Abstract: An iron melting furnace has a refractory lined furnace body having a top opening through which raw materials including a raw material iron source, a carbonaceous material and a slag forming material may be introduced. A heating system is provided for injecting oxygen-containing gas into the furnace body to combust the carbonaceous material, whereby combustion heat can melt the raw material iron source to generate molten iron and molten slag to form a molten iron and slag bath. A plurality of tap holes penetrate the furnace body and are provided at positions different from one another in a height direction of the furnace body, and a refractory filling which is different from the refractory liner material fills at least one of the tap holes such that molten iron or slag in the furnace is unable to flow through the tap hole being filled with the refractory material.

Abstract: Disclosed is an iron bath-type melting furnace characterized by comprising a furnace body and a plurality of tap holes provided at different positions of the furnace body in the direction of the height thereof so as to extend through the furnace body, and in that an iron source as a raw material together with a carbon material and a slag-making material is charged into the furnace and further an oxygen-containing gas is injected into the furnace to melt the iron source as the raw material by combustion heat generated by combustion of the carbon material and/or carbon contained in the molten iron and to produce molten iron and molten slag are produced, and the plurality of the tap holes is used while switching from the uppermost tap hole toward downward tap holes to tap the iron slag being conducted, whereby molten iron is produced by intermittently taking out the molten iron and the molten slag to the outside of the furnace while maintaining the furnace body erect.