METHOD FOR MELTING COLD IRON SOURCE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the unit power consumption and to efficiently melt cold iron source, when the molten iron is produced by blending direct reduced iron such as DRI, HBI, etc., at a high blending ratio of >=50%, in an arc-melting facility having a shaft type preheating chamber directly connected with a melting chamber. SOLUTION: In a method for melting the preheated cold iron source in the melting chamber by using the arc-melting facility 1 having the melting chamber 3 and the shaft type preheating chamber 4 directly connected with the upper part of the melting chamber and preheating the cold iron source 16 blending the direct reduced iron at >=50%, while controlling the preheating temperature of the cold iron source in the preheating chamber to not higher than a prescribed temperature by introducing a part of exhaust gas generated in the melting chamber into the preheating chamber, the cold iron source in the melting chamber is melted with the arc while continuously or intermittently supplying the cold iron source into the preheating chamber so that the cold iron source holds the continued state in the preheating chamber and the melting chamber. At the point of time when a prescribed quantity of the molten metal 17 is stored in the melting chamber, the molten metal is tapped off in the continued state of the cold iron source in the melting chamber and the preheating chamber.