samarjeet.

xyz Blast Furnace TestUrSelf

Notes on
Blast furnace process:

In a blast furnace, iron ore reacts with carbon from coke to produce
pig iron. The blast furnace is a crucial part of making iron from raw
materials like iron ore. It uses intense heat to melt these materials
together, producing molten iron, gases, and slag. This process is
essential for industries that rely on iron and steel production
worldwide.

Samarjeet Kumar Singh Page 1 testurself.in

samarjeet.xyz Blast Furnace TestUrSelf

Combustion Process

Iron needs to be separated from its ore using a chemical process. Carbon is
good at this because it binds to oxygen more strongly than iron does. In a
blast furnace, carbon is added in the form of coke, which is made from
coal.

At high temperatures, carbon can directly reduce iron ore. At lower

temperatures, carbon monoxide gas does the job. In both cases, iron oxide

f
is turned into iron.

el
Blast Furnace Zones

rS
s tU
Te

Figure: Zones in the blast furnace

Carbon monoxide is used because it can easily penetrate the porous iron
ores. The ores are processed into sinter and pellets to be as porous as
possible.

Samarjeet Kumar Singh Page 2 testurself.in

samarjeet.xyz Blast Furnace TestUrSelf

Carbon not only provides the heat needed to melt the iron ore but also
reduces iron oxides to iron.

Here’s how the chemical processes work:

1. In the lower part of the blast furnace, coke burns with hot air (oxygen) to
form carbon dioxide:

C + O2 → CO2

f
This reaction releases a lot of heat, raising the temperature to 2000°C.

el
2. The carbon dioxide reacts with more coke to form carbon monoxide,
which acts as the reducing agent:

CO2 + C ↔ 2CO

rS
This reaction absorbs heat, lowering the temperature to around 1700°C.

It’s crucial to maintain a high temperature to keep producing enough

carbon monoxide for reducing iron oxides.
tU
Boudouard reaction involves carbon dioxide and carbon converting into
carbon monoxide, and vice versa, depending on temperature. Similar to
how air in a room can hold water depending on temperature, carbon
dioxide and carbon react differently at different temperatures. At high
temperatures above 1000°C, carbon dioxide mostly turns into carbon
s

monoxide, which is useful for reducing metals. Conversely, at lower

temperatures, carbon monoxide tends to convert back into carbon dioxide
and solid carbon.
Te

In a blast furnace, after burning coke (a form of carbon), hot gases

containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water vapor
rise up. These gases cool as they ascend from the 2000°C hot-blast
nozzles down to about 200°C near the throat of the furnace. In this
preheating zone, the raw materials like iron ore and limestone are heated
and dried before they enter deeper into the furnace. This preheating
prepares the materials for the intense heat and chemical reactions deeper
inside the furnace where iron is produced from iron ore.

Boudouard reaction describes the equilibrium between carbon dioxide

(CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO):

Samarjeet Kumar Singh Page 3 testurself.in

samarjeet.xyz Blast Furnace TestUrSelf

Forward Reaction: CO2 + C ⇌ 2CO

This reaction shows carbon dioxide reacting with carbon to produce

carbon monoxide.

Reverse Reaction: 2CO ⇌ CO2 + C

And this reverse reaction depicts carbon monoxide decomposing to

f
produce carbon dioxide and carbon.

el
The direction of the reaction (forward or reverse) depends on the
temperature and the concentrations of CO2, CO, and solid carbon present
in the system. At higher temperatures, the equilibrium shifts towards the
production of carbon monoxide (CO), whereas at lower temperatures, it

Indirect Reduction Zone

rS
favors the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) and solid carbon.

