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In a blast furnace, fuel , ores, and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while a hot blast of air (sometimes with oxygen enrichment) is blown into the lower section of the furnace through a series of pipes called tuyeres, so that the chemical reactions take place throughout the furnace as the material falls downward.
Blast furnace gas (BFG) [1] is a by-product of blast furnaces that is generated when the iron ore is reduced with coke to metallic iron. It has a very low heating value , about 3.5 MJ/m 3 (93 BTU /cu.ft), [ 2 ] because it consists of about 51 vol% nitrogen and 22 vol% carbon dioxide , which are not flammable.
Coke is used as fuel in a blast furnace. In a continuous process, coke, iron ore, and limestone are mixed together and placed in the top of the blast furnace, and at the bottom liquid iron and waste slag are removed. The raw materials continuously move down the blast furnace.
For blast furnaces, direct reduction corresponds to the reduction of oxides by the carbon in the coke. However, in practice, direct reduction only plays a significant role in the final stage of iron reduction in a blast furnace, by helping to reduce wustite (FeO) to iron. In this case, the chemical reaction can be trivially described as follows ...
The coking plant that feeds a battery of blast furnaces is just as expensive as the blast furnace and requires a specific quality of coal. [ 64 ] [ 65 ] Conversely, many direct-reduction processes are disadvantaged by the costly transformation of ore into pellets: these cost on average 70% more than raw ore. [ 66 ]
Consequently, the structure of the granules becomes reinforced and can expand to two or three times their original volume. This expansion, or "swelling," of the granules can lead to blockage or significant damage to the blast furnace, highlighting the challenges associated with using pellets in blast furnace operations. [15]
Samples of "ground granulated blast furnace slag" (left) and "granulated blast furnace slag" (right) Ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS or GGBFS) is obtained by quenching molten iron slag (a by-product of iron and steel-making) from a blast furnace in water or steam, to produce a glassy, granular product that is then dried and ground into a fine powder.
A tuyere, seen from inside a blast furnace An old tuyere in Nok, Nigeria. A tuyere or tuyère (French pronunciation:; English: / t w iː ˈ j ɛər /) [1] [2] is a tube, nozzle or pipe allowing the blowing of air into a furnace or hearth. [3] Air or oxygen is injected into a hearth under pressure from bellows or a blowing engine or other devices.