MX2008007194A - Conveying system, combined system, and method for coupling metallurgical processes - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveying system comprising elements (1) for conveying lumpy, particularly hot, conveying stock and a cover (2) for shielding the conveying stock. Disclosed are measures for inerting the conveying stock. The invention further relates to a combined system encompassing a reduction plant (17) for reducing oxides in a continuous process as well as a processing unit (18) for producing liquid metal in a discontinuous process, the reduction product being deliverable from the reduction plant to the processing unit. The invention also relates to a method for coupling a reduction method used for reducing oxides in a continuous process and a method used for producing liquid metal in a discontinuous process, a reduction product from the reduction method being fed to the liquid metal production method for processing.

Description

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, COMBINED SYSTEM AND METHOD OF COUPLING METALLURGICAL PROCESSES Description of the invention The invention relates to a transport system, in particular, a bucket conveyor or star feeder, having transport elements for the transport of granular material, in particular a hot material that will be moved, which has a cover for the protection of the material that will be transported. The invention also relates to a composite system having a reduction system that decreases oxides in a continuous process, in particular, a direct reduction system, and a process assembly for the manufacture of liquid metal, in particular, a factory of electric steel (that is, a steel produced in an electric furnace), in a discontinuous process, where the reduction product can be fed from the reduction system to the process assembly. The invention also relates to a method for coupling a reduction method, which decreases the oxides in a continuous process, in particular, in a direct reduction, and to a method for the manufacture of liquid metal in a batch process, in particular , an electric steel method, where a reduction product is REF. 193820 fed from the method of reduction to the method for the manufacture of a liquid metal for processing. The invention also relates to a method for the operation of a transport system, in particular, a bucket conveyor or star feeder, having transport elements for the feeding of granular material, in particular, the hot material to be moved , which has a cover for the protection of the material that will be transported. The transport systems for the transfer of the granular and hot material that will be transported for the purpose of processing the material in metallurgical reactors are known from the prior art. Document US 6, 214,986 describes for example, a device and a method for the supply, for example, of a hot and cold direct reduced hot iron (DRI) casting process, where the DRI is moved, under the force of the severity, from a DRI generation system to the DRI consumer for further processing. Here, it is disadvantageous that the total flow of material occurs only under gravity, so that differences in height in the system define rigid or narrow limits. For example, US 2002/130448 also describes the transport of granular material from a reduction system to an additional stage of processing through of a pneumatic transport under a protective gas. In particular, the increase in the fine proportion as a result of abrasion during pneumatic transportation which can lead to considerable disadvantages in an additional processing step and causes expensive treatment of fine materials is disadvantageous. Taking the prior art as the starting point, the objective of the present invention is to make available a transport system that allows the granular material to be transported under a protective gas to be transported and to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art. The objective according to the invention is achieved by means of the transport system according to the characteristic part of claim 1. The transport system according to the invention allows the granular material to be transported, with the contact being avoided between the material that will be transported and the environmental atmosphere through the introduction of a protective gas, so that no undesirable reactions can occur between the material that will be transported and the ambient atmosphere. In order to protect the material that will be transported, a covered transport system is proposed that has transport elements, where the transport elements with the material that will be transported can be maintained under a protective gas atmosphere inside the cover. According to a specific embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, a cover has gas-tight side and top walls. The distribution lines are located in the interiors of the lateral covers, the last ones are supplied through lines that penetrate the lateral cover. According to an advantageous embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, the cover has a thermal insulator which reduces the cooling of the material to be transported. In particular, in the case of the hot material that will be transported that is still moved or further processed in a hot state of the preceding process step, it would be advantageous if insulation could be provided and the heat losses could be kept low. Due to the thermal activation of a large number of reaction processes, it is more important in the case of the hot material that will be transported, that the protective gas avoid unwanted chemical reactions or not controlled with the ambient atmosphere. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, the distribution lines are included as perforated tubes for the uniform distribution of the protective gas within the cover. Uniform rinsing with the shielding gas allows a sufficiently inert atmosphere of shielding gas to be established, with the necessary amount of shielding gas being able to be maintained as low as possible. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to apply a protective gas in an extremely uniform manner, in this particular case, the entry of environmental gases such as for example air will be avoided. The use of perforated tubes allows a plurality of entry holes and therefore a very uniform application of the shielding gas. According to a suitable embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, a plurality of distribution lines in the transport system allow at least one protection gas to be supplied, in such a way that it can be separately regulated at least in certain areas. This measure allows, significantly, a better control of the rinsing with the protection gas, so that when there is a low requirement of protective gas, however, it would be possible to guarantee that the material to be transported is completely protected. An alternative embodiment of the transport system according to the invention provides a protective gas that will be applied to the distribution lines through power lines that are combined in certain sections and which are connected, respectively, with supply lines separated by at least one central supply of protective gas. This arrangement allows the shielding gas to be applied to the transport system in certain sections and in a target base locally. At least one protection gas is applied to the sections by means of one or more central supply of protective gas through a plurality of supply lines. It is conceivable to introduce several amounts of a protective gas and even different protective gases or additional mixtures of protective gases in different sections. As a result, the transport system can be rinsed with the protection gas according to the requirements, and in the process its quantity can be adapted, approximately, corresponding to the temperature conditions or in addition to the gas flow situation of protection in the transport system. The distribution pipes are supplied with a protective gas through the power lines after having been combined as a group in certain sections. Typically, approximately 10 to 25 distribution pipes can be combined in one section. The number of sections per transport system can be selected according to the length of the transport system, with 4 to 8 sections that have proven to be advantageous in order to guarantee the selective supply with the protective gas. According to a particular embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, the distribution lines have holes and / or perforation grooves in their upper sides and in their lower sides. These are located directly upwards and / or downwards to the directional introduction of the protective gas in parallel to the side cover. It has proven to be disadvantageous to send the protection gas directly over the material to be transported because considerable dust generation can occur. The targeted directional introduction of the shielding gas, in an essential way, in parallel to the side cover in the up and down directions, guarantees reliable rinsing of the inner region of the covers. The downstream part of the shielding gas introduced also prevents the ingress of the ambient atmosphere because there is always an outwardly directed current of shielding gas present. According to a specific embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, the transport system is located at an inclination, in particular at an angle of 10 ° to 50 °, preferably at an angle of 20 ° to 35 °. °. This arrangement of the transport system allows considerable differences in height that will be overcome, so that level differences induced by the system or by the process can also be overcome. Due to the shielding gas, it is possible to avoid the suction of ambient air through a thermally induced gas stream directed upwards and that penetrates the ambient atmosphere, which happens in the case of the hot conveying gas, so that even in With relatively large angles of inclination, contact between the material to be transported and the ambient atmosphere can be avoided. According to an advantageous embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, the cover has sealing separations adjacent to the transport system, which are proportioned to carry the excess protective gas and to cool the transport system. In order to keep the amount of gas needed as low as possible, sealing separations are provided, which on the one hand reduce the exit of the protective gas and on the other hand, prevent the entry of the ambient atmosphere. Due to the moving parts of the transportation system and the difficult operating conditions such as, for example, high thermal load, shocks and dust particles, non-contact seals are advantageous in order to achieve a long service life. without a large amount of maintenance cost. An objective amount of protective gas that emerges may release the thermal load in the moving parts or also in the supporting structure of the transport system and has a cooling ef. The amount of shielding gas can be selected according to the requirements, so that reliable protection can be generated with the shielding gas, sufficient cooling and low consumption of shielding gas. According to a possible embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, throttling projections are provided above the distribution lines, in the region of the upper end of the transport elements. These serve to prevent the entry of the ambient atmosphere into the transport element, with a narrow gap that is present between the throttle projections and the transport elements. The throttle projections allow for an additional reduction of the necessary shielding gas because the thrust projections ensure that a smaller amount of gas is exchanged. In this context, the separation width is given to small dimensions so that as little gas as possible is exchanged, with a minimum separation that has to be maintained for safety reasons and in order to avoid contact between the transport element and the projections of strangulation. The separation width has to be defined based on the thermal expansion and the movements of the transport elements, with separations of 1 to 10 cm, preferably 2 to 4 cm that are maintained. An additional consequence of this is that a smaller thermal loss is transmitted when the hot material that will be transported is transferred. A possible additional embodiment of the transport system according to the invention provides for the controlled loading of the transport system of a transport element, in particular, a star feeder or a screw conveyor, in this case, before the system When transport is loaded with the material that will be transported, the transport element can be rinsed with a protective gas in order to remove the atmospheric oxygen. In order to have the capacity to guarantee a constant amount transported for an additional process, it is essential to load the transport system in a controlled mode. For this purpose, for example, star feeders are known, which can apply a constant quantity in volumetric form of the material that will be transported. Also in order to have the ability to avoid the uncontrolled reactions of the material that will be transported with the ambient atmosphere in the region of the transport element, The transport element or its transport cells are provided, which will be rinsed with a protective gas. As a result, for example, residual oxygen can also be removed from the transport element. According to a particular embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, a master slide and a downstream ball valve are provided for closing the transport element. This measure allows the transport element and the transport system to be rinsed with the protective gas even if the supply of the material to be transported was also interrupted. According to a specific embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, the transport element also comprises a conduit or transport ramp that can be rinsed with the protective gas and has the purpose of feeding the material that will be transported in the transport system, the constant and controlled amount of material that will be transported from the transport element is applied to the transport system through a conduit, there is provided the rinsing with the protection gas which guarantees a gas atmosphere of protection for the material that will be transported, even in the region of the conduit. This measure allows the material that will be transported to be moved in continuous form under the shielding gas. According to an advantageous embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, extraction devices are provided, in particular, injection extractors having separate dust vacuums for extracting the dust particles in the region of the entry points of feed and / or points of rejection or ejection of the transport system, in this case, the extraction tubes are located in the dust vacuums in a way that the secondary air can be sucked in order to cool the extracted gases or the dust particles. During the feed intake or the expulsion of the material that will be transported, it is possible that the dust is generated due to the fine particles unavoidable in the material that will be transported, and the dust can constitute a very considerable environmental load. In order to minimize this burden on the environment, extraction devices are provided which also pull the shielding gas, as well as the dust particles. In order to avoid an excessively high thermal load on the extraction devices when the hot material to be transported is being moved, the extraction vacuums or extraction tubes are located in such a way that considerable quantities of secondary air are also sucked, in order to cool the mixture of the protective gas and the air. The secondary air can here constitute a proportion of 10 to 80% of the total amount of gas with the amount that is selected according to the thermal situation. The objective according to the invention is also achieved by means of the inventive composite system corresponding to the characteristic part of claim 15. Composite systems require that the processes be combined with another or need the exploitation of the advantages that originate, for example, from the direct processing of an intermediate product generated in an additional method step. For example, the processing of a still hot or hot product in a subsequent process step is an advantageous condition because in this way a significant advantage can be achieved in terms of energy costs. Due to the different process sequences that are often necessary to provide special process connections and associated systems in order to have the ability to use the advantages of a composite system. The composite system according to the invention allows for synergies that will be used in the coupling of a reduction system with a process assembly for the purpose of manufacturing liquid metal, for example, liquid steel. When a reduction method that happens continuously in a system of reduction is coupled with a process that occurs in discontinuous form, for example, a method of generating steel in an electric steel factory, it is necessary to supply decoupling devices such as, for example, damping devices. The damping device can collect the continuously generated intermediate product, so that it can be further processed in a batch mode, for example, in batches. In addition to the reduction product, it is also possible to introduce additional starting materials in the process assembly. A very essential precondition for the direct processing of a reduction product is the system engineering connection of the systems to each other. In this context, considerable height differences often have to be overcome in order to allow loading. Furthermore, it is necessary to protect a still hot reduction product to such an extent that there are no harmful or uncontrolled reactions with the ambient atmosphere which may lead, for example, to the reduction in the already present degree of metallization. For this reason, according to the invention the reduction system is connected to the process assembly for the manufacture of liquid metal through the inventive transport device as claimed in one of the claims 1-15. This it can guarantee that the reduction product can be reliably placed under the protective gas from the reduction system in the process assembly for the manufacture of liquid metal. According to a particular embodiment of the composite system according to the invention, the damping device comprises at least one damping silo. The damping allows the batch to batch load to be adapted to the process assembly, with the buffer silo that is capable of being adapted in terms of its storage capacity to the requirements of the systems that will be connected. Because the processes connected in the composite system have different requirements in terms of the method, the optimal processing stages can be achieved at least through the partial decoupling of the methods, using the synergies of the two system components. According to an advantageous embodiment of the composite system according to the invention, the damping device comprises two damping silos for loading or emptying alternately. The arrangement of the two independent assemblies allows an even better load of the process assembly, with the alternating use of the silos that still allow a greater flexibility with respect to the loading process.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the composite system according to the invention, the damping device has an insulation means. As a result, the chronological decoupling of material flows from the reduction product can be better configured, while at the same time less thermal losses of the reduction product can be maintained. A particular embodiment of the composite system according to the invention provides the damping device having at least one ball valve and / or a master slide for closing the damping device in a gas-tight mode. Due to the need to use a protective gas to protect the material that will be transported, it is also necessary to avoid contact with the ambient atmosphere during the damping. A simple measure to achieve this has proven to be to prevent the entry of the atmosphere by means of a master slide and a tap. The master slide here assumes the function of closing coarse or coarse material, which effectively retains the material that will be transported, so that the tap is kept free of the material that will be transported. The faucet makes the gas tight seal. According to an alternative configuration of the composite system according to the invention, the The damping device has connections for rinsing with a protective gas and / or a cooling gas, in particular, an inert gas for cooling in the event of a failure. The connection of the protective gas line allows the cushioned transport material to be rinsed. In this context, the damping device is rinsed with the shielding gas, in the same way as for example a damping silo, with a protective gas discharge line that is also provided in addition to the gas supply line of protection, so that the entry of the environmental atmosphere can be effectively avoided. In situations of failure, it is necessary to cool the hot cushioned transport material, in this case, the rinse can also be carried out with the shielding gas. A specific embodiment of the composite system according to the invention with the condition that a supply is provided in a device for the additional starting materials in the damping device. This feeding into the device allows the use of splicing of the cushioned material that will be transported with one or more aggregate starting materials, so that no additional devices are necessary. However, it is also possible, alternatively, to provide additional devices for the entry of materials from split, separately. According to a possible embodiment of the composite system according to the invention, the damping device has at least one continuous weight measuring device which measures the cushioned reduction products and / or the starting materials. A simple solution has proven to be the load based on the measured weight of the material that will be transported. In particular, it is advantageous in this context that the load in the process assembly is capable of being controlled according to the weight, that is, that the load can follow a predefined weight / time profile. In addition to the reduction product, it is also possible to charge the starting materials together with this or in a further alternative way. According to an alternative embodiment of the composite system according to the invention, the damping device has at least one transport element for the regulated loading of the reduction product and / or the starting materials in the process assembly. The transport element allows the loading in the assembly of the process in a way that is controlled in terms of time and quantity, so that an optimal process can be maintained. It is usual here to perform the loading according to the predefined quantity / time functions. According to a specific modality of the system In accordance with the invention, a discharge is provided for the reduction product of the reduction system upstream of the transport system, the discharge is connected with a material cooler to accommodate and cool the reduction product. In situations of failure or also in the case of special production cycles, it is necessary to extract part or all of the complete reduction product and feed it to a material cooler. The objective according to the invention is also achieved by means of the method according to the invention for the coupling of a reduction process and a method for the manufacture of liquid material according to the characteristic part of claim 25. The coupling of A continuous process such as a reduction method with a batch process such as a method for the manufacture of liquid metal makes it necessary to decouple the process parts, for example, by damping the reduction product. This measure, which is disadvantageous in itself, can be advantageously used to transport the reduction product, and possibly an additional starting material, continuously under a protective gas atmosphere or keep it under the atmosphere, for example, by means of a star feeder. This guarantees that the product of Reduction does not have to be additionally processed beforehand but rather it can be processed or loaded directly. The interrupted degree of inertia in the protective gas atmosphere allows the reduction material to be further processed even after damping, even with hot reduction products that are reliably protected against undesirable reactions with the ambient atmosphere. What is essential here is the fact that the reduction material is always kept under the shielding gas, that is, during the entire transport process and the cushioning as far as the load in the process assembly. According to a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the transport of the reduction product and / or the starting material is carried out discontinuously from the damping device to the method for the manufacture of a liquid metal. Here, it is usual for the load to be carried out according to the time / quantity functions that are predefined or are also defined in the method, in order to optimize the process. According to a possible additional configuration of the method according to the invention, the entry of the reduction product into the method for the manufacture of a liquid metal is carried out in a regulated mode and on the basis of a continuous measurement of weight in the device of cushioning The regulated input in the method for the manufacture of liquid metal has proven that it is possible that it is an effective measure due to the control or precise monitoring of the process, in this case, on the basis of simple measurements. According to a particularly advantageous configuration of the method according to the invention, the reduction product is quenched without cooling and / or is fed to the method for the manufacture of liquid metal. By means of this process control it is possible to minimize heat losses and energy costs in the whole method. Measuring the degree of inertia of the hot reduction product makes it possible to dampen the reduction product, allowing undesirable reactions such as, for example, oxidation reactions to be reliably avoided. According to an advantageous configuration of the method according to the invention, the reduction product is direct reduced iron (DRI). The DRI is defined by a high degree of mentalization, that is, by a very high proportion of metal. The high reactivity of the hot DRI makes the protective gas atmosphere necessary, in particular, if the DRI had to be damped. The method according to the invention allows a high-grade DRI to be used by using the heat stored in the manufacturing method, in particular, of liquid steel. As As a result, a particularly efficient method is obtained that meets the requirements of the highest quality. According to a further advantageous configuration of the method according to the invention, part of the reduction product that can not be processed directly in the manufacturing method of a liquid metal is extracted from the method for its decoupling. This measure allows, in the first instance, that production quantities be adapted where there are different capacities between the coupled methods and / or allows the adaptation to specific states of method, such as, for example, in the case of failures in the method of manufacture of a liquid metal. According to a possible embodiment of the method according to the invention, the reduction product, and if appropriate, the starting material would be alternately buffered in at least two damping devices and fed to the method of manufacturing a liquid metal. . The alternative method of operation allows the continuous process to be decoupled from the discontinuous part of the process. In addition, the damping also provides a safety function during brief faults. The objective according to the invention is achieved by means of the method according to the invention for the operation of a transport system of according to the characteristic part of claim 32. The inventive rinsing of the space in the transport system and inside the cover with the shielding gas ensures that the ambient atmosphere does not penetrate and as a result there is no contact with the material which will be transported. In particular, in case hot material is transported, chemical reactions between the material to be transported and the ambient atmosphere can be avoided in this way. The protection of the material that will be transported by means of a cover also reduces the environmental load, for example, due to the dust composed of fine particles in the material that will be transported. A particular embodiment of the method according to the invention provides the protective gas between the cover and the transport system which will be established at a low pressure of excess of 0.01 to 0.4 bar, in particular, of 0.05 to 0.1 bar, in relation to the environments, so that the suction in the ambient atmosphere towards the transport system is avoided by the suction induced in thermal form in the transport system. The suction induced in thermal form happens mainly in transport systems with a relatively large angle of inclination and when the material that will be transported is hot. This originates in the suction, which can be sucked for example, the air environmental protection throughout the region of the transportation system. In order to reliably avoid the ingress of air, it is necessary to compensate to a large extent the suction by supplying a protective gas and to also reliably avoid the entry of the ambient atmosphere. To do this, it is necessary to maintain at least a low excess pressure of the shielding gas in the region of the transport system or in the interior of the cover. According to a possible configuration of the method according to the invention, the process gas of a reduction system or a burned gas from the process of a reduction system, the combustion gases of a metallurgical melting furnace or an inert gas, in particular nitrogen, or mixtures thereof, are used as the shielding gas. In addition, it is also possible to use mixtures of the mentioned gases. The use of process gases provides the advantage that these gases are very cost effective and may be available in sufficient quantities. If a sufficient amount of protective gas is not available, additional protective gases, such as nitrogen, can also be used. These are described in more detail below with reference to possible configurations. Figure 1 shows the transport system of according to the invention in a sectional view in transverse position with respect to the transport direction, Figure 2 shows the transport system according to the invention according to the invention in a schematic illustration, Figure 3 shows the composite system according to the invention in a general view, and Figure 4 shows the composite system according to the invention in a schematic illustration. The most significant components are illustrated in the sectional view in Figure 1. The transport system has the transport elements 1 for the arrangement of the material to be transported, the transport elements 1 can be included for example, as cells or buckets of transport as they are known from star feeders or bucket conveyors.

The bucket conveyors slide for example, on rails by means of wheels, it is possible to connect the buckets to each other by means of chains. The cover 2 is located above and on the side of the transport elements 1 and is formed from the hermetic gas side walls 3 and the gas-tight upper walls 4. These walls are thermally insulated which prevent on the one hand that cool the hot material that will be transported and on the other hand, have a function of protection for the surrounding steel structure. In addition, these walls prevent excessive loading of environments with dust and exhaust gases. The distribution lines located in lateral position 5 penetrate the side walls 3, the distribution lines 5 distribute, as perforated lines, a protective gas inside the walls. The rinsing with the protective gas protects, mainly, the material that will be transported against undesirable reactions, in particular against oxidation, if it were hot and had a high degree of reactivity with the air. The distribution lines 5 have holes and / or perforation grooves in their upper and lower sides, and these guarantee the directional entry of the protective gas. This measure avoids any production of dust as a result of the material that is flowing directly, which will be transported. In addition, reliable rinsing of the region inside the covers is guaranteed. The downstream partial amount of shielding gas introduced also prevents entry of the ambient atmosphere because an outwardly directed amount of shielding gas is always present. In the region of the upper edge of the transport element 1, the throttle projections 10 are provided, which prevent the entry of the environmental atmosphere in the transport element. In addition, the sealing separations 9 are provided by means of projecting elements in the region of the lower side walls of the material 1 to be transported, and these are provided to discharge the excess protection gas and to cool the system. Figure 2 shows the transport system in a possible arrangement. The material to be transported is applied to the transport system in the feed at point 14 by means of a transport element 11, which could be included for example as a star feeder. The star feeder allows a precise quantity to be supplied in the transport elements 1. In order to minimize the dust loading in the feed region at the point 14 and at the ejection point 15, extraction devices are provided 16, in particular, injection extractors. For the purpose of cooling, extraction tubes are located in such a way that the suctioned gases or dust particles can be cooled by suctioned secondary air. The feed means for the material to be transported have at least one slide valve and one ball valve, so that the transport element 11 can be closed. The transport element can be rinsed by means of protective gas, so that Even in this region the material that will be transported can be effectively protected against the ambient atmosphere. The duct that is rinsed with the protection gas is provided in the region of the transport element 11 in order to feed the material that will be transported in the transport element. The transport system is rinsed with the protective gas by means of the distribution lines 5 through a central supply of protective gas 8 and of the separate supply lines 7 which are connected to the supply lines 6, which they are combined in certain sections. Due to the arrangement in sections, it is possible to adapt the amount of protection gas to the local situation, that is, adapt the amount of protection gas accordingly. Figure 3 is a general view of a possible arrangement of the composite system according to the invention. A reduction system 17 such as, for example, a direct reduction system produces a precursor, such as, for example, hot direct reduced iron (HDRI) for a process assembly located downstream, for example, an electric steel factory. The two systems are connected to each other by means of the transport system 19 according to the invention, the considerable differences in height are also overcome. The precursor can also be transported in Directly by means of the transport system in the hot state and can be fed to the process assembly. The inventive protection of the precursor during the whole transportation process makes it possible to avoid undesirable reactions with the environmental atmosphere and maintains a low environmental load. Prior to further processing of the precursor in the process assembly, the precursor is damped in the damping device 20, which is normally located above the process assembly. In order to maintain low heat losses, the damping device has thermal insulation. Figure 4 illustrates the system situation between the reduction system 17 and the process assembly 18. Advantageously, the damper device 20 has two buffer silos 21, 22 for accommodating the precursor. These can be loaded or emptied alternately. In order to close the buffer silos 21 and 22 in a gas-tight mode, at least one master slide 24 and one ball valve 23 are provided. In order to rinse the buffer silos 21 and 22, the connections 25 they are provided for the protection gas supply. In addition, the buffer silos have ventilation means (not shown) for the discharge of the shielding gas. In addition, feeding devices 26 that input starting materials can be provided further in the buffer silos 21 and 22. The precursors to be charged are introduced in a controlled mode from the buffer device 20 by means of a feed element 28 in the process assembly 18 for further processing. In order to allow continuous monitoring of the amount of material in the damping device, weighing devices 27 are provided in all damping silos 21, 22. In order to allow reliable emptying of the damping device 20 in situations of failure, the damped material can be discharged by means of a line 32 or 33. In the process, a material cooler can also be connected downstream. Furthermore, in a fault situation a discharge means 29 for the preliminary material of the reduction system 17 is provided, it being possible to place the hot preliminary material in a material cooler 30 before it is damped. It is noted that in relation to this date the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (31)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property: 1. A transport system, in particular a bucket conveyor or star feeder, with transport elements for the transfer of the hot granular material that will be transferred, which has a gas-tight cover to protect the material to be transported, characterized in that at least one distribution line for feeding a protective gas is provided on at least one inner side of the cover so that the space in the transport system and inside the cover can be rinsed with the protection gas in order to prevent the entry of the ambient atmosphere, where the cover has hermetic side walls of gas and gas-tight upper walls, and the distribution lines have holes and / or perforation slits in their upper and lower sides, so that the protective gas that is fed is directed upwards and / or downwards parallel to the side cover in order to form an outward directed stream of shielding gas.
2. 2. The transport system according to claim 1, characterized in that the cover has a heat insulation in order to reduce the cooling of the material that will be transported.
3. 3. The transport system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the distribution lines are included as perforated tubes for the purpose of evenly distributing the protective gas inside the cover. The transport system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of distribution lines in the transport system allows at least one protection gas to be supplied in such a way that it can be separately regulated at least in certain areas. The transport system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protection gas can be supplied to the distribution lines by means of the supply lines which are combined in certain sections and which are connected, respectively , in the separate supply lines at least with a central supply of protection gas. The transport system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is located at an inclination, in particular, at an angle of 10 ° to 50 °, preferably at an angle of 20 ° to 35 °. The transport system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the cover has sealing separations close to the transport system, in order to close the excess protection gas and cool the transport system. The transport system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that throttling projections are provided above the distribution lines in the region of the upper end of the transport elements in order to prevent the air from penetrating the In addition, a transport element is provided between the throttle projections and the transport elements. The transport system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport element in particular, a cell wheel conveyor or transport spindle is provided in order to load the transport system in a controlled mode, where before the transport system is loaded with the material to be transported, the transport element can be rinsed with the protection gas for the purpose of removing the atmospheric oxygen. 10. The transportation system in accordance with the claim 9, characterized in that a master slide is provided upstream of the transport element, and a ball valve is provided downstream thereof, in order to close the transport element. The transport system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the transport element comprises a transport conduit, which can be rinsed with the protective gas and has the purpose of feeding the material that will be transported to the system. Of transport. The transport system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that extraction devices are provided in particular, injection extractors with vacuum cleaners separated from dust to extract the powder, in the region of the feeding at the points and / or points of expulsion of the transport system, the extraction tubes are located in the dust vacuums in such a way that even the secondary air can be sucked in order to cool the extracted gases or dust particles. 13. The composite system that has a reduction system that decreases oxides in a continuous process, in particular, a direct reduction system, and a process assembly for the manufacture of liquid metal, in particular, an electric steel factory, in a discontinuous process, in where the reduction product can be fed from the reduction system to the process assembly, characterized in that a transport system according to any of claims 1-12 is provided for the transport of the reduction product of the reduction system at least towards a damping device for the reception of the reduction product and / or the additional starting materials and also for the loading of the process assembly. The composite system according to claim 13, characterized in that the damping device comprises at least one damping device. 15. The composite system according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the damping device comprises two damping devices for alternate loading or emptying. 16. The composite system according to any of claims 13-15, characterized in that the damping device has an insulation means. 17. The composite system according to any of claims 13-16, characterized in that the damping device has at least one ball valve (23) and / or a master slide to close the damping device in a hermetic gas mode. 18. The composite system according to any of claims 13-17, characterized in that the damping device has connections for rinsing with the shielding gas and / or a cooling gas, in particular an inert gas, for cooling in the case of a failure. 19. The composite system according to any of claims 13-18, characterized in that the feeding into the device for the additional raw materials is provided in the damping device. The composite system according to any of claims 13-19, characterized in that the damping device has at least one continuous weight measuring device for calculating the reduction products and / or cushioned continuous starting materials. The composite system according to any of claims 13-20, characterized in that the damping device has at least one transport element for the regulated loading of the reduction product and / or the starting materials towards the process assembly. 22. The composite system in accordance with any of claims 13-21, characterized in that a discharge for the reduction product is provided upstream of the transport system, the discharge is connected with a material cooler for the accommodation and cooling of the reduction product. 23. The method of coupling a direct reduction method that decreases oxygen in a continuous process, and a method of manufacturing liquid metal in a batch process, in particular, an electric steel method for the manufacture of liquid steel, a reduction product that is fed from the method of reduction to the method of manufacturing liquid metal for processing, characterized in that the reduction product is fed to the method of manufacturing liquid steel directly by means of a transport system in accordance with any of claims 1-12, which comprises the damping at least in a damping device, and if appropriate, at least with an additional starting material that is fed into the damping device, the reduction product and if appropriate , the starting material is always transported under a protective gas atmosphere. 24. The method of compliance with the claim 23, characterized in that the reduction product and / or the starting materials are fed discontinuously from the damping device to the method of manufacturing a liquid metal. 25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that the entry of the reduction product into the manufacturing method of a liquid metal is carried out in a regulated mode on the basis of a continuous measurement of weight in the damping device. 26. The method according to any of claims 23-25, characterized in that the reduction product is quenched without cooling and / or is fed to the method of manufacturing a liquid metal. 27. The method according to any of claims 23-26, characterized in that the reduction product is directly reduced iron. 28. The method according to any of claims 23-27, characterized in that part of the reduction product that can not be processed in the liquid metal manufacturing method is discharged from the method for coupling. 29. The method according to any of claims 23-28, characterized in that the reduction product and, if appropriate, the starting material, are alternatingly damped at least in two damping devices and are fed to the manufacturing method. of a liquid metal. 30. A method of operation of a transport system, in particular a wide-mouth vessel conveyor or star feeder having transport elements for feeding a granular material, in particular a hot material to be transported, has a cover that protects the material which will be transported, characterized in that the space in the transport system and inside the cover is rinsed by means of a protective gas, which is introduced at least through a distribution line, in order to avoid the entry of the ambient atmosphere, where the protective gas between the cover and the transport system is established, in relation to the environments, at a slight pressure of excess of 0.01 to 0.4 bar, in particular, of 0.05 to 0.1 bar, of So that the suction of the environmental atmosphere towards the transport system is avoided by the suction induced in thermal form in the transport system. 31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that the process gas of a reduction system or a burned process gas of a reduction system, the combustion gases of a metallurgical melting furnace or an inert gas, in Particular nitrogen, or mixtures thereof, are used as the shielding gas.