FINMET

A LV IZO B ORLING D EC IN ELLAGA ESTOLANO

 The Fluidised Iron Ore Reduction(FIOR) process
reduces iron ore to metallic iron at high
FINMET temperature and pressure using reducing gases
produced from reforming.
PROCESS improved jointly by Fior de Venezuela and Voest
Alpine (VAI) of Austria in 1991 culminating in the
development of Finmet Process
The primary aim is to improve the energy
efficiency of FIOR by using top gas for ore heating
and by removing CO from reformed gas as well as
recycle gas..
The Finmet process is a multiple fluidized bed
process which utilizes a H2 rich reducing gas
produced by steam reforming.
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 Iron fines under
12 mm

INPUTS AND
OUTPUTS
FINMET
Hot Briquetted
Iron (HBI)
PROCESS

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HOT BRIQUETTED IRON (HBI)
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 HBI overcome the problems associated with
HBI shipping and handling of DRI

Very much less porous

Very much less reactive
Does not suffer from the risk of self-heating

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FURNACES AND
EQUIPMENT UTILIZE
FINMET
PROCESS
FLOWSHEET
 double-roll
briquetting
lock-hopper press
system

Reducing
Reactors
equipped with
internal cyclones

HBI
 Recycling Gas
Scrubber

Reducing Gas
Furnace

Natural
Air
Gas
 Recycle Gas
Compressor

CO2
removal
Air system
Natural
Gas
Steam
Retonner
FINMET
Process

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FINMET Process

- concentrate/iron ore fines are fed into an

ore drier
- the feed is lifted to the top of the FINMET
reactor structure and is charged to the
reactor train
- upper lockhoppers cycle continuously from
ambient to reactor pressure
- the ore is fed continuously to the reactors
out of the lower lockhopper 13
FINMET Process

- uses a train of four fluid bed reactors, with

counter-current gas/solids contacting down
the reactor train

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FINMET Process: Gas Flow Recycled
Top Gas

Fresh
Reformer
Makeup Gas

REDUCTION
RECYCLED GAS
MAKEUP GAS

Recycled gas
ADVANTAGES AND
LIMITATONS
 Low production costs with the use
of low-cost iron ore fines

ADVANTAGES Investment and energy

consumption comparable with
conventional DR processes

Superior HBI quality featuring

high Fe content and high
degree of metallization
 Briquettes produced as intact
single briquettes without breakage

ADVANTAGES Low abrasion losses during

handling and transport due to the
highly compact nature of FINMET
briquettes

Industrially proven
 Higher degree of metallization

DISADVANTAGES This process were difficulties in

achieving high degrees of reduction
due to temperature control

Briquetting of the product