Direct Reduced Iron
A process, also known as Sponge Iron or DRI, that requires the following:
Heat
Non-coking coal
Dolomite
Iron Ore
Air
Markets We Serve
South Africa
DRI is sold within South African local markets to other steelmakers, who use it in their steelmaking process to manufacture reinforcing and steel sections.
Kenya
In a development trade agreement, DRI is supplied to a steel manufacturer in Kenya, who is producing wire rod and reinforcing bar.
India
Exported to India manufacturer.
DRI as Raw Material
High-grade iron ore resources are becoming sparser every year; as high volumes of South African iron ore are destined for the export market.
With a reliable source of high-standard iron ore, we can deliver excellent quality DRI. Combined with a high standard non-coking coal with one source delivering the required Carbon and Volatile required for our process. Add in some good nearby supplied Dolomite to remove the Sulphur generated during the process, and the resultant product is high-quality DRI.
DRI is employed as a substitute for scrap in the EAF steelmaking process, offering a way to mitigate the challenges posed by traditional scrap materials.
DRI in Steelmaking
The use of DRI in EAF steelmaking is a response to the evolving needs of the industry, offering greater adaptability and potentially more cost-effective production processes.
Using DRI in Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steelmaking is a significant development in the industry due to several reasons:
Flexibility in Charge Materials
Challenges with Traditional Scrap
While cold scrap has been the go-to material, challenges like limited availability, quality issues, price fluctuations, and restrictions due to residual elements and nitrogen levels have led to the search for alternatives.
DRI as an Alternative
DRI, similar to pig iron and hot metal, serves as an alternative iron-containing charge material. Its use can address the issues associated with traditional scrap.
Impact on Melting Process
The introduction of DRI into the EAF process can have a notable impact on the steelmaking process. Factors such as DRI chemistry, the percentage of DRI in the scrap mix, and operating practices can affect energy consumption, productivity, and yield.
Scrap Replacement
We invested in a well-equipped laboratory. The standard Satmagan (SATuration MAGnetation ANalizer) is used to verify that the process is running within our required parameters. Combining this with daily verification testing of the previous day’s Satmagan results with our XRD X-ray diffractometer provides a more detailed and accurate analysis of our DRI structure and quality, providing quick and more reliable results than conventional Wet Chemical Analysis.
Added advantages of the XRD are that we can test our incoming raw material Iron ore and optimize the production process.
The Coal supplied to the process can have a detrimental input on the quality of DRI. This is why our lab is also equipped with a TGA (Thermogravimetric Analyzer) providing us with onsite analysis to further process optimization.
EAF steelmaking offers flexibility in choosing charge materials, making it adaptable to market conditions and resource availability.
Scrap Processing Department
The scrap processing division sources scrap metal locally that is then processed in our steel shredder. The shredded scrap metal is then transferred to our melt shop, where - along with directly reduced iron (DRI) - it is melted in our Electric Arc Furnace (EAF).
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Scaw has invested and is currently upgrading our existing Electric Arc Furnace.
The upgrade will enable us to significantly increase our production capacity in the EAF to cope with the demands from our billet and slab casters. A second ladle furnace will also be installed to maintain the efficiency of the melt shop to produce the required specialty steel grades according to market demands. The furnace upgrade will be complete in the beginning of H2 of 2024.
Melt Shop
The Melt Shop produces primary steel billets through melting scrap metal and Direct Reduced Iron in its Electric Arc Furnace. It is tapped into a ladle where the molten steel goes for further treatment in a Ladle Furnace (LF) where the steel grade is refined.
We produce general steel grades and specialty steel grades, ranging from low to high carbon steels as well as silicon and aluminum keeled steel. The molten steel is fed into a Continuous Casting Machine (CCM) consisting of a high-speed three-strand. Each strand produces a billet which is then sent to the Long Products Rolling Mill for further conversion.
We are currently installing a new vertical-curve, single-strand Slab Caster (SC) that will be able to produce 650,000 tons of slab per year in our new Hot Strip Mill (HSM).
