to obtain the stainless steel slab.
  • The aforesaid steps iii) and iv) can be conducted in a manner well known in the art, and thus are not described in detail herein.
  • The molten ferronickel and the molten ferrochrome can be added into the converter in a ratio determined according to the specific stainless steel to be manufactured. For example, the 202 series stainless steel contains 4-6 wt % of Ni and 17-19 wt % of Cr, and the 304 series stainless steel contains 8-10.5 wt % of Ni and 17.5-19.5 wt % of Cr. When the molten ferronickel obtained in step i) contains 8 wt % of Ni, and the molten ferrochrome obtained in step ii) contains 50 wt % of Cr, the 202 series stainless steel can be manufactured by formulating 65 wt % of the molten ferronickel with 35 wt % of the molten ferrochrome. When the molten ferronickel obtained in step i) contains 15 wt % of Ni, and the molten ferrochrome obtained in step ii) contains 40 wt % of Cr, the 304 series stainless steel can be manufactured by formulating 55 wt % of the molten ferronickel with 45 wt % of the molten ferrochrome.
  • In the aforesaid preferred embodiment, the molten ferronickel and the molten ferrochrome are obtained respectively from the nickel laterite ore and the chromite ore, the stainless steel of various series can be manufactured by formulating the molten ferronickel with the molten ferrochrome in a specific ratio of the molten ferronickel to the molten ferrochrome, which can be easily adjusted and controlled according to the specific stainless steel to be manufactured. Therefore, the consumption of fuel and electricity can be reduced due to the reduction of the repeated melting times, and the manufacturing cost can be effectively controlled so as to raise the profit for the manufacturer.
  • A method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention includes steps of:
  • I) obtaining pure nickel and pure cobalt:
  • The nickel laterite ore is crushed and pulped with water to form a pulp material, followed by agitating the pulp material with a sulfuric acid solution under a high pressure atmosphere to form a mixture. A solid-liquid ratio of the nickel laterite ore to the sulfuric acid solution is about 1:4 in the mixture. The pulp material is agitated with the sulfuric acid solution under a pressure ranging from 4 to 5 MPa and at a temperature ranging from 250° C. to 300° C. A leach solution containing nickel and cobalt is then filtered out of the mixture. The leach solution is separated by solvent extraction into an extraction solution containing nickel and an anti-extraction solution containing cobalt. The extraction solution and the anti-extraction solution are electrolyzed to obtain pure nickel and pure cobalt, respectively. The purity of the pure nickel is greater than 99 wt %, and the recovery rate of the pure nickel and cobalt is greater than 90% in the preferred embodiment.
  • II) obtaining a molten ferrochrome:
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step ii) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • III) obtaining a molten stainless steel:
  • The pure nickel is transferred into a convertor via a belt conveyor, and the molten ferrochrome is hot charged into o the convertor to obtain the molten stainless steel.
  • IV) obtaining a stainless steel slab:
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step iv) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • When the pure nickel obtained in step I) has a purity of 99 wt %, and the molten ferrochrome obtained in step II) contains 24 wt % of Cr, the aforesaid 202 series stainless steel can be manufactured by formulating 5 wt % of the pure nickel, 75 wt % of the molten ferrochrome, and 20 wt % of a carbon steel scrap. The aforesaid 304 series stainless steel can be manufactured by formulating 9 wt % of the pure nickel, 76 wt % of the molten ferrochrome, and 15 wt % of a carbon steel scrap.
  • In addition to the aforesaid effect achievable in the first preferred embodiment, in which the stainless steel of various series can be manufactured by formulating the pure nickel, the molten ferrochrome, and the carbon steel scrap in a specific ratio thereof, valuable pure cobalt can be obtained in the aforesaid step I) along with the pure nickel so as to obtain an additional economic benefit.
  • A method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention includes steps of:
  • A) determining a nickel content of a nickel laterite ore:
  • When the nickel content of the nickel laterite ore is determined to be not less than 1.5 wt % based on total weight of the nickel laterite ore, the following steps are performed.
  • B) obtaining a molten ferronickel:
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step i) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • C) obtaining a molten ferrochrome:
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step ii) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • D) obtaining a molten stainless steel:
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step iii) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • E) obtaining a stainless steel slab:
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step iv) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • As described above, the molten ferronickel and the molten ferrochrome can be added into the converter in a ratio determined according to the specific stainless steel to be manufactured.
  • On the other hand, when the nickel content of the nickel laterite ore is determined to be less than 1.5 wt % based on total weight of the nickel laterite ore, the following steps are performed.
  • B′) obtaining pure nickel and pure cobalt:
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step I) in the second preferred embodiment.
  • C′) obtaining a molten ferrochrome:
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step ii) in the first preferred embodiment.
  • D′) obtaining a molten stainless steel:
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step III) in the second preferred embodiment.
  • E′) obtaining a stainless steel slab:
  • This step can be conducted in a manner identical to the aforesaid step IV) in the second preferred embodiment.
  • As described above, the stainless steel of various series can be manufactured by formulating the pure nickel with the molten ferrochrome along with the carbon steel scrap in a specific ratio, which can be easily adjusted and controlled according to the specific stainless steel to be manufactured. Furthermore, other noble metals, such as pure cobalt, can be obtained along with the pure nickel in the electrolytic step. Therefore, the economic value of the method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel of the present invention can be further raised.
  • Alternatively, in the third preferred embodiment, both the molten ferronickel and the pure nickel can be transferred into the convertor, and the molten ferrochrome is hot charged into the convertor so as to obtain the molten stainless steel.
  • In the method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel of the present invention, the nickel laterite ore can be effectively treated to obtain a molten ferronickel or a pure nickel. Therefore, the method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel of the present invention is relatively flexible and cost-effective as compared to the prior art.
  • While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims (18)

