Patents by Inventor Cristiano CASTAGNOLA

Cristiano CASTAGNOLA has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240052441
    Abstract: The invention relates to the production of direct reduced iron, DRI, where a hydrogen direct reduction is synergistically operated in the context of an industrial plant. The hydrogen reduction operates with reducing gas comprising at least 85 vol. % hydrogen, and receives a make-up hydrogen stream. At least part of the make-up hydrogen stream is produced on site. by at least one of (i) electrolysis means configured to produce hydrogen from steam recovered from one or more components of the industrial plant and/or from steam generated using waste heat and/or hot gases emitted by the one or more components; and (ii) gas shift reactor means configured to convert CO-bearing gas emitted by at least one component of the industrial plant into hydrogen and to remove CO2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventors: Cristiano CASTAGNOLA, Fabio CRAVINO, Silvia ILACQUA, Stefano MAGNANI, Jan KRULL
  • Publication number: 20240018614
    Abstract: A method for operating a blast furnace for producing of pig iron, comprising the steps of including heating a stream of hydrocarbon gas and a stream of steam in a first heater to provide a heated stream of hydrocarbon gas and steam, feeding and partially reforming the heated stream of hydrocarbon gas and steam in a pre-reformer to provide a stream of partially reformed syngas, heating a first stream of blast furnace gas from the blast furnace and the stream of partially reformed syngas in a second heater, before or after their mixing together, to provide a heated carbon feed stream, reforming the heated carbon feed stream in a secondary reformer to provide a second stream of syngas, and feeding said second stream of syngas to the shaft of the blast furnace.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Inventors: Klaus Peter KINZEL, Miriam VALERIUS, Cristiano CASTAGNOLA, Lorenzo MICHELETTI
  • Publication number: 20230340628
    Abstract: A method for operating a blast furnace for producing of pig iron, includes the following steps heating a first stream of steam in a first heater, before or after having been mixed with an oxygen source selected from oxygen and oxygen-enriched air, to provide a first heated stream of oxygen-enriched steam; heating a first stream of blast furnace gas from the blast furnace and a first stream of natural gas in a second heater, before or after being mixed together, to provide a heated carbon feed stream; feeding the first heated stream of oxygen-enriched steam and the heated carbon feed stream either as a combined stream or separately to a catalytic partial oxidation reactor to produce a stream of syngas; and feeding the stream of syngas to the shaft of the blast furnace.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Inventors: Cristiano CASTAGNOLA, Lorenzo MICHELETTI, Klaus Peter KINZEL, Miriam VALERIUS
  • Publication number: 20230272495
    Abstract: A method of operating a metallurgic plant for producing iron products includes the following steps, wherein the metallurgic plant includes a direct reduction plant and an ironmaking plant, the metallurgic plant: feeding an iron ore charge into the direct reduction plant to produce direct reduced iron products, operating the ironmaking plant to produce pig iron, wherein biochar is introduced into the ironmaking plant as reducing agent, and whereby the ironmaking plant generates offgas containing CO and CO2, and treating offgas from the ironmaking plant in a hydrogen enrichment unit to form a hydrogen-rich stream and a CO2-rich stream. The hydrogen-rich stream is fed directly or indirectly to the direct reduction plant. The CO2-rich stream is converted to be valorized in the direct reduction plant. A corresponding metallurgic plant is also related.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2021
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Inventors: Jan KRULL, Cristiano CASTAGNOLA, Stefano MAGNANI
  • Patent number: 11591662
    Abstract: A method for operating a metallurgical furnace and a simplified way of providing synthesis gas for a metallurgical furnace, includes the following steps performing a combustion process outside the metallurgical furnace by combusting a carbon-containing material with an oxygen-rich gas to produce an offgas, which offgas is a CO2 containing gas; and combining the offgas, while having an elevated combustion-induced temperature due to the combustion process, with a hydrocarbon-containing fuel gas to obtain a first gas mixture having a temperature above a reforming temperature necessary for a reforming process, preferably a dry reforming process; the first gas mixture undergoing the reforming process, thereby producing a synthesis gas containing CO and H2, the reforming process being performed non-catalytically; and feeding the synthesis gas into the metallurgical furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: PAUL WURTH S.A.
    Inventors: Cristiano Castagnola, Lorenzo Micheletti
  • Publication number: 20220145411
    Abstract: A method for operating a metallurgical furnace and a simplified way of providing synthesis gas for a metallurgical furnace, includes the following steps performing a combustion process outside the metallurgical furnace by combusting a carbon-containing material with an oxygen-rich gas to produce an offgas, which offgas is a CO2 containing gas; and combining the offgas, while having an elevated combustion-induced temperature due to the combustion process, with a hydrocarbon-containing fuel gas to obtain a first gas mixture having a temperature above a reforming temperature necessary for a reforming process, preferably a dry reforming process; the first gas mixture undergoing the reforming process, thereby producing a synthesis gas containing CO and H2, the reforming process being performed non-catalytically; and feeding the synthesis gas into the metallurgical furnace.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Inventors: Cristiano CASTAGNOLA, Lorenzo MICHELETTI