Patents by Inventor Shuzo Ito

Shuzo Ito 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).

  • Patent number: 10407744
    Abstract: This method is for producing granular metallic iron in which the relation between the mass ratio (mass %) of the volatile matter content contained in a carbonaceous reducing agent and the average gas flow rate (m/s) of the ambient gas in a heating furnace fulfills expression (1). Mass ratio of volatile matter content??4.62×average gas flow rate+46.7 . . .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shorin O, Shuzo Ito
  • Publication number: 20170073781
    Abstract: This method is for producing granular metallic iron in which the relation between the mass ratio (mass %) of the volatile matter content contained in a carbonaceous reducing agent and the average gas flow rate (m/s) of the ambient gas in a heating furnace fulfills expression (1). Mass ratio of volatile matter content??4.62×average gas flow rate+46.7 . . .
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (KOBE STEEL, LTD.)
    Inventors: Shorin O, Shuzo ITO
  • Publication number: 20160237514
    Abstract: Provided is a method for manufacturing iron nuggets by which reduced iron obtained by heating and reducing agglomerates, or iron nuggets obtained by melting and aggregating the reduced iron can be prevented from reoxidation inside a movable hearth heating furnace and quality of the reduced iron can be improved. The method involves charging and heating agglomerates including iron oxide and a carbonaceous reducing agent on a hearth of a movable hearth heating furnace, reducing and melting the iron oxide in the agglomerates, and then discharging obtained iron nuggets to the outside of the furnace and recovering the iron nuggets. The agglomerates have a coating layer, including a fluid carbonaceous material, on the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2014
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (KOBE STEEL, LTD.)
    Inventors: Shuzo ITO, Taiji HATAKEYAMA, Shorin O, Hiroshi SUGITATSU
  • Patent number: 8617459
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing granular metallic iron by reducing a raw material mixture including an iron oxide-containing material and a carbonaceous reducing agent, comprises: a step of charging the raw material mixture onto a hearth of a moving hearth-type thermal reduction furnace; a step of reducing the iron oxide in the raw material mixture by the carbonaceous reducing agent through the application of heat, thereby forming metallic iron, subsequently melting the metallic iron, and coalescing the molten metallic iron to granular metallic iron while separating the molten metallic iron from subgenerated slag; and a step of cooling the metallic iron to solidify; wherein the heat-reducing step includes a step of controlling the flow velocity of atmospheric gas in a predetermined zone of the furnace within a predetermined range. This method makes it possible to manufacture the granular metallic iron of high quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Tokuda, Shuzo Ito, Shoichi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20130098202
    Abstract: A process for producing a molten steel (G) is disclosed in which particulate metallic iron can be more efficiently melted. The process includes the step of melting, in an electric arc furnace (2), all charge for iron which comprises: particulate metallic iron (A) produced by a method including a step in which a feed material comprising a carbonaceous reducing material and an iron oxide-containing substance is heated in a rotary hearth furnace (1) as a reducing/melting furnace and the iron oxide contained in the feed material is thereby reduced in the solid state to yield metallic iron and a step in which the resultant metallic iron is heated to a higher temperature to melt the metallic iron and the molten iron is aggregated while separating the iron from the slag (B); and scraps (D) which are another feed material for iron. The process is characterized in that the content of carbon in the particulate metallic iron (A) is regulated to 1.0-4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Osamu Tsuge, Itsuo Miyahara, Shuzo Ito
  • Publication number: 20130074654
    Abstract: A technique that further improves the process for producing granular metal involves heating agglomerates and reducing and melting a metal oxide in the agglomerates. The process includes feeding agglomerates containing a metal oxide and a carbonaceous reducing agent onto a hearth of a moving hearth reduction melting furnace, heating the agglomerates to reduce and to melt the metal oxide, cooling the granular metal obtained by the heating, and discharging the cooled granular metal out of the furnace to recover the same. The agglomerates have an average diameter of not smaller than 17.5 mm are fed onto the hearth when the agglomerates are heated at a spread density of not lower than 0.5 on the hearth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventor: Shuzo Ito
  • Patent number: 8377169
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing granular metallic iron by reducing a raw material mixture including an iron oxide-containing material and a carbonaceous reducing agent, comprises: a step of charging the raw material mixture onto a hearth of a moving hearth-type thermal reduction furnace; a step of reducing the iron oxide in the raw material mixture by the carbonaceous reducing agent through the application of heat, thereby forming metallic iron, subsequently melting the metallic iron, and coalescing the molten metallic iron to granular metallic iron while separating the molten metallic iron from subgenerated slag; and a step of cooling the metallic iron to solidify; wherein the heat-reducing step includes a step of controlling the flow velocity of atmospheric gas in a predetermined zone of the furnace within a predetermined range. This method makes it possible to manufacture the granular metallic iron of high quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Tokuda, Shuzo Ito, Shoichi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20120205840