We claim:
1. A method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore, said method comprising steps of:
a) crushing, screening, and blending the nickel laterite ore, followed by roasting the nickel laterite ore in a rotary kiln to remove free water and crystallization water along with charging a reducing agent into the rotary kiln to obtain a calcine, and smelting the calcine in an electric furnace to obtain a molten ferronickel;
b) sintering the chromite ore in a sintering device to obtain a sintered chromite ore, followed by smelting the sintered chromite ore along with a coke particle in another electric furnace to obtain a molten ferrochrome;
c) hot charging the molten ferronickel and the molten ferrochrome into a converter to obtain a molten stainless steel; and
d) charging the molten stainless steel into a continuous casting machine to obtain a stainless steel slab.
2. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step (a), a roasting temperature of the rotary kiln ranges from 800° C. to 950° C. and a tapping temperature of the molten ferronickel ranges from 1400° C. to 1500° C.
3. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising steps of pressing the chromite ore with a coke powder in a ball press machine to form chromite pellets and drying the chromite pellets to remove water prior to step b).
4. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sintered chromite ore has a particle size less than 30 mm.
5. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of drying the nickel laterite ore in a drying kiln to remove a portion of the free water prior to step a).
6. A method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore, said method comprising steps of:
a) crushing the nickel laterite ore and pulping the nickel laterite ore with water to form a pulp material, followed by agitating the pulp material with a sulfuric acid solution under a high pressure atmosphere to form a mixture, filtering a leach solution containing nickel and cobalt out of the mixture, separating the leach solution by solvent extraction into an extraction solution containing nickel and an anti-extraction solution containing cobalt, and electrolyzing the extraction solution and the anti-extraction solution to obtain pure nickel and pure cobalt, respectively;
b) sintering the chromite ore in a sintering device to obtain a sintered chromite ore, followed by smelting the sintered chromite ore in an electric furnace to obtain a molten ferrochrome;
c) transferring the pure nickel into a converter, and hot charging the molten ferrochrome into the converter to obtain a molten stainless steel; and
d) charging the molten stainless steel into a continuous casting machine to obtain a stainless steel slab.
7. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 6, wherein, in step (a), a solid-liquid ratio of the nickel laterite ore to the sulfuric acid solution is about 1:4, and the pulp material is agitated with the sulfuric acid solution under a pressure ranging from 4 to 5 MPa and at a temperature ranging from 250° C. to 300° C.
8. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 6, further comprising steps of pressing the chromite ore with a coke powder in a ball press machine to form chromite pellets and drying the chromite pellets to remove water prior to step b).
9. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 6, wherein, in step (b), the sintered chromite ore has a particle size less than 30 mm.
10. A method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore, said method comprising steps of:
a) determining whether a nickel content of the nickel laterite ore is less than 1.5 wt % based on total weight of the nickel laterite ore;
b) processing the nickel laterite ore into a nickel-containing precursor based on the determination made in step a);
c) sintering the chromite ore in a sintering device to obtain a sintered chromite ore, followed by smelting the sintered chromite ore along with a coke particle in an electric furnace to obtain a molten ferrochrome;
d) transferring the nickel-containing precursor into a converter, and hot charging the molten ferrochrome into the converter to obtain a molten stainless steel; and
e) charging the molten stainless steel into a continuous casting machine to obtain a stainless steel slab.
11. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 10, wherein, when the nickel content of the nickel laterite ore is determined to be not less than 1.5 wt %, the nickel-containing precursor is a molten ferronickel, and step b) is conducted by crushing, screening, and blending the nickel laterite ore, followed by roasting the nickel laterite ore in a rotary kiln to remove free water and crystallization water along with charging a reducing agent into the rotary kiln to obtain a calcine, and smelting the calcine in another electric furnace to obtain the molten ferronickel.
12. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 11, wherein in step b), a roasting temperature of the rotary kiln ranges from 800° C. to 950° C. and a tapping temperature of the molten ferronickel ranges from 1400° C. to 1500° C.
13. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a step of drying the nickel laterite ore in a drying kiln to remove a portion of the free water prior to step b).
14. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 10, wherein, when the nickel content of the nickel laterite ore is determined to be less than 1.5 wt %, the nickel-containing precursor is pure nickel, and step b) is conducted by crushing the nickel laterite ore and pulping the nickel laterite ore with water to form a pulp material, followed by agitating the pulp material with a sulfuric acid solution under a high pressure atmosphere to form a mixture, filtering a leach solution containing nickel and cobalt out of the mixture, separating the leach solution by solvent extraction into an extraction solution containing nickel and an anti-extraction solution containing cobalt, and electrolyzing the extraction solution and the anti-extraction solution to obtain pure nickel and pure cobalt, respectively.
15. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 14, wherein in step b), a solid-liquid ratio of the nickel laterite ore to the sulfuric acid solution is about 1:4, and the pulp material is agitated with the sulfuric acid solution under a pressure ranging from 4 to 5 MPa and at a temperature ranging from 250° C. to 300° C.
16. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 10, wherein
when the nickel content of the nickel laterite ore is determined to be not less than 1.5 wt %, the nickel-containing precursor is a molten ferronickel, and step b) is conducted by crushing, screening, and blending the nickel laterite ore, followed by roasting the nickel laterite ore in a rotary kiln to remove free water and crystallization water along with charging a reducing agent into the rotary kiln to obtain a calcine, and smelting the calcine in another electric furnace to obtain the molten ferronickel;
when the nickel content of the nickel laterite ore is determined to be less than 1.5 wt %, the nickel-containing precursor is pure nickel, and step b) is conducted by crushing the nickel laterite ore and pulping the nickel laterite ore with water to form a pulp material, followed by agitating the pulp material with a sulfuric acid solution under a high pressure atmosphere to form a mixture, filtering a leach solution containing nickel and cobalt out of the mixture, separating the leach solution by solvent extraction into an extraction solution containing nickel and an anti-extraction solution containing cobalt, and electrolyzing the extraction solution and the anti-extraction solution to obtain pure nickel and pure cobalt, respectively; and
in step (d), the nickel-containing precursor transferred into the converter includes the molten ferronickel and the pure nickel.
17. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 10, further comprising steps of pressing the chromite ore with a coke powder in a ball press machine to form chromite pellets and drying the chromite pellets to remove water prior to step c).
18. The method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel as claimed in claim 10, wherein in step c), the sintered chromite ore has a particle size less than 30 mm.
US13/925,500 2012-06-28 2013-06-24 Method for Manufacturing an Austenitic Stainless Steel from a Nickel Laterite Ore and a Chromite Ore Abandoned US20140000834A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
TW101123242A TW201400624A (en) 2012-06-28 2012-06-28 Method for producing austenitic stainless steel with nickel and chromium ore
TW101123242 2012-06-28

