DIOS smelting

The Japanese Direct Iron Ore Smelting (DIOS) process. This process produces molten iron directly with coal and sinter feed ore. A 500 ton per day pilot plant was started up in October, 1993 and the designed production rates were attained as a short term average. Data generated is being used to determine economic feasibility on a commercial scale. 

Some cokeless technologies in use or under development include the Japanese direct iron ore smelting (DIOS) process, in which molten iron is produced directly with coal and sinter feed ore, the HIsmelt process, where ore fines and coal are used to achieve a production rate of 8 t/h using ore directly in the smelter, and the Corex process, which has an integral coal desulfurizing step, making it amenable to a variety of coal types.14... 

Inatani, T., The Current Status of JISF Research on the Direct Iron Ore Smelting Reduction Process (DIOS Project), in AIME Ironmaking Conf. Proc., p. 651 (1991)... 

Long-term development work is focusing on direct smelting technologies. Multimillion dollar development programs are underway in the United States (AISI Direct Ironmaking process), Australia (HIsmelt process), and Japan (DIOS process). A direct smelting process, called the COREX process, already is in commercial operation in South Africa. 

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