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The blast furnace used at the Nyrstar Port Pirie lead smelter differs from most other lead blast furnaces in that it has a double row of tuyeres rather than the single row normally used. [76] The lower shaft of the furnace has a chair shape with the lower part of the shaft being narrower than the upper. [ 76 ]
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Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. [1] It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron , copper , silver , tin , lead and zinc .
A drawing of a simple bloomery and bellows. Bloomery smelting during the Middle Ages, as depicted in the De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola, 1556. The onset of the Iron Age in most parts of the world coincides with the first widespread use of the bloomery.
One important furnace application, especially in iron and steel production, is smelting, where metal ores are reduced under high heat to separate the metal content from mineral gangue. The heat energy to fuel a furnace may be supplied directly by fuel combustion or by electricity. Different processes and the unique properties of specific metals ...
Converting is a type of metallurgical smelting that includes several processes; the most commercially important form is the treatment of molten metal sulfides to produce crude metal and slag, as in the case of copper and nickel converting. A now-uncommon form is batch treatment of pig iron to produce steel by the Bessemer process.
The open-hearth process is a batch process and a batch is called a "heat". The furnace is first inspected for possible damage. Once it is ready or repaired, it is charged with light scrap, such as sheet metal, shredded vehicles or waste metal.
For sulfide ores, a different process is taken for beneficiation. The ore needs to have the sulfur removed before smelting can begin. Roasting is the primary method of separating, where wood was placed on heaps of ore and set on fire to help with oxidation. [6] [7] 2 Cu 2 S + 3 O 2 → 2 Cu 2 O + 2 SO 2