Pig iron - blast furnace route | International Iron Metallics Association

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Blast furnace economics are such that larger units have lower unit production costs, hence there has been a trend to bigger and bigger furnaces. Modern blast furnaces produce more than 10,000 tonnes per day.<br> </p><p>For general information about merchant pig iron, please visit the <a href="pig-iron.html">pig iron</a> page. </p><figure><img src="assets/uploads/CST-Furnace_Primetals.jpg" alt="Modern blast furnaces produce more than 10,000 tonnes per day."><figcaption>Modern blast furnaces produce more than 10,000 tonnes per day.</figcaption></figure><h3>Blast Furnace Process</h3><p>The blast furnace is a counter-current gas/solids reactor in which the descending column of burden materials [coke, iron ore and fluxes/additives] reacts with the ascending hot gases. The process is continuous with raw materials being regularly charged to the top of the furnace and molten iron and slag being tapped from the bottom of the furnace at regular intervals. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="assets/uploads/BF_shutterstock_170822.JPG"> </p><p>Key steps of the process are as follows: </p><ul> <li><strong>upper part </strong>of the furnace - free moisture is driven off from the burden materials and hydrates and carbonates are disassociated.</li> <li><strong>lower part </strong>of the blast furnace shaft - indirect reduction of the iron oxides by carbon monoxide and hydrogen occurs at 700-1,000°C.</li> <li><strong>Bosh area</strong> of the furnace where the burden starts to soften and melt - direct reduction of the iron [and other] oxides and carbonization by the coke occurs at 1,000-1,600°C. Molten iron and slag start to drip through to the bottom of the furnace [the hearth].</li> </ul><p>Between the bosh and the hearth are the tuyeres [water cooled copper nozzles] through which the blast - combustion air, preheated to 900-1,300°C, often enriched with oxygen - is blown into the furnace. Immediately in front of the tuyeres is the combustion zone, the hottest part of the furnace, 1,850-2,200°C, where coke reacts with the oxygen and steam in the blast to form carbon monoxide and hydrogen [as well as heat] and the iron and slag melt completely. </p><p>Molten iron and slag collect in the furnace hearth. Being less dense, the slag floats on top of the iron. Slag and iron are tapped at regular intervals through separate tap holes. For merchant pig iron production, the iron is cast into ingots; in integrated steel mills, the molten iron or hot metal is transferred in torpedo ladle cars to the steel converters. Slag is transferred to slag pits for further processing into usable materials, for example raw material for cement production, road construction, etc. </p><figure><img src="assets/uploads/Pig-Casting-Machines_PWurth.jpg" alt="Pig iron casting machine, courtesy Paul Wurth" data-caption="Pig iron casting machine courtesy Paul Wurth"><figcaption>Pig iron casting machine (courtesy Paul Wurth)</figcaption></figure><h3>Blast furnace reactions</h3><p>The principal reactions are:<br> </p><center><p>2C + O<sub>2</sub> → 2CO </p><p>C + H<sub>2</sub>O → CO + H<sub>2</sub> </p><p>CO<sub>2</sub> + C → 2CO </p><p>3Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> + CO → CO<sub>2</sub> + 2Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> </p><p>Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> + CO → CO<sub>2</sub> + 3FeO </p><p>FeO + CO → Fe + CO<sub>2</sub> </p></center><p>When charging the blast furnace, burden materials are added in layers. Charging is done either with an elevator in which a bucket is lifted up and set down on the top of the furnace o be emptied directly into the furnace [bell system] or by conveyor belts to the top of the furnace where materials are charged into a bin fixed to the top of the furnace [bell-less system] and from there into the furnace. By means of a rotating chute it is possible to achieve very uniform distribution of the charge materials across the furnace. The bell-less system has the additional advantage that less energy rich blast furnace gas is lost during charging. </p><p>The additives and fluxes serve to convert the waste or gangue materials in the charge [mainly silica and alumina] into a low melting point slag which also dissolves the coke ash and removes sulphur. For example: </p><center><p>CaCO<sub>3</sub> → CaO + CO<sub>2</sub> </p><p>CaO + SiO<sub>2</sub> → CaSiO<sub>3</sub> </p><p>FeS + CaO + C → CaS + FeO + CO<br> </p></center><p>The blast furnace itself is a steel shaft lined with fire resistant, refractory materials. The hottest part of furnace - where the walls reach a temperature >300°C - are water cooled. The whole structure is supported from the outside by a steel frame. </p><p>The blast furnace gas that leaves the top of the furnace is a mixture of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen and nitrogen and has a calorific value between 3,200 and 4,000 kJ/m³. After cleaning, it is used for a variety of purposes, including heating of the hot blast stoves [“cowpers”], in iron ore agglomeration plants and for electricity generation. The credit for this gas is an important factor in keeping blast furnace operating costs low. </p>Watch the videos below to see :<ul> <li>the layout of the Ural Steel plant in Russia</li> <li>production of pig iron from recycled materials by DK Recycling in Germany</li> </ul><p><script src="https://fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/y0rg2vpcmi.jsonp" async></script><script