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Blast Furnace

The document provides information about the blast furnace process used for iron production. It describes that a blast furnace is a counter-current heat exchanger where solid raw materials like iron ore and coke are charged from the top and hot blast is blown in from the bottom. Gas rises up the furnace while solids descend, melting and separating into liquid iron and slag. Key reactions take place to reduce the iron ore using the coke as the reducing agent and carbon source.

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Narendra Singh Shekhawat
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144 views3 pages

Blast Furnace

The document provides information about the blast furnace process used for iron production. It describes that a blast furnace is a counter-current heat exchanger where solid raw materials like iron ore and coke are charged from the top and hot blast is blown in from the bottom. Gas rises up the furnace while solids descend, melting and separating into liquid iron and slag. Key reactions take place to reduce the iron ore using the coke as the reducing agent and carbon source.

Uploaded by

Narendra Singh Shekhawat
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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blast furnace

introduction
iron production basics
# the first step in the production of steel is to produce iron , and
iron production involves separating iron from iron ore.
# there are mainly three basic methods of production iron:
1. direct reduction
2. iron smelting
3. the blast furnace method
1. direct reduction method includes both gas amd coal out of these
processes ( sponge iron or direct reduced iron) is in the soild state.
electric arc furnace follows DRI process for the production of crude steel.
2. in iron smelting procee coal and iron ore fines are used as charge materials
and liquid product will come out of the furnace , example corex process.
EAF or BOF route is followed for steel making.
3. for achieving high production rates with great degree of heat
utilization blast furnace (BF) route is the most econo mical way till date .
4. so bhilai steel plant, which is an ore based integrated steel plant
had chosen coke oven - blast furnace- BOF/THF route for the production of cru
de steel.

what is a blast furnace?


# BF is a counter heat and mass exchanger , in which solid raw
materials are charged from the top of the furnace and hot blast
is sent through the bottom via tuyeres.
# gas ascends up the furnace while burden and coke descend down through the fura
nce.
# the counter current nature of the reaction makes the overall process an ex tre
mely
efficient one
# in the blast furnace iron ore and reducing agent (coke, coal) are transformed
to hot metal, and slag is formed from the gangue of the ore burden and
the ash of coke and coal.
# hot mealt and liquid slag do not mix and remain separte from each other with
the slag floating on top of the denser iron.
# the iron can then be separated from the slag in the cast house.
the other product from the blast furnace is dust laden blast furnace gas, whi
ch
is further cleaned in the gas cleaning plant and is used as a fuel all over
the plant.

blast furnace constructional features:


a blast furnace has a typical conical shape.
the sections from top down are:
# thrat, where the burden suface is.

# the
# the
# the
# the
e.

shafe or stack, where the ores are heated and reduction starts.
bosh parallel or belly and
bosh, where the reduction is completed and the ores are melted down.
hearth, where the molten material is collected and is cast via the tap hol

the basic raw materials and therir functions


# iron ore= iron bearing materials; provides iron the hot metal
# sinter= iron bearing material. fines that are generated in the plant
are effectively utillzed by convertion them to sinter. provides the
extra lime required for the iron ore that is charged in the blast furnace.
# coke = acts as a reductant and fule , supports the burden and heips in
maintaining permeable bed.
# limestone= acts as flux, helps in reducing the melting point of gangue
present in the iron bearing material
# manganese ore = acts as additive for the supply of Mn in the hot metal
# quartzite= acts as an additive
# coal tar= acts as an auxilliary fuel, reduces coke consumption in the BF
# pellets= iron bearing materials . although not in use right now , there
is a proposal to utilizethe fines below the sinter grade for pellet
manufacturing and the pellets formed are going to be charged in the BF.

differnt temperature in BF
hot blast temp= 950-970 deg C
hot metal = 1400-1425deg C
gas temp= 600deg C
up taketemp = 350deg C
periphery temp + 650-800deg C
slag temp = 1450-1480deg C
stove dom temp = 1200deg C
flue gas = 270deg C

vital function of the hot gas


# heart up the coke in the bosh / belly area.
# melting the iron ore in the burden, creating voidage.
# heats up the material in the shaft zone of the furnace.
# removes oxygen of the ore burden by chemical rections.
# upon melting, the iron ore produces hot metal and slag, which drip down throug
h the coke.
# zone to the hearth, from which it is removed by casting through the tap hole.
in the
dripping zone the hot meatl and slag consume coke, creating voidage.
# additional coke is consumed for final reduction of iron oxide and carbon disso
lves
in the hot metal, which is called carburization.
# thus the liquid productshot metal and slag settle in the hearth.

tapping
# hot metal and slag are removed periodically from the blast furnace.
the process is called "tapping" the blast furnace.
# the other gaseous product, which is going to the top of the furnace, contains
dust in it. it is cleaned in the primary ( dust catcher); secondary
(ventury and scrubber) and tertiary ( electro static precipitator) gas
cleaning system and the cleaned gas is used as a fuel all over the plant.
# it will take minimum 6-8 hours for the solid raw materials that are charged
from the top to reach the bottom, whereas gaseous products that are sent
through the tuyeres will go out in 2-8 seconds.
# the efficiency of the process is judged by two parameters
productivity ( unit :tonnes/m3/day)
fuel rate( unit: kgthm)

reaction in the the blast furnace:


#### upper stack zone

#
#
#
#
#

reduction of oxides
3Fe2O3+CO=2Fe3O4=CO2
Fe3O4+CO=3FeO+CO2
FeO+CO=Fe+CO2
decomposition of hydrates
water - gas shift rection
CO+H2O=CO2+H2
carbon deposition
decomposition of carbonates

#### middle stack zone


# direct/ indirect reduction
FeO+CO=Fe+CO2
CO2+C=2CO
FeO+C=Fe+CO
# gas utilization
#### lower stack zone
#
#
#
#
#
#

calcination of limestone
reduction of various elements
reduction of unreduced iron
reduction of silicon
reduction of Mn,P,Zn etc.
formation/ melting of slag,final reduction of FeO and melting of Fe.

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