As iron ore descends within the blast furnace, it enters the crucial
tU
temperature range between 400°C and 800°C known as the indirect
reduction zone. Here, carbon monoxide (CO) plays a pivotal role in
reducing iron oxides:

1. Reduction of Hematite to Magnetite:

s

3Fe2O3 + CO → 2Fe3O4 + CO2

Te

2. Reduction of Magnetite to Wüstite:

Fe3O4 + CO → 3FeO + CO2

3. Reduction of Wüstite to Iron:

FeO + CO → Fe + CO2

These reactions occur in sequence as carbon monoxide reacts with

progressively reduced forms of iron oxide. The reduction steps are
endothermic, requiring heat supplied by the combustion of coke. Despite
the reduction, the temperature remains too low to melt iron completely,
keeping it in solid form.

Samarjeet Kumar Singh Page 4 testurself.in

samarjeet.xyz Blast Furnace TestUrSelf

Direct Reduction Zone

As the partially reduced iron ore continues deeper into the blast furnace, it
enters the direct reduction zone, characterized by higher temperatures
ranging from approximately 800°C to 1600°C. Here, carbon (C) directly
reduces iron oxides in a series of reactions:

1. Reduction of Hematite to Magnetite:

3Fe2O3 + 3C → 2Fe3O4 + 3CO

2. Reduction of Magnetite to Wüstite:

f
Fe3O4 + 3C → 3FeO + 3CO

el
3. Reduction of Wüstite to Iron:

FeO + C → Fe + CO
rS
These reactions are entirely endothermic, requiring substantial heat
provided by the exothermic combustion of coke. Alongside iron oxides,
silicon, manganese, phosphorus, and other gangue elements are reduced.
Ef icient reduction necessitates minimizing gangue in the ore to optimize
tU
energy consumption. The resulting reduced iron and gangue materials
react with lux additives in the charge to form slag, which helps purify the
molten iron.

Carburizing Zone
s

In the blast furnace, as iron ore progresses downwards and encounters

temperatures ranging from 900°C to 1200°C in the carburizing zone,
carbon enriches the iron formed through several reactions. Initially, carbon
Te

monoxide (CO) and, at higher temperatures, direct carbon (C) absorption

lead to the formation of iron carbide (Fe3C), known as cementite:

3Fe + 2CO → Fe3C + CO2

This process, called carburization, lowers the solidi ication temperature of

iron from 1536°C to approximately 1200°C, as shown in the iron-carbon
phase diagram. In this zone, iron becomes enriched with carbon, crucially
affecting its properties.

Samarjeet Kumar Singh Page 5 testurself.in

f
f
f
samarjeet.xyz Blast Furnace TestUrSelf

Melting Zone

Moving deeper into the blast furnace, the reduced iron, now enriched with
carbon, enters the melting zone where temperatures are high enough for
iron to begin melting. Here, further layers of iron ore come into contact
with carbon or carbon monoxide, continuing the reduction to iron and
subsequent carburization. Gradually, all iron ore is reduced, carburized,
and melted. The absorbed carbon remains dissolved in the molten iron.

f
This zone marks the transition to liquid pig iron production.

el
Tapping Zone

At the lowest point of the blast furnace, known as tapping, molten pig iron
collects along with liquid slag. Due to its higher density, the pig iron is

rS
separated and drawn off. Pig iron typically contains about 4.5% carbon,
along with other elements like silicon (2.5%), manganese (1.5%),
phosphorus (0.5%), and sulfur (0.1%). The exact composition may vary
depending on the type of pig iron produced.
tU
Upon solidi ication, the microstructure of pig iron depends on its
composition and cooling rate. High silicon concentrations favor the
precipitation of graphite (C), giving rise to grey pig iron, while lower silicon
content leads to cementite (Fe3C) precipitation, resulting in white pig iron.
Grey pig iron has a matte-grey fracture surface due to stable graphite
s

formation, whereas white pig iron appears whitish and has a metastable
microstructure.
Te

Understanding these zones in the blast furnace provides insights into how
carbon interacts with iron ore throughout the smelting process, in luencing
the inal properties of pig iron.

Samarjeet Kumar Singh Page 6 testurself.in

f
f
f