A solid reduction process is described whereby chromite is reduced with the help of calcium chloride to produce ferrochrome alloy. Ferroalloy is used to physically introduce or carry that element into molten metal, usually during steel manufacture. Details of the present ferro alloy industry in south africa are found in the next section. Other articles where ferrochrome silicon is discussed. Innovation for the manufacturing process increase production reduce consumption thats your new added value k a t t e c h n o l o g y f e r r o c h r o m e ferrochrome and kat technology do more do better the ferrochrome alloy is essential for the production of stainless steel and. Huge amount of electricity needed during the production of ferrochrome further restrains the market growth. Export prices for ferrochrome fell by 68% for the ten months to may 2009, as demand for ferrochrome from stainless steel mills collapsed. Ferrochrome, in addition to nickel, is vital for stainless steel production. South africas chromite mines are operated by a number of smaller companies that focus on the production of chromite and a few integrated ferrochrome producers, notably the glencoremerafe chrome venture, samancor chrome, and hernic ferrochrome. Financial modelling cost distribution modernday ferrochrome production faces a number of. The complete book on ferroalloys ferro manganese, ferro. Pdf a solid reduction process is described whereby chromite is reduced with the help of calcium chloride to produce ferrochrome alloy. The latter can have a direct bearing on electricity consumption and optimum efficiency of the furnaces.
Ferrochrome production accounts for more than 95 percent. The most important production equipment is the submerged electric arc furnace. Included here are the worlds largestever feni furnace, the first largescale fecr production line based on dc technology, silicon plants, femn plants, and special alloy furnaces such as fenb furnaces. We are planning to mine this chromite and build a ferrochrome production facility fpf to process it.
More than 80% of the world production of ferrochromium is used in stainless steel making. The most common production technology utilized is submerged arc smelting in ac furnaces, although open arc smelting in dc furnaces is becoming increasingly. South africas ferro alloys industry present status and future outlook 5 thus, from very humble beginnings in 1918, the sout h african ferro alloy industry has prospered and grown to become a leading producer of bulk ferro alloys on a global scale. Feb 3 south african ferrochrome exports by countries in. However, thanks to strong growth in stainless steel demand and relatively cheap production costs, chinas domestic ferrochrome capacity has steadily increased over the past decade, with china overtaking south africa in the first. Moving forward, key steps include environmental and feasibility assessments, along with community consultation and engagement. As ferrochrome is the main alloying materials for production of stainless. Pdf exergy and its efficiency calculations in ferrochrome. Optimization of process parameter for smelting and. Ferrochrome production is essentially a carbothermic reduction operation taking place at high temperatures. Developments in production costs and competitiveness in ferrochrome kevin fowkes managing consultant metal bulletin 6 th south african ferroalloys conference johannesburg, 18 th september 20. Still, all ferrochrome, excluding some dcfurnaces, is produced with submerged arc furnaces.
After various technical modifications and relining also the second submerged arc furnace for the production of fecr high carbon lvos successfully commissioned. Direct production of ferrochrome by segregation reduction. Chromium compounds, in either the chromium iii or chromium vi forms, are used for chrome plating, the manufacture of dyes and pigments, leather and wood preservation, and treatment of cooling tower water. The studies conducted in the different countries all evaluated the electronics industry and focused on product development and programme management, unlike the ferrochrome industry, which focuses on production capacity and process efficiency. What distinguishes highcarbon ferrochrome is the carbon content of 48%. A major part of new process technology has been launched in ferrochrome production. Nov 12, 2017 the company therefore faces the challenge to increase output in order to supply more of the product to the customer. Ferrochrome fecr is a corrosionresistant alloy of chrome and iron containing between 50% and 70% chrome. Production costs very varied between plants driven by technology and capacity utilisation depressed production and low capacity utilisation in 2012 and 20 due to poor market fundamentals this has impacted on unit costs south africa fecr industry characteristics. The complete book on ferroalloys ferro manganese, ferro molybdenum, ferro niobium, ferro boron, ferro titanium, ferro tungsten, ferro silicon, ferro nickel, ferro chrome an alloy is a mixture or solid solution composed of metals.
