METHOD FOR OPERATING MELTING REDUCTION FURNACE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for operating a melting reduction furnace reducible of a coke ratio more than a conventional one when performing a melting reduction process by blowing metal powder from tuyeres by using a vertical type melting reduction furnace having a packed layer of a carbon-based solid reducing material and provided with the two-stage tuyeres in the upper and lower tiers.SOLUTION: This method for operating a melting reduction furnace used for subjecting a powder-particle-shaped metal oxide-containing material to melting reduction by using a vertical type melting reduction furnace 1 having a packed layer of a carbon-based solid reducing material and provided with two-stage tuyeres 2a, 2b in the upper and lower tiers, wherein air enriched in oxygen is blown only from the lower-tier tuyere 2b when the air is blown from the tuyere. When suspending the blow of the air enriched in oxygen from the upper-tier tuyere 2a, it is preferable that the blowing speed of air from the upper-tier tuyere is increased by reducing the tuyere diameter of the upper-tier tuyere.