Home About Metallics Responsibility & Values Resources & Support Regulation

Search About IIMA Join Us News & Events Conference Contact Us

! Members Login
Production Technologies
Pig Iron Production - Blast Furnace
Route
A uni&ed voice for the ore-based metallics industry
Pig iron production - Ilmenite
route

HBI production

DRI production

Pig Iron Production - Blast Furnace Route

HOME / ABOUT METALLICS / PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES / PIG IRON PRODUCTION - BLAST FURNACE ROUTE

More than 1.1 billion tonnes of blast furnace iron was produced globally in 2016. 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.

For general information about merchant pig iron, please visit the pig iron page.

Modern blast furnaces produce more

than 10,000 tonnes per day.

Blast Furnace Process

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.

Key steps of the process are as follows:

upper part of the furnace - free moisture is driven off from the burden materials and hydrates and carbonates are
disassociated.
lower part of the blast furnace shaft - indirect reduction of the iron oxides by carbon monoxide and hydrogen
occurs at 700-1,000°C.
Bosh area 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].

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.

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.

Pig iron casting machine (courtesy

Paul Wurth)

Blast furnace reactions

The principal reactions are:

2C + O2 2CO

C + H2O CO + H2

CO2 + C 2CO

3Fe2O3 + CO CO2 + 2Fe3O4

Fe3O4 + CO CO2 + 3FeO

FeO + CO Fe + CO2

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.

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:

CaCO3 CaO + CO2

CaO + SiO2 CaSiO3

FeS + CaO + C CaS + FeO + CO

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.

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.

Watch the videos below to see :

the layout of the Ural Steel plant in Russia
production of pig iron from recycled materials by DK Recycling in Germany

:00

:00

DK corporate video english short version

Watch later Share

Watch on

For more detailed study of the blast furnace process, we suggest reference to the following:

The Making, Shaping and Treatment of Steel 11th Edition, published by the Association of Iron & Steel Technology

INTERNATIONAL IRON METALLICS ASSOCIATION Contact Us Disclaimer

The IIMA is dedicated to those involved in the ore-based metallics value chain - raw material supply, Conference Articles of Association
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 News & Events Code of Conduct
metallics.
Join Us Privacy

Ore-based metallics - merchant pig iron (MPI), direct reduced iron (DRI), hot briquetted iron (HBI), About IIMA Acknowledgements
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, Search Sitemap
innovation, education and regulatory support.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more Got it!
© 2021 International Iron Metallics Association | powered by blue spark* "