Duplex process for production of low carbon ferrochrome s. Assessments of all process steps associated with conventional ferrochrome production indicated that smelting will lead to the formation of unintended small amounts of crvi mg. The production of ferrochrome alloy from chromium bearing chromite ores is conducted at high. Similarly, ferroalloys are the mixture of iron with. However, the ferrochrome industry has not benefitted with the growing demand for stainless steel due to several issues such as rise in production cost and over production of ferrochrome. Pdf direct production of ferrochrome by segregation reduction.
World high carbon ferrochrome production, charge chrome and hcfecr, was 6. Maximising south africas chrome ore endowment to create jobs. Due to high quality it is a reliable and economical alternative instead of. Noronts fpf will be an expandable ferrochrome smelting facility that receives oreconcentrate from our ring of fire chromite mines and produces ferrochrome for the stainlesssteel market. Depending on the furnace size, the energy consumption and production rates are different 2. A process for producing high carbon ferrochrome which comprises feeding continuously to an electricarc furnace a charge mixture consisting of sintered pellets obtained by the reductive calcination of chrome ores, said pellets being those in which about 80 50 mol percent of the total content of the oxygen combined with iron and chromium components has been removed and the two. Relatively cheap electricity and reductants also contribute to the viability of high carbon ferrochrome. Maximising south africas chrome ore endowment to create. Altering the global balance china owns less than 1% of the worlds chrome reserves. Highcarbon and charge chrome alloys are generally produced in the conventional smelting process by carbothermic reduction of ferrochrome.
Almost all ferrochrome is produced in submerged electric arc furnaces. At the same time, exports of unbeneficiated south african chrome ore to china are rising. Pater abstract the duplex process for the production of low carbon ferro chrome has been highlighted and its advantage over perrin process has been brought cut. Especially in 1980s, strong interest was seen in research and implementation of new methods such as plasma smelting, prereduction and direct reduction. If silica is added to the charge until its weight equals that of the ore, the smelting processes will yield what is known as ferrochrome silicon. Production costs very varied between plants driven by technology and capacity utilisation depressed production and low capacity utilisation in 2012 and 20 due to poor market fundamentals this has impacted on unit costs. Marie fpf project team, in consultation with sector experts. The complete book on ferroalloys ferro manganese, ferro molybdenum, ferro niobium, ferro boron, ferro titanium, ferro tungsten, ferro.
While the industry has been successful in reducing costs by designing larger and more. The world ferrochrome production fell in the last quarter of 2009 primarily because china had restrained imports of high carbon ferrochrome in october and november 2009. An excelbased simulation, called ferroalloy simulation ferrosim, was used to evaluate the effect of different chrome ores on the electricity consumption used to produce high carbon ferrochrome hcfecr in submerged are furnace. In response to weakening demand and falling prices, major producers of ferrochrome, zimbabwes producers included, cut production, in some cases ceasing operations all together. The vision of the production engineering master is therefore to offer a stimulating production education on an advanced level with a holistic view, which emphasizes engineering fundamentals and practice. Pdf ferrochrome production is a high energy intensive process consuming around 3000 to 3500 kwht of electrical energy.
Expired lifetime application number inventor spiridon iosipovich khitrik mikhail. The production of steel is the largest consumer of ferrochrome, especially the production of stainless steel with chromium content of 10 to 20% is the main application of ferrochrome. A process for producing high carbon ferrochrome which consists of feeding continuously to an electric furance a charge mixture consisting of sintered pellets containing substantially no free carbon, which pellets have been obtained by the partial reductive calcination of chrome ores, and a carbonaceous material of particle size 20 100 mm. Ferrochrome production is a technically competitive industry, requiring the application of high technology equipment and expertise.