src="https://fast.wistia.com/assets/external/E-v1.js" async></script><div class="wistia_responsive_padding" style="padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;"><div class="wistia_responsive_wrapper" style="height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;top:0;width:100%;"><div class="wistia_embed wistia_async_y0rg2vpcmi videoFoam=true" style="height:100%;width:100%"> </div></div></div> </p><p><br></p><p> <div class="videoWrapper" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; /* 16:9 */ padding-top: 25px; height: 0;"> <iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JQ8yRu1ntGQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> </p><p>For more detailed study of the blast furnace process, we suggest reference to the following:<br> </p><p>The Making, Shaping and Treatment of Steel 11th Edition, published by the <a href="http://www.aist.org/" title="Association of Iron & Steel Technology" target="_blank">Association of Iron & Steel Technology</a> </p> </main> <aside class="small-12 medium-4 large-3 columns"> <div data-sticky-container> <div class="sticky" data-sticky data-anchor="maincontent" data-margin-top="4">  <div> <ul class="menu vertical"> <h3>Production Technologies</h3> <li> Pig Iron Production - Blast Furnace Route </li><li> <a href="pig-iron-ilmenite-route.html">Pig iron production - Ilmenite route</a> </li><li> <a href="hbi-production.html">HBI production</a> </li><li> <a href="dri-production.html">DRI production</a> </li> </ul> </div>    </div> </div> </aside> </div> <section id="footertopper"> <div class="row"> <div class="small-12 medium-6 large-6 columns">   </div> <div class="small-12 medium-6 large-3 columns">   </div> <div class="small-12 medium-12 large-3 columns">  </div> </div> </section>  <footer>  <div class="row hide-for-print"> <div class="columns small-12 medium-6 large-7"> <h4>International Iron Metallics Association</h4> <p>The IIMA is dedicated to those involved in the ore-based metallics value chain - raw material supply, production and transformation, trading and distribution, transportation and logistics, technology and equipment. Its members account for more than 80% of production and international trade in ore-based metallics.<br><br> Ore-based metallics - merchant pig iron (MPI), direct reduced iron (DRI), hot briquetted iron (HBI), granulated pig iron (GPI) - are value-adding feedstock materials for the iron & steel and ferrous casting industries and IIMA has as its principal objective their promotion through product and market support, innovation, education and regulatory support.</p> </div> <div class="columns hide-for-small hide-for-medium large-1">   </div> <div class="columns small-6 medium-3 large-2"> <ul class="menu vertical"><li class="first"><a href="contact-us.html" title="Contact Us" >Contact Us</a></li> <li><a href="news-and-events.html" title="News & Events" >News & Events</a></li> <li><a href="become-a-member.html" title="Join Us" >Join Us</a></li> <li><a href="about-us.html" title="About IIMA" >About IIMA</a></li> <li class="last"><a href="site-search.html" title="Search" >Search</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="columns small-6 medium-3 large-3"> <ul class="menu vertical"><li class="first"><a href="disclaimer.html" title="Disclaimer" >Disclaimer</a></li> <li><a href="assets/files/Public-Area/Membership/IIMAArticlesofAssociationJuly2021Final.pdf" title="Articles of Association" target="_blank">Articles of Association</a></li> <li><a href="code-of-conduct.html" title="Code of Conduct" >Code of Conduct</a></li> <li><a href="privacy.html" title="Privacy" >Privacy</a></li> <li><a href="acknowledgements.html" title="Acknowledgements" >Acknowledgements</a></li> <li class="last"><a href="sitemap.html" title="Sitemap" >Sitemap</a></li> </ul> </div> </div>  </footer>  <div class="row hide-for-print">  <div class="small-12 medium-9 large-9 columns" id="credits"> <p>© 2021 International Iron Metallics Association | powered by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bluespark.co.uk" title="blue spark web design sevenoaks kent">blue spark</a>*</p> </div>  <div class="small-12 medium-3 large-3 columns hide-for-print" id="social"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/21228763" title="linkedin" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-linkedin"></i></a>  </div> </div>  <script src="dist/bower_components/jquery/dist/jquery.min.js"></script> <script src="dist/bower_components/what-input/dist/what-input.min.js"></script> <script src="dist/bower_components/foundation-sites/dist/js/foundation.min.js"></script> <script src="dist/js/app-min.js"></script> <script src="dist/bower_components/foundation-sites/dist/js/plugins/foundation.dropdown.js"></script>  <script> $('[data-open-details]').click(function (e) { e.preventDefault(); $(this).next().toggleClass('is-active'); $(this).toggleClass('is-active'); }); </script>   <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/cookieconsent2/3.0.3/cookieconsent.min.css" /> <script src="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/cookieconsent2/3.0.3/cookieconsent.min.js"></script> <script> window.addEventListener("load", function(){ window.cookieconsent.initialise({ "palette": { "popup": { "background": "#efefef", "text": "#404040" }, "button": { "background": "#669933" } }, "content": { "href": "http://www.metallics.org/privacy.html" } })}); </script> </body> </html>

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Pig iron - blast furnace route | International Iron Metallics Association