Abstract: In an arrangement for the controlled cooling of hot-briquetted direct-reduced sponge iron in the form of an apron conveyer consisting of individual plates and located in a tank, the individual plate is designed as conveyor trough (4), wherein at least one sliding plate each (5 and 6) is located on the two opposed longitudinal outsides and the conveyor troughs (4) are movable supported by means of sliding plates (5 and 6) on slideways (7) and connected by means of at least one chain (9). The invention allows to separate the drive and the bearing as the conveyor troughs (4) are supported by means of sliding plates (5 and 6) and the drive acts directly on the conveyor trough (4) by means of at least one chain (9). As the translation elements are designed as sliding plates (5, 6) and slideways (7), the surface pressure is reduced to less than one hundredth compared to wheels running on rails and the wear of the translation elements is thus reduced.

Abstract: In order to attain as low a final temperature as possible after as short a period of time as possible in a method of cooling hot briquetted sponge iron (3) under optimum utilization of the cooling medium, the hot briquetted sponge iron (3), in a first cooling step (11), is passed exclusively by a gaseous cooling medium while being gently cooled and subsequently, in a second cooling step (14), is sprayed with a liquid cooling medium, thus being intensively cooled to the final temperature desired.

Abstract: In a process for reducing particulate oxide-containing material using the whirl bed method, the oxide-containing material, by means of reducing gas flowing from bottom to top, is maintained in the whirl layer, thus being reduced. In order to avoid or considerably reduce operational interruptions of the reduction process caused by sticking or fouling, the clear tube speed (superficial velocity) of the reducing gas, exclusively above the whirl layer, is continuously lowered along the total free height of a space above the whirl layer while the formation of further whirl formations is avoided.