New Product Introduction

Ferronickel smelting plant

— Electric furnace off-gas utilization to save
energy

In the past, off-gas generated during smelting and

reduction of ferronickel ores in electric furnaces used
to be released into the atmosphere. By utilizing this
off-gas as a heat source for the rotary dryer, Kawasaki
achieved highly efficient heat recovery, reduction of
environmental impact and increased productivity.

Preface major raw ore producer where a recent ban on exports of

raw ores has led to many new projects in the country.
Ferronickel is an alloy containing iron and nickel and is This report describes the integrated ferronickel
used mainly as raw material for producing stainless steel. manufacturing and smelting plant delivered to SNNC of
In recent years, the global stainless steel market has seen South Korea in September 2009, and the capacity
growth slow down as the market in China, its major growth expansion plant ordered in November 2012. The report
driver, has reached maturity. However, demand for will also explain the utilization of electric furnace off-gas in
ferronickel smelting plants remains high in Indonesia, a the rotary dryer.

Rotary dryer

Raw material
Rotary kiln

Desulfurizer

Ferronickel

Electric furnace Shot manufacturing facility

Slag

Fig. 1 Flow of ferronickel smelting plant

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1 Ferronickel smelting plant and process released into the atmosphere after complete combustion
of the carbon monoxide contained in the off-gas by
Kawasaki’s ferronickel smelting plant follows the process injecting ambient air.
shown in Fig. 1. Ferronickel ore with 1.8-2.2% nickel In the ferronickel plant initially delivered to SNNC, we
content is first dried in a rotary dryer, then reduced in a applied the electric furnace off-gas to the rotary dryer for
rotary kiln. Next, the ore is smelted in an electric furnace the following reasons.
and separated into slag and metal (ferronickel) with ( i ) Energy saving
around 20% nickel content. After the metal is refined in a By utilizing the electric furnace off-gas as a heat source
desulfurizer, it is processed into a product by a shot for the rotary dryer, the amount of fuel consumed by the
manufacturing facility. This process makes full use of the hot-air generator can be reduced.
technology and experience of Kawasaki, which have been (ii) Protection of environment
cultivated through years of experience in designing and To minimize environmental impact, dust that used to be
fabricating cement manufacturing kilns and dryers. dispersed into the atmosphere is collected by a bag filter
installed downstream of the dryer.
2 Utilizing electric furnace off-gas in (iii) Increased productivity
the rotary dryer The electric furnace off-gas dust is returned to the process,
enabling the nickel contained in the dust to be recovered
(1) Material drying facility (rotary dryer) more efficiently.
Ferronickel ore has very high moisture content at 25-30%,
making it highly adhesive and difficult to handle. For this (3) Flow of electric furnace off-gas utilization
reason, the material is dried in a parallel flow type rotary Electric furnace off-gas undergoes several processes
dryer (Fig. 2) to lower the moisture content of the raw before it can be utilized in the rotary dryer as a heat
material ore to 20-22% and make it easier to handle. source. First, it is mixed with ambient air inside water-
cooled ducts, and any remaining carbon monoxide is
(2) Aim of utilizing electric furnace off-gas in the combusted completely. Next, dust is collected in the
rotary dryer stabilizer, and the off-gas is mixed with hot air from the
In the past, off-gas generated during smelting and hot-air generator in the gas mixing chamber. This mixed
reduction of ferronickel ore in electric furnaces used to be gas is used as a heat source in the rotary dryer. After

Raw material
(25-30% moisture content)

Hot air Flow of hot air Exhaust gas (Approx. 200 °C)
(Approx. 800 °C)

Flow of material
Rotation
Dried material
(20-22% moisture content)

Fig. 2 Parallel flow type rotary dryer

Kawasaki Technical Review No.176 February 2016 64

 New Product Introduction

Stabilizer Gas mixing chamber

To bag filter

Hot-air generator Rotary dryer

Water-cooled duct
Electric furnace off-gas
Hot air from hot-air generator
Electric furnace

Fig. 3 Flow of electric furnace off-gas utilization

passing through the dryer, the gas goes through a bag operational data in the first project to improve the
filter for dust collection, and then the gas is released into homogeneity of the mixture of the electric furnace off-gas
the atmosphere through the chimney (Fig. 3). and the hot air from the hot-air generator (Fig. 4).
We applied the optimal arrangement of the hot-air
(4) Improving fuel efficiency in the dryer by the use of generator, gas mixing chamber, and ducts based on the
thermohydraulic analysis CFD analysis result. We tried to improve the efficiency of
In the SNNC capacity expansion project, we did a the rotary dryer by making the gas mixture more
thermohydraulic analysis (CFD analysis) based on the homogenous. As a result, we achieved approximately 40%

Duct
Electric furnace off-gas

<Cross section>
Hot air and electric furnace off-gas Hot air fed
homogenized into the dryer

Hot air

Gas mixing chamber

Hot-air generator

Fig. 4 Mixture of electric furnace off-gas and hot air from hot-air generator
(SNNC Capacity Expansion Project)

65
 Electric furnace off-gas
Coal
100%
42%

Required drying heat

58%

Coal only Electric furnace off-gas and coal

Fig. 5 Reduction of fuel consumption by electric furnace off-gas utilization

reduction of coal consumption on the hot-air generator, energy savings by using electric furnace off-gas as a heat
compared to without electric furnace off-gas (Fig. 5). source for the rotary dryer.
We will continue to satisfy customer demand for
Postscript ferronickel smelting plants by making sure our plant
design delivers superior performance and efficiency.
In the SNNC project, we achieved a reduction of fuel Hisatoshi Shigenaga / Shoji Takada
consumption on the hot-air generator and considerable

Contact information
Industrial Plant Department,
Industrial Plant Engineering Division,
Plant & Infrastructure Company
Tel: +81-78-682-5216 Fax: +81-78-682-5539

Kawasaki Technical Review No.176 February 2016 66