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing granular metallic iron by reducing a raw material mixture including an iron oxide-containing material and a carbonaceous reducing agent, comprises: a step of charging the raw material mixture onto a hearth of a moving hearth-type thermal reduction furnace; a step of reducing the iron oxide in the raw material mixture by the carbonaceous reducing agent through the application of heat, thereby forming metallic iron, subsequently melting the metallic iron, and coalescing the molten metallic iron to granular metallic iron while separating the molten metallic iron from subgenerated slag; and a step of cooling the metallic iron to solidify; wherein the heat-reducing step includes a step of controlling the flow velocity of atmospheric gas in a predetermined zone of the furnace within a predetermined range. This method makes it possible to manufacture the granular metallic iron of high quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Koji TOKUDA, Shuzo ITO, Shoichi KIKUCHI
  • Patent number: 8157888
    Abstract: A high purity of molten iron is produced efficiently at a higher productivity, by feeding a raw material mixture containing a carbonaceous reducing agent, an iron oxide-containing material and a CaO-containing material onto a hearth of a moving-hearth reducing furnace, heat-reducing the raw material mixture in the reducing furnace, and melting it in a melting furnace melting, wherein a blending amount of the CaO-containing material in the raw material mixture is adjusted in such a manner that another feeding of the CaO-containing material into the melting furnace makes a basicity of a slag generated in the melting furnace 1.1 or more an feeding amount of the CaO-containing material becomes 40 kg or less per ton of the molten iron obtained in the melting furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuzo Ito, Itsuo Miyahara, Koji Tokuda
  • Publication number: 20110265603
    Abstract: A method for producing granular iron comprising: charging agglomerates formed from a raw material mixture containing an iron oxide-containing substance and a carbonaceous reducing agent onto a carbonaceous material spread on a hearth of a furnace; and heating the agglomerates to thereby reduce and melt iron oxides in the agglomerates, wherein the temperature of the agglomerates in the furnace is set in a range between 1200° C. and 1500° C.; the oxygen partial pressure in atmospheric gas under which the agglomerates are heated is set to 2.0×10?13 atm or more at standard state; and the linear speed of the atmospheric gas in the furnace is set to 4.5 cm/second or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO
    Inventors: Takeshi Sugiyama, Shuzo Ito, Osamu Tsuge, Shoichi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 7938883
    Abstract: A method of making metallic iron in which a compact, containing iron oxide such as iron ore or the like and a carbonaceous reductant such as coal or the like, is used as material, and the iron oxide is reduced through the application of heat, thereby making metallic iron. In the course of this reduction, a shell composed of metallic iron is generated and grown on the surface of the compact, and slag aggregates inside the shell. This reduction continues until substantially no iron oxide is present within the metallic iron shell. Subsequently, heating is further performed to melt the metallic iron and slag. Molten metallic iron and molten slag are separated one from the other, thereby obtaining metallic iron with a relatively high metallization ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho
    Inventors: Takuya Negami, Kazuo Kunii, Shinichi Inaba, Masataka Shimizu, Isao Kobayashi, Yoshimichi Takenaka, Toshihide Matsumura, Akira Uragami, Takashi Kujirai, Osamu Tsuchiya, Kimio Sugiyama, Shuzo Ito, Shoichi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20100313710
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing granular metallic iron by reducing a raw material mixture including an iron oxide-containing material and a carbonaceous reducing agent, comprises: a step of charging the raw material mixture onto a hearth of a moving hearth-type thermal reduction furnace; a step of reducing the iron oxide in the raw material mixture by the carbonaceous reducing agent through the application of heat, thereby forming metallic iron, subsequently melting the metallic iron, and coalescing the molten metallic iron to granular metallic iron while separating the molten metallic iron from subgenerated slag; and a step of cooling the metallic iron to solidify; wherein the heat-reducing step includes a step of controlling the flow velocity of atmospheric gas in a predetermined zone of the furnace within a predetermined range. This method makes it possible to manufacture the granular metallic iron of high quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho(Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Koji Tokuda, Shuzo Ito, Shoichi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 7806959
    Abstract: Metallic iron nuggets made by reducing-melt of a material containing a carbonaceous reductant and a metal-oxide-containing material, the metallic iron nuggets comprising at least 94% by mass, hereinafter denoted as “%”, of Fe and 1.0 to 4.5% of C, and having a diameter of 1 to 30 mm are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Midrex International B.V. Zurich Branch
    Inventors: Shuzo Ito, Yasuhiro Tanigaki, Isao Kobayashi, Osamu Tsuge, Keisuke Honda, Koji Tokuda, Shoichi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 7674316
    Abstract: A hearth material is laid in the form of a layer on the hearth prior to supply of a mixture containing a carbonaceous reducing agent and iron oxides onto a hearth of a reduction melting furnace, thereby forming a renewable hearth capable of being renewed, and the metallic iron is produced while renewing a part or the whole of the renewable hearth, which has deteriorated during operation, with the hearth material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Midrex International B.V. Zurich Branch
    Inventors: Osamu Tsuge, Yasuhiro Tanigaki, Isao Kobayashi, Koji Tokuda, Shoichi Kikuchi, Shuzo Ito
  • Publication number: 20090031859
    Abstract: A hearth material is laid in the form of a layer on the hearth prior to supply of a mixture containing a carbonaceous reducing agent and iron oxides onto a hearth of a reduction melting furnace, thereby forming a renewable hearth capable of being renewed, and the metallic iron is produced while renewing a part or the whole of the renewable hearth, which has deteriorated during operation, with the hearth material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Applicant: MIDREX INTERNATIONAL B. V. Zurich Branch
    Inventors: Osamu TSUGE, Yasuhiro Tanigaki, Isao Kobayashi, Koji Tokuda, Shoichi Kikuchi, Shuzo Ito
  • Publication number: 20090025511
    Abstract: A method of making metallic iron in which a compact, containing iron oxide such as iron ore or the like and a carbonaceous reductant such as coal or the like, is used as material, and the iron oxide is reduced through the application of heat, thereby making metallic iron. In the course of this reduction, a shell composed of metallic iron is generated and grown on the surface of the compact, and slag aggregates inside the shell. This reduction continues until substantially no iron oxide is present within the metallic iron shell. Subsequently, heating is further performed to melt the metallic iron and slag. Molten metallic iron and molten slag are separated one from the other, thereby obtaining metallic iron with a relatively high metallization ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Publication date: January 29, 2009
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO
    Inventors: Takuya Negami, Kazuo Kunii, Shinichi Inaba, Masataka Shimizu, Isao Kobayashi, Yoshimichi Takenaka, Toshihide Matsumura, Akira Uragami, Takashi Kujirai, Osamu Tsuchiya, Kimio Sugiyama, Shuzo Ito, Shoichi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 7438730
    Abstract: A method for producing an iron oxide pellet including the steps of adding water to a raw material mixture comprising iron oxide which serves as a primary component, a carbonaceous material in an amount sufficient for reducing the iron oxide, an organic binder in an amount sufficient for binding the iron oxide and the carbonaceous material, and an inorganic coagulant in an amount of not less than 0.05 mass % and less than 1 mass %; pelletizing the resultant mixture to thereby obtain a green pellet; and drying the green pellet until the moisture content is reduced to equal to or less than 1.0 mass %. The thus-produced iron oxide pellet is charged in a reducing furnace for reduction to thereby obtain a reduced iron pellet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Igawa, Jun Jimbo, Hidetoshi Tanaka, Shoichi Kikuchi, Takao Harada, Osamu Tsuchiya, Shuzo Ito, Isao Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20080127778
    Abstract: A high purity of molten iron is produced efficiently at a higher productivity, by feeding a raw material mixture containing a carbonaceous reducing agent, an iron oxide-containing material and a CaO-containing material onto a hearth of a moving-hearth reducing furnace, heat-reducing the raw material mixture in the reducing furnace, and melting it in a melting furnace melting, wherein a blending amount of the CaO-containing material in the raw material mixture is adjusted in such a manner that another feeding of the CaO-containing material into the melting furnace makes a basicity of a slag generated in the melting furnace 1.1 or more an feeding amount of the CaO-containing material becomes 40 kg or less per ton of the molten iron obtained in the melting furnace.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2007
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Shuzo ITO, Itsuo Miyahara, Koji Tokuda
  • Publication number: 20070258843
    Abstract: Metallic iron nuggets made by reducing-melt of a material containing a carbonaceous reductant and a metal-oxide-containing material, the metallic iron nuggets comprising at least 94% by mass, hereinafter denoted as “%”, of Fe and 1.0 to 4.5% of C, and having a diameter of 1 to 30 mm are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Publication date: November 8, 2007
    Applicant: MIDREX INTERNATIONAL B. V. Zurich
    Inventors: Shuzo Ito, Yasuhiro Tanigaki, Isao Kobayashi, Osamu Tsuge, Keisuke Honda, Koji Tokuda, Shoichi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20070227301
    Abstract: Metallic iron nuggets made by reducing-melt of a material containing a carbonaceous reductant and a metal-oxide-containing material, the metallic iron nuggets comprising at least 94% by mass, hereinafter denoted as “%”, of Fe and 1.0 to 4.5% of C, and having a diameter of 1 to 30 mm are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Applicant: MIDREX INTERNATIONAL B.V. Zurich Branch
    Inventors: Shuzo Ito, Yasuhiro Tanigaki, Isao Kobayashi, Osamu Tsuge, Keisuke Honda, Koji Tokuda, Shoichi Kikuchi