Experimental research on non-carbon metallurgy by solar photovoltaic technology

A new concept named "non-carbon metallurgy by solar energy photovoltaic technology" was put forward through the analysis of the iron source usage and the carbon metallurgy process. The main study included smelting at high temperature, no-carbon reduction, and melting-reduction. The experimental system with 1-kg capacity was designed and manufactured. Three kinds of experiments were carried out. It shows that the concept of "non-carbon metallurgy by solar energy photovoltaic technology" is feasible and the system can meet the needs of smelting. The conversion rate of the photovoltaic cell is 9.8% and the steel enthalpy accounts for 5% of the total energy consumption in the high temperature smelting experiment. The current efficiency is 85.1% with the highest being 97.6% during the electrolysis process. The decrease order of influence on the reduction degree of Fe₂O₃ is atmosphere temperature, time, and particle size in the hydrogen reduction process. According to the results, further study is needed to get better economy, stability, and operability of this system.