Report of the Technical Committee set up to advise the Government on various steps to words raw –materials' preparation and technological improvements for improved iron production

Abstract

The move of the Union Ministry of Steel, Government of India, to appoint a Technical Committee to examine the efficient utilization of iron blast furnace capacity in India through suitable preparation of raw-materials and by the introduction of proved latest technical innovations, is most timely and significant from more than one angle. The industrial production of iron and steel is a cyclic process. As such , improvements in blast furnace iron productivity and operational economic consistent with quality output will be reflected in corresponding upward steel output curves and overall economic productivity, which in turn will show up in lowered production costs of finished saleable steel and its excellent quality confirming to high, ingot to finished product “yield” figures. The pictures does not basically change its pattern when the end products are different, such as different grades of foundry pig iron or basic iron for steelmaking, finished flat steel products or forged wheel, tyre and axles or rolled high quality rail steel or just merchant mill quality angles and reinforced steel concrete rods etc.; only the parameters of “yield figures” production costs, productivity targets etc., will differ for different and products. For each of these products , whilst the basic raw-materials would be iron ore, fuel and fluxes, the starting material intrinsically may wall in most cases, be the “pig iron” used for conversion into different grade of steels .It would thus be seen that the quality of pig iron will determine the finished steel products, its quality, productivity and overall economics. This then represents the basis of unceasing efforts-scientific, engineering and operational to improve the iron blast furnace ‘s utilization co-efficient and efficiency of operations vi-a-vis productivity, operational costs, iron quality output etc.