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20140000834A1 true US20140000834A1 (en) 2014-01-02

Family

ID=48578928

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US13/925,500 Abandoned US20140000834A1 (en) 2012-06-28 2013-06-24 Method for Manufacturing an Austenitic Stainless Steel from a Nickel Laterite Ore and a Chromite Ore

Country Status (9)

Country Link
US (1) US20140000834A1 (en)
EP (1) EP2679691B1 (en)
JP (1) JP5778215B2 (en)
CN (1) CN103509934B (en)
AU (1) AU2013206521B2 (en)
ES (1) ES2728922T3 (en)
PH (1) PH12013000179B1 (en)
SI (1) SI2679691T1 (en)
TW (1) TW201400624A (en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN106893946A (en) * 2017-03-06 2017-06-27 广东广青金属科技有限公司 Using the low-carbon (LC) austenitic stainless steel including molybdenum and its production technology of smelting laterite-nickel ores
US20210238710A1 (en) * 2018-09-20 2021-08-05 Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. Method for smelting oxide ore

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103146983B (en) * 2013-03-18 2016-03-23 莱芜钢铁集团有限公司 A kind of method utilizing the production of thick ferronickel to contain nickel steel
CN103866076B (en) * 2014-04-01 2016-01-27 重庆大学 A kind of compact type production method of austenitic stainless steel
PE20170425A1 (en) * 2014-08-11 2017-04-27 Smidth As F L SYSTEM AND METHODS TO OPTIMIZE THE EFFICIENCY OF FOUNDRY COPPER CONCENTRATES

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA618826A (en) * 1958-04-21 1961-04-25 S. Simons Courtney Recovery of nickel, cobalt and other valuable metals
US3802864A (en) * 1970-12-30 1974-04-09 Showa Denko Kk Sintered agglomerates and method of producing same
US4410360A (en) * 1979-12-01 1983-10-18 Nippon Steel Corporation Process for producing high chromium steel
JPS59220261A (en) * 1983-05-31 1984-12-11 Nisshin Steel Co Ltd Continuous casting method of austenitic stainless steel
CN102051474B (en) * 2010-12-17 2012-03-21 兰州三普电力有限公司 Cr-Fe powder ore cold-hardened pellet binder and process for pelleting by using same

Family Cites Families (20)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3043681A (en) * 1959-01-29 1962-07-10 Strategic Materials Corp Metallurgical processes
JPS527812A (en) * 1975-07-09 1977-01-21 Showa Denko Kk Process for operation of rotary kiln
US4541868A (en) * 1983-07-22 1985-09-17 California Nickel Corporation Recovery of nickel and cobalt by controlled sulfuric acid leaching
FI934698A7 (en) * 1993-10-25 1995-04-26 Outokumpu Steel Oy Method and apparatus for producing stainless steel
WO1997020954A1 (en) * 1995-12-06 1997-06-12 Wmc Resources Ltd. Simplified duplex processing of nickel ores and/or concentrates for the production of ferronickels, nickel irons and stainless steels
AU5506001A (en) * 2000-05-10 2001-11-20 Ranjan Sen Improved process for the production of stainless steels and high chromium steelsand stainless steelproduced thereby
KR101270228B1 (en) * 2005-05-13 2013-05-31 비에이치피 빌리톤 에스에스엠 디벨롭먼트 피티와이 엘티디 Improved Pile Leaching Process for Nickel Oxide Ore
JP4631818B2 (en) * 2006-06-27 2011-02-16 住友金属鉱山株式会社 Method for hydrometallizing nickel oxide ore
CN100507022C (en) * 2006-06-30 2009-07-01 宝山钢铁股份有限公司 Method for direct smelting of austenitic stainless steel by AOD full iron
CN101020935A (en) * 2006-07-11 2007-08-22 刘光火 Process and product of nickel and chromium containing pig iron with fume or scale containing nickel and chromium
CN1970807A (en) * 2006-12-05 2007-05-30 上海成富经济发展有限公司 Process for electrosmelting ferronickel
DE102007050478A1 (en) * 2007-10-23 2009-04-30 Sms Demag Ag Process for stainless steel production with direct reduction furnaces for ferrochrome and ferronickel on the primary side of a converter
US8043585B2 (en) * 2008-01-15 2011-10-25 Vale Inco Limited Liquid and solid effluent treatment process
BRPI0907339A2 (en) * 2008-04-16 2015-07-21 Vale Inco Ltd "method for the production of nickel and cobalt using metal hydroxide, metal oxide and / or metal carbonate"
CN101445845B (en) * 2008-12-19 2011-01-26 陈法官 Process for directly producing austenitic stainless steel by utilizing oxide nickel
CN101463403B (en) * 2009-01-16 2012-04-18 洮南市金升冶金产品有限公司 Process for smelting ferronickel from laterite-nickel ore in electric furnace
CN101701312B (en) 2009-05-26 2012-03-21 山西太钢不锈钢股份有限公司 Method for smelting stainless steel mother liquid by using chromium mineral powder and laterite as raw materials
CN101886231B (en) * 2010-06-30 2012-11-14 李春德 Method for manufacturing nickel iron alloy
JP5445777B2 (en) * 2010-07-28 2014-03-19 住友金属鉱山株式会社 Method for producing ferronickel smelting raw material from low-grade nickel oxide ore
CN102212691A (en) 2011-05-20 2011-10-12 营口宝成不锈钢有限公司 Method for producing chromium-nickel-iron alloy

