MME:291 Lecture 5

Production of Iron

Department of MME
BUET, Dhaka
 Ferrous alloy:
an important engineering material
Overview of iron and steel making

to manufacture
of different steel
products
 The blast furnace proper

Top
(charging section)

Stack

Bosh
Hearth
Blast furnace plant overview
The blast furnace proper
 Common iron-bearing ores
Oxide Ores Stoicheometry Iron Content (wt%)
Magnetite Fe3O4 72.36%
Hematite Fe2O3 69.94%
Ilmenite FeTiO3 36.8%
Limonite FeO(OH) / HFeO2 62.85%

sinter pellets
✓Coke
◼ Composition
◼ Physical strength
◼ Porosity Physical
form of iron
✓Limestone ore
✓Air
✓Cooling water
nodules briquettes
 Blast furnace operation
Exhaust
Gas Furnace Charge
(ore, coke, limestone)
Dust
Removal

Preheated
Charge
Heat
Exchanger

CO H2
Hot Air
Blast
C+H2 O → CO+H2
C+CO 2→ 2CO
C+ O2 → CO2
Pig iron production:
Pig iron production:
 Blast furnace Reaction
Stack zone reaction
200°C
2CO=C+ CO2
400°C
649°C Fe2O3 +CO = Fe3O4 + CO2
CaCO 3 =CaO + CO2
Fe3O4 +CO =FeO+ CO2
2CO 2 +C = 2CO
Slag formation: 982°C FeO+ CO =Fe +CO2

SiO2 +Al2O3 = SiO2. .Al2O3 Fe+ CO =Fe 3 C+CO2

SiO2 +CaO = SiO2 .CaO Fe+ S =Fe S
CaO +FeS = CaS .FeO
SiO2 +MnO = SiO2. .MnO 1288°C
CaO+P2O5 = CaO. .P2 O5
Reduction
Iron melting
Slag formation
Bosh zone reaction :

Functions of blast furnace ?

1500°C
Slag remain still ?
1800-2000

Slag dissociation reaction

Reduction Reaction:
SiO2 +C = Si +CO SiO2 .CaO= SiO2 +CaO
MnO +C= .Mn +CO SiO2. .MnO =SiO2 +MnO
C+P2O5 = C O + P
CaO .P2O5 = CaO. +P2 O5
Fe +Si = FeSi
Fe +Mn= Fe.Mn
Fe+P = Fe3 P
 Blast furnace mass balance

Raw Materials Blast Furnace Gas

Ore = 1935 kg 200°C 9360 m3 , or 5680 kg
Coke = 965  used as energy source to preheat
Stone = 480 cold air, power the blowing engine,
and electrification of the plant
400°C
Dust
90 kg
700°C
Slag
900°C 575 kg
 aggregate for concrete work
Preheated Air  making of Portland cement
 heat insulating materials
7240 m3 , or 3965 kg 1500°C  asphalt roofing

1800-2000 Pig iron

1000 kg
 making of steels and cast irons
 Blast furnace iron

Element Typical Pig Iron (wt%) Typical Steel (wt%)

C 3.0 - 4.5 0.05 - 1.0
Mn 0.15 - 2.50 0.3 - 1.5
Si 0.5 - 4.0 < 0.50
P < 0.2 < 0.05
S 0.025 - 0.250 < 0.05

Impurity levels must be lowered by oxidation !!

 Goal of steelmaking process
The Gas Cleaning Device

Wet Scrubber
 The Gas Cleaning Device

The dust catcher works on the

principle that dust contained in the
gas by virtue of its velocity.
If the velocity is zero, the dust
particles will be eliminated.

The zero velocity is achieved

Dust Catcher
by reversing the direction of gas
flow.
 Wet scrubber :
The coarse clean gas enter from dust catcher.
Water is sprayed from top to cover cylindrical shell.
Cylindrical shell is made of wooden packing
With perforation to break up the gas flow into small
jets.
The gas and water is in contact .
Hence sticked dust is washed away.
 The Gas Cleaning Device
Under high voltage the dust particles in a gas phase
acquire electrostatic charge.
Then they are attracted to an electrode of opposite
polarity.
They are collected and washed away.

The unit consist of :

1) Tubes as one electrode.
2) Wires as another electrode.

The gas enters from the bottom and ESP

water flows over the surface
 The pre -heating device
Gas heated to temperature 1500 0 C
Heat is transferred to checker brick
Heat transfer is stopped when the
temperature of gas and checker bricks
are equal.
Air is passed in checker bricks
to heat it up .
Heat is transferred from checker brick
Air temperature stands at 1100 0 C
Heat transfer is stopped when their The Hot Blast Stoves
temperatures are equal.