Abstract: A container for conveying a pulverized or granular material includes a bottomed container vessel adapted to be rotated upside down and having an upwardly narrowing tapered section in its upper portion, an opening section formed above the tapered section, and a valve for blocking the flow of pulverized or granular material through the opening section provided within the opening section. The pulverized or granular material can be charged into the container vessel through the opening section while the container vessel is held in a normal upright condition, and the pulverized or granular material can be discharged from the container vessel through the opening section while the container vessel is held upside-down.

Abstract: A reduced iron installation includes transportable container having a charge/discharge mouth section provided with a sealing valve and a plurality of support legs and is arranged for 180.degree. rotation between a charge condition under a furnace to a discharge condition supported over the mouth of a storage tank via its legs, a weighing device for said container in its discharge condition, and a cluster remover disposed in the storage tank mouth and having a sealing valve which opens and closes, in response to detection signals from the weighing device indicating that the container is charged or empty, respectively. The cluster remover includes a grizzly feeder disposed obliquely within a cylindrical casing which is supported via an anti-vibration mounting on a fixed support surface, and a vibrating machine mounted on the casing.

Abstract: A briquetting machine for shaping a pulverized and/or powder material includes, on the downstream side of briquetting rolls, a pair of notching rolls provided with blades on their peripheral surfaces. The blades extend in the circumferential direction and/or the widthwise direction. The notching rolls are rotated in opposite directions in synchronization with the briquetting rolls, whereby a continuous strip of briquettes discharged from the briquetting rolls can be sheared and separated by the notching rolls. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, in the aforementioned type of briquetting machine, the interval between the notching rolls is selected such that when the continuous strip of briquettes is bitten between the notching rolls and is not sheared nor separated but it is merely notched by the notching rolls. A briquette guide is disposed on the downstream side of the notching rolls.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a hot briquetting apparatus for producing reduced iron briquettes comprising a container for receiving high temperature reduced iron; a storage tank connected to and located underneath the container for storing reduced iron and a hot briquetting machine located at a bottom opening of the storage tank. The improvement involves a means for charging residual reduced iron powder, carbon or mixtures thereof as well as an inert gas into the storage tank, said charge means connected to the storage tank and penetrating into the storage tank so that it is attached in a fluid-tight manner; said powder, carbon, inert gas, etc., being funneled into the storage tank in specific proportions in response to control means which are activated by a temperature sensor in contact with the reduced iron within the storage tank.

Abstract: In a direct reduction plant employing a shaft furnace for reducing iron ore and a steam reformer for producing a reducing gas from gaseous hydrocarbon compounds and provided with an installation for heating at least a part of the reducing gas to be supplied to said shaft furnace, either hydrogen sulfide or a material adapted to produce hydrogen sulfide within the reducing gas is added to the reducing gas system from outside of the system so that the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the reducing gas at the inlet of said shaft furnace is 10 to 100 volume ppm.