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA618826A (en) * 1958-04-21 1961-04-25 S. Simons Courtney Recovery of nickel, cobalt and other valuable metals
US3802864A (en) * 1970-12-30 1974-04-09 Showa Denko Kk Sintered agglomerates and method of producing same
US4410360A (en) * 1979-12-01 1983-10-18 Nippon Steel Corporation Process for producing high chromium steel
JPS59220261A (en) * 1983-05-31 1984-12-11 Nisshin Steel Co Ltd Continuous casting method of austenitic stainless steel
CN102051474B (en) * 2010-12-17 2012-03-21 兰州三普电力有限公司 Cr-Fe powder ore cold-hardened pellet binder and process for pelleting by using same

Non-Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
CHI et al. Patent family including CN 101096723 A published 01/02/2008. Derwent Acc No. 2008-F02716. Abstract. *
Patent family including JP 54023016 A published 02/21/1979. Derwent Acc No. 1979-24637B. Abstract. *

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN106893946A (en) * 2017-03-06 2017-06-27 广东广青金属科技有限公司 Using the low-carbon (LC) austenitic stainless steel including molybdenum and its production technology of smelting laterite-nickel ores
US20210238710A1 (en) * 2018-09-20 2021-08-05 Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. Method for smelting oxide ore

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JP5778215B2 (en) 2015-09-16
AU2013206521B2 (en) 2016-03-17
AU2013206521A1 (en) 2014-01-16
TW201400624A (en) 2014-01-01
PH12013000179A1 (en) 2015-12-02
EP2679691B1 (en) 2019-04-17
PH12013000179B1 (en) 2015-12-02
JP2014009403A (en) 2014-01-20
CN103509934A (en) 2014-01-15
EP2679691A1 (en) 2014-01-01
CN103509934B (en) 2016-04-27
ES2728922T3 (en) 2019-10-29
TWI464277B (en) 2014-12-11
SI2679691T1 (en) 2019-07-31

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
Oxley et al. Hydro–pyro integration in the processing of nickel laterites
AU2010212733B2 (en) Method for producing ferroalloy containing nickel
CN102373329B (en) Method for gathering nickel and iron from laterite-nickel ores
CN101748298B (en) Method for treating laterite nickel ore and producing ferronickel by combining tunnel kiln prereduction and melting furnace final reduction
EP2679691B1 (en) Method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore
CN102337408B (en) Two-step reduction method for recycling stainless steel scales
JP6148230B2 (en) Method of improving the degree of reduction in smelting of alloyed iron
CN108559838B (en) Method for preparing nickel-iron alloy by mixed smelting of laterite-nickel ore
CN102643976B (en) Composite additive for producing nickel-iron particles by using laterite, and application method thereof
EP3084019B1 (en) Method for producing manganese containing ferroalloy
EP2829621A1 (en) Method for producing hematite for iron production
CN101967571A (en) Method for using red-soil nickel ore to produce nickel-iron alloy in tunnel kiln-electric furnace
CN102453824B (en) Method for producing nickel-iron alloy by using laterite nickel mine
CN101660064B (en) Technique for preparing nickel-iron alloy
CA2820676C (en) Method for manufacturing an austenitic stainless steel from a nickel laterite ore and a chromite ore
CN105296747A (en) Comprehensive utilization method for low-grade complex ferromanganese ore
EP2829620A1 (en) Method for producing hematite for iron-making use
CN102912124A (en) Method for recovering nickel, cobalt, manganese and iron by hydrochloric acid leaching of nickel oxide ore
CN106086393A (en) A kind of sodium reduction roasting separation method of lateritic nickel ore
CN106148679A (en) A kind of Application way of the lean josephinite of high aluminium profiles
RU2539280C1 (en) Production of austenite stainless steel from laterite nickel ore and chromite ore
BR112019000149B1 (en) PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING AGGLOMERATES CONTAINING CHROME AND IRON WITH DIFFERENT ADDITION OF MATERIALS CONTAINING MANGANESE, NICKEL AND MOLYBDENUM
RU2230806C1 (en) Method of processing 0f nickel-bearing converter slags of nickel combine
CN113215389A (en) Method for enriching niobium and titanium in iron-containing niobium-titanium ore and application of nickel-containing substance
CN103643089A (en) High-carbon aluminum-iron alloy and preparation process thereof

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: YIEH UNITED STEEL CORP., TAIWAN

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:HSU, WEN-CHIEN;HUANG, PEI-TE;WU, YI-CHENG;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:030954/0021

Effective date: 20130711

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION