Maximising Blast Furnace Productivity with Indian Iron Ore

Abstract

Iron making through blast furnaces route constitutes 97% of the world hot metal production. Blast furnace is a very complex counter current reactor with exceptionally high thermal and chemical efficiency and hence has remained an almost unchallenged mode of hot metal production. In a blast furnace, the ferrugenous raw materials like iron ore, sinter, pellet are charged at the top of the furnace along with coke and flux, using different type of charging devices like double bell system, belt less s ystem. Ferrugenous materials and coke are charged in sequence, generating seperate layers in the stack. The coke in the charge is the source for both the heat required for chemi-cal reactions, melting, sensible heat of various phases, heat loss etc. as well as generation of the reducing gas.