Method of reducing ore using a plasma burner

Claim 1

In a method of reducing iron ore, the steps comprising: providing first and second furnaces, feeding said ore into said first furnace, flowing reduction gas from said second furnace into said first furnace, partially reducing said ore in said first furnace with said reduction gas, preheating said ore in said first furnace by burning at least some of said reduction gas therein, feeding into said second furnace a charge comprising a solid carbon reducing agent in lump form, and said partially-reduced ore from said first furnace, said charge forming a permeable mixture, supplying heat energy to a gas and flowing said heated gas into said second furnace through said charge therein and thereby heating said charge by heat exchange therewith, and in said second furnace finally reducing and melting said partially-reduced ore from said first furnace in the presence of said solid carbon reducing agent, and thereby producing at least a portion of said reduction gas subsequently fed into said first furnace, and flowing said reduction gas from said second furnace into heat exchange with and thereby preheating said solid carbon reducing agent and reducing said reduction gas temperature before said reducing agent is fed into said second furnace, this preheated reduction gas being said reduction gas flowed into said first furnace from said second furnace.