(888)- 512-2870 (USA only)
HOME |  WHERE TO BUY  ABOUT US | FAQ | QUOTE | INTERNATIONAL |  CONTACT US

Industrial Ovens

   Front-Loading
Under 10 cubic feet
10-20 cubic feet
Over 20 cubic feet
See All

   Top-Loading
Under 10 cubic feet
10-20 cubic feet
Over 20 cubic feet
See All

Learn About Our Industrial Ovens

Welding Ovens

Stick Electrodes
Sub-Arc Flux
Wire Spools
Tig Filler Wire
Multi-Purpose
Nitrogen Purge
See All

Free welding catalog
Order Our Free Catalog Today
Click Here

Available Inventory

Welding Articles


Become a Keen Distributor


Para español clique aquí


How Steel is Made: a Brief Summary of a Blast Furnace:

How Steel is Made with Blast FurnanceThere are two types of metals, ferrous & non-ferrous. Ferrous comes from, or contains iron, while Non-Ferrous does not contain iron.

Some examples of ferrous metals would be mild steel, cast iron, high strength steel, and tool steels.

Examples of non-ferrous metals would be copper, aluminum, magnesium, titanium, etc.

To make steel, iron ore is first mined from the ground. It is then smelted in blast furnaces where the impurities are removed and carbon is added. In fact, a very simple definition of steel is "iron alloyed with carbon, usually less than 1%."

The following text is taken from the Structural Manual For Ironworkers Manual V-Volume I.

Blast furnaces require many auxiliary facilities to support their operations. However, in simplest terms, the furnace itself is a huge steel shell almost cylindrical in shape and lined with heat-resistant brick. Once started, or "blown-in," the furnace operates continuously until the refractory lining needs renewal or until demand for iron drops to the point where the furnace is closed down. The duration of furnace operations from start to finish is referred to as a "campaign" and may last several years.

Iron ore and other iron bearing materials, coke and limestone are charged into the furnace from the top and work their way down, becoming hotter as they sink in the body of the furnace which is called the stack. In the top half of the furnace, gas from burning coke removes a great deal of oxygen from the iron ore. About halfway down, limestone begins to react with impurities in the ore and the coke to form a slag.

Ash from the coke is absorbed by the slag. Some silica in the ore is reduced to silicon and dissolves in the iron as does some carbon in the coke. At the bottom of the furnace where temperatures rise well over 3000 Fahrenheit, molten slag floats on a pool of molten iron which is four or five feet deep. Because the slag floats on top of the iron it is possible to drain it off through a slag notch in the furnace. The molten iron is released from the hearth of the furnace through a tap hole. The tapping of iron and slag is the major factor permitting additional materials to be charged at the furnace top.

This brief summary of the complex operations of a blast furnace is presented here to provide a point of reference for the actual flow of operations. Very often, several blast furnaces may be arranged in a single plant so that the most efficient possible use can be made of fuels, internal rail facilities, etc.


A great site for how steel is made…
http://www.dofasco.ca/HOW_STEEL_IS_MADE/html/index.html



© Henkel Enterprises, LLC - All Rights Reserved
sales@keenovens.com
888.512.2870 (USA only)