Coal Gasification-Based DRI Production: Start-Up and Operation of JSPLs

Angul I MXCOL DRI Plant

T. Wieslaw, G. Hughes
MIDREX Technologies, USA;

ABSTRACT
In 2014 Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) in Angul, Odisha, India commissioned the worlds first MXCOL DRI Plant
featuring a coal gasifier to supply syngas for direct reduction in a MIDREX Shaft Furnace. JSPLs MXCOL Plant started
producing direct reduced iron (DRI) at 93% metallization and produces both hot DRI (HDRI) and cold DRI (CDRI). The
syngas from coal is used instead of natural gas to produce the reducing gas and fuel gas required for reduction of iron oxide
in the MIDREX Shaft Furnace. The coal gasification unit is able to utilize and process Indias domestic high ash coal and
the parallel commissioning and startup of the MXCOL Plant and Lurgi-based Coal Gasification Plant proved that MXCOL
is a commercially viable option for steelmakers located in the areas where the option for using natural gas is limited.
Key words: MIDREX, MXCOL, Shaft Furnace, DRI, CDRI, HDRI, Direct Reduction, Coal Gasification, JSPL, Lurgi,
Fixed Bed Dry Bottom, Plant Startup, India, Jindal Steel & Power, Ironmaking

INTRODUCTION
As India continues to grow and its economy matures it will require steel and increasingly higher quality iron products such as
DRI. India is the worlds DRI production leader, yet faces unique economic and utility supply hurdles. For example supply of
natural gas, which has been a staple resource to produce DRI for decades worldwide, is limited in India. It should be noted
that power generation industry, fertilizer producers and petro-chemical refineries had generated in 2012-13 approximately
85% of the total demand for natural gas [3]. They are the only government selected priority sectors in the country allowed
utilize natural gas. JSPL faced with these roadblocks for production of DRI (CDRI, HDRI) for its steelmaking facility in
Angul, Odisha, India, selected Midrexs MXCOL technology to address how to produce DRI in spite lack of domestic
natural gas. MXCOL is an option for the commercially proven MIDREX Shaft Furnace technology that uses syngas
derived from coal gasification in order to create a reducing gas used for production of DRI. MXCOL Plants are different
from conventional natural gas-based MIDREX NG Plants that use MIDREX Reformer to generate the reducing gas from
natural gas. This paper will examine the MXCOL option of the MIDREX Process in detail. It will also examine the
operational flexibility, commissioning and start-up of JSPLs Angul MXCOL DRI Plant.

BACKGROUND
JSPL is one of Indias significant corporations with major presence in iron and steelmaking industry and has built a 12.5
Mtpy integrated steel complex in Angul, Odisha State with an investment total of $6 billion capital. The major facilities at the
JSPL complex include: coal washer, sinter plant, coal gasification, DRI plant, steel melting shop, slab caster, plate mill and
hot strip mill, oxygen plant, power plant and lime plant.
As part of this project, JSPL contracted Midrex Technologies, Inc. for a 1.8 Mtpy MXCOL Plant. This is the worlds first
commercial DRI plant to use a coal gasifier based unit to make reducing gas for DRI production. The company also
contracted Lurgi South Africa (Pty) Limited to provide technology for seven Fixed Bed Dry Bottom (FBDBTM) gasifier units
in order to produce 225,000 Nm3/h of syngas.
The coal gasification plant and MXCOL Plant were commissioned and brought up online in parallel starting mid-2014. See
Figure 1 budgetary input estimates for FBDB plus MXCOL DRI Plant.