The raw material in the production of ferrochrome is chromite, which is chrome and iron oxides containing mineral. Pdf the impact of platinum production from ug2 ore on. Low carbon ferrochrome production lc fecr lc fecr low carbon ferrochrome is a ferroalloy used to regulate the ratio of chromium in steel production without carbon and other unwanted ingredients. The transformation of ferrochromium smelting technologies. The production of hcfecr in saf using sintered pellets in place of briquettes or ore blocks is comparatively better in all respects w. Especially in 1980s, strong interest was seen in research and. Ferrochrome fecr is added to stainless steel to enhance its appearance and impart corrosion resistance. Developments in production costs and competitiveness in. The ferrochrome production facility will be part of noronts highgrade, first quartile cost chrome business and will process noronts vast chromite resources in the ring of fire. On may 7, 2019, it was announced that the company selected sault ste. However, the south african ferrochrome industry, the baseline for beneficiation in the chrome value chain, is under threat and its rapidly declining market share is putting jobs at risk. Modelling of the refining processes in the production of. Feb 18 chinese ferrochrome imports by country in decembe.
Cr ore, an oxide of chromium and iron, is reduced by coal and coke to form the ironchromium alloy. Over 80% of the worlds ferrochrome is utilised in the production of stainless steel. The impact of platinum production from ug2 ore on ferrochrome production in south africa. Silicothermic process for the production of low carbon ferrochrome production of carbon free ferrochrome by aluminothermic method. Share preventive maintenance using rcm a case study of a ferrochrome manufacturing company. Due to high quality it is a reliable and economical alternative instead of metallic chromium in superalloy production.
Much of this depends on quality and various ratios in the actual ore. Ferrochrome, or ferrochromium fecr is a type of ferroalloy, that is, an alloy between chromium and iron, generally containing 50% to 70% chromium by weight ferrochrome is produced by electric arc carbothermic reduction of chromite. Increasing stainless steel production around the globe is the significant factor driving the market growth. Fig 2 schematic diagram of the reaction zones in submerged arc furnace for fecr production. This zone has loose charge which extends from the top of the charge layer down to near the tip of the electrode. Jan 3 china top ten high carbon ferrochrome importers i. Despite world class technology, beneficiation in south africa is under threat ferrochrome production costs have risen rapidly, particularly since 2007 approximately 11% per annum due to escalating unit costs outside industry control the most significant is electricity prices that have more than doubled since 2007 by 2011, electricity. Developments in production costs and competitiveness in ferrochrome. Theoretical and practical aspects of crvi in the south.
The mining of chrome and production of ferrochrome. Effect of chrome ore quality on ferrochrome production. The global ferrochrome market size was valued at usd 16. Optimization of process parameter for smelting and reduction. The proposed project noront resources is planning to build a ferrochrome production facility fpf in northern ontario. However, the production revived in the 2nd and 3rd quarter of the 2009 for both ferrochrome and stainless steel. Pdf market implications for technology acquisition the south african ferrochrome industry has been faced with various challenges during the past few years, such as influences from the market, manpower strikes, chinas control over the demand for. Smaller amounts are used in drilling muds, textiles, and toner for copying machines. Bisaka2 council for mineral technology, 200 malibongwe drive, randburg, south africa. Us3523021a us3523021da us3523021a us 3523021 a us3523021 a us 3523021a us 3523021d a us3523021d a us 3523021da us 3523021 a us3523021 a us 3523021a authority us united states prior art keywords ferrochrome percent carbon oxygen method prior art date 19670523 legal status the legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion.
Production takes place primarily in countries with substantial chromite ore supply. Jul 10, 2018 fig 2 schematic diagram of the reaction zones in submerged arc furnace for fecr production. Duplex process for production of low carbon ferrochrome. Mining of chrome and production of ferrochrome south africa. Cost analysis of chrome ore reduction is one of the important issues facing ferrochrome producers in todays competitive environment.