What happens to iron ore in a blast furnace?

What happens to iron ore in a blast furnace?

Iron is extracted from iron ore in a huge container called a blast furnace. In this reaction, the iron(III) oxide is reduced to iron, and the carbon is oxidised to carbon dioxide.

What is the iron that comes straight out of the blast furnace called?

Modern uses. Until recently, pig iron was typically poured directly out of the bottom of the blast furnace through a trough into a ladle car for transfer to the steel mill in mostly liquid form; in this state, the pig iron was referred to as hot metal.

What is the produced from blast furnace?

Blast furnace produces Hot metal (Liquid Iron) using Iron ore, Coke, Sinter, Pellets and fluxes such as Lime-stone, Pyroxenite, Quartzite reacting with oxygen from pre heated air.

How is iron produced in a blast furnace?

The production of iron from its ore involves an oxidation-reduction reaction carried out in a blast furnace. The iron found in iron ores are found in the form of iron oxides. As a result of these impurities, iron must be first separated from the gangue and then converted to pure iron.

How does an iron blast furnace work?

Blast furnaces operate on the principle of chemical reduction whereby carbon monoxide converts iron oxides to elemental iron. Silica has to be removed from the pig iron. It reacts with calcium oxide (burned limestone) and forms silicates, which floats to the surface of the molten pig iron as “slag”.

What happens to the liquid iron and slag when they reach the bottom of the furnace?

The iron ore, pellets and sinter then become the liquid iron produced in the blast furnace with any of their remaining impurities going to the liquid slag. The coke is produced from a mixture of coals….The Process.

1) 3 Fe2O3 + CO = CO2 + 2 Fe3O4	Begins at 450° C
2) Fe3O4 + CO = CO2 + 3 Fe O	Begins at 600° C

How is iron smelted?

Smelting involves heating up ore until the metal becomes spongy and the chemical compounds in the ore begin to break down. Carbon and carbon monoxide combine with the oxygen in the iron ore and carry it away, leaving iron metal. In a bloomery, the fire doesn’t get hot enough to melt the iron completely.

How iron and slag are removed from a blast furnace?

Molten iron accumulates in the hearth, which has a taphole to draw off the molten iron and, higher up, a slag hole to remove the mixture of impurities and flux.

What type of reaction produces iron?

oxidation-reduction reaction
The production of iron from its ore involves an oxidation-reduction reaction carried out in a blast furnace. Iron ore is usually a mixture of iron and vast quantities of impurities such as sand and clay referred to as gangue. The iron found in iron ores are found in the form of iron oxides.

How did old iron furnaces work?

A bellows that was connected to a river or creek-powered wheel would supply air for the fire to burn at temperatures up to 3000 degrees. The byproduct of heating iron created a material called slag, with silicon compounds that give it a glass-like sheen.

Where does the Iron come from in a blast furnace?

A Blast furnace is a gigantic, steel stack lined with refractory brick where the concentrated iron ore, coke, and limestone are dumped from the top, and a blast of hot air is blown into the bottom.

What is the purpose of a blast furnace?

An educational, fair use website. [close] The purpose of a blast furnace is to chemically reduce and physically convert iron oxides into liquid iron called “hot metal”. The blast furnace is a huge, steel stack lined with refractory brick, where iron ore, coke and limestone are dumped into the top, and preheated air is blown into the bottom.

How is a bloom furnace different from a blast furnace?

Another difference is that bloomeries operate as a batch process while blast furnaces operate continuously for long periods because they are difficult to start up and shut down. Also, the carbon in pig iron lowers the melting point below that of steel or pure iron; in contrast, iron does not melt in a bloomery.

What kind of ore is used in a blast furnace?

The raw ore is removed from the earth and sized into pieces that range from 0.5 to 1.5 inches. This ore is either Hematite (Fe2O3) or Magnetite (Fe3O4) and the iron content ranges from 50% to 70%. This iron rich ore can be charged directly into a blast furnace without any further processing.