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Outline
Blast furnace charge Iron Ores Flux Metallurgical Coke Charging Mechanism in Blast Furnace Smelting operation
Chemical Reactions in Blast Furnace Coke Manufacturing & its Quality Formation and tapping of slag Pig Iron- Properties & uses
General view of Blast Furnace plant Sketch of Blast Furnace Construction and working of Blast Furnace 1/23/2013 WEC
Flux ; limestone
Iron Ores
The most important variety of iron ore are:
Nomenclature Composition Fe %age Magnetite (Black oxide) Fe3O4 72.4 Location
Makarwal, Swabi, Chitral (PAK), Land of midnight sun (Sweden), Pennsylvania (USA), Siberia (Russia) Kala bagh, Chnari, Chaghi, Chalghazi (PAK), Lake superior, Utah (USA), Lorraine (France), Amazon basin (Brazil) Not found in PAK, Britains East coast
Hematite (red, Fe2O3 brown & black) Limonite & other hydroxide types of ores Siderite Iron Pyrite 1/23/2013 (yellow) 2Fe2O3 . H2O to Fe2O3 . 3H2O FeCO3 FeS
40-65
20-55
Low in Fe 42
Hazara, Mardan (PAK), South Wales, Staffordshire & west York (UK) Mardan, Chitral (PAK)
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Flux
Flux is a material, which is added to the contents of a Blast furnace or a Cupola for the purpose of
purging the metal of impurities, and rendering the slag more liquid.
The flux most commonly used in iron and steel furnaces is limestone, which is charged in the proper proportions with the iron ore and fuel.
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Metallurgical Coke
Coke is a solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, lowsulfur, high coking property bituminous coal. The volatile constituents of the coalincluding
water,
coal-gas, and
coal-tar
are driven off by baking in an airless oven at temperatures as high 900 C. 1/23/2013 WEC 6
Metallurgical Coke
Metallurgical coke is produced by carbonization of coal at high temperatures to produce a macroporous carbon material of high strength and relatively large lump size.
Notes: Metallurgical cokes must have a high strength to support heavy loads in the blast furnace without disintegration.
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ash content
By-products like tar may also be collected during carbonization process. WEC 9
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Smelting operation
a- Chemical reduction of iron from its oxides by CO, which is formed by the combustion of C in the coke with the O2 of the air blast admitted through the tuyeres near the base.
b- The liquefaction of the gangue by means of flux (limestone) to form a fusible slag which will run from the furnace.
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Smelting operation
During the production of pig iron (smelting operation) large amount of gases are evolved , which contain about 30% CO having considerable calorific value.
The exit gases are collected, led through downcomer pipe to a cleaning chamber and electrostatic dust precipitator & then used as fuel gas in Cowper Stoves in order to pre-heat the air blast to the furnace.
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2C + O2 = 2CO + Heat
CO, which is powerful reducing agent, rises through the charge, & chemically reduces the iron oxide :-
Reduction sequence of iron oxide is as Fe2O3 Fe2O3 Fe3O4 Fe3O4 FeO Fe,
Fe,
when temp is > 570 C when temp is < 570 C
The equation # 2 takes place in the upper part of the furnace, where the temp is too low to melt the iron formed. The iron remains as a spongy mass until it moves down into the lower part of the furnace, where it melts & runs down over the hot coke, dissolving C, S, Mn, P & Si as it goes.
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SLAG: The slag is a liquid mixture of ash, flux, and other impurities. Formation and tapping of Slag At the time of the reduction of iron oxide, the gangue, which is composed of silica, combines with lime to produce slag as :SiO2 + 2CaO = 2CaO.SiO2
(Calcium silicate slag)
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Slag(Continue)
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Slag(Continue)
In British practice, the sulphur is removed at a later stage by adding soda-ash to molten pig iron as it runs from the blast furnace into the ladle:-
CO2
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SLAG
Calcium silicate slag has much lower melting point than silica and can run from the furnace quite easily. The furnace is tapped at regular intervals the pig iron is run either into large ladles for transference, while still molten, to steel making plant, or alternatively,
cast into pigs for subsequent use in the cupola or open hearth furnace.
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Tapping of Slag
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Metallic iron, which is a product of reduction of iron ore, appears in the lower part of stack & in the bosh. It contains ~ 1 % C and found in spongy form. As this material sinks down in the B.F. and is heated further, iron dissolves C in increasing quantities. This reduces the melting temp It melts and draws off to the hearth in the form of 1/23/2013 WEC 26 drops.
Pig Iron
(Continue)
Pig iron is really a complex alloy. In addition to Fe, it contains up to 10 % of other elements, mainly, C, Mn, Si, S & P. Total amount of C in the pig iron is usually between 3 4% & is present either
as compound, iron carbide (Fe3C) or as un-combined carbon in the form of graphite.
Pig iron low in S & high in P may be used in the manufacture of acid steel & high-duty iron castings.
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Thanks
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