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Sunday, July 23, 2017

CETG 121: ENGINEERING MATERIALS


ALAN INNOCENT SHELENG
15000164 (2nd year)

Quiz: Explain critically the production of pig iron from blast furnace (with the aids of diagram).
NB; The charge in the blast furnace for manufacturing of pig are:
Ore: consisting of iron oxide or carbonate;
coke a fuel
limestone A flux

Concentration, The haematite ore which is red and has approximately 70% of iron is crushed in Jaw crushers
and is broken to small pieces. It is concentrated with gravity separation process in which it is washed with
water to remove clay, sand.

Calcination, The ore is then heated in absence of air (calcined). This results in decomposition of carbonates
into oxides and then ferrous oxide is converted into Ferric Oxide.

3 + 2
4FeO O2 2Fe2 CO3

Smelting, The concentrated haematite ore is mixed with calculated quantity of coke, limestone and the
mixture is put in the Blast Furnace from top. During this process the coke burns with oxygen to produce
carbon dioxide. This reaction is exothermic. The Carbon Dioxide reacts with more coke to give Carbon
Monoxide + 2 2

2 + 2

Reduction of Haematite to Iron: In the upper part of the furnace, the temperature is Between 975K to 1075K.
Here Haematite is reduced to Iron by CO. This molten Iron is collected at the bottom of the furnace

Fe2O3 3CO 2Fe 3CO2

Then the limestone It acts as flux to remove sand from Haematite in form of liquid Slag. In the middle of
the furnace, the temperature is about 1075-1275 K. Here Limestone decomposes to produce calcium
oxide (CaO) and CO2.This CaO reacts with reacts with silica (sand) present in the ore to form
slag(CaSiO3).
CaCO3 heat CaO CO2
CaO SiO2 CaSiO3

Slag is lighter than molten iron so it floats over molten iron and protects it from oxidising back into its
oxides

The melt of the blast furnace is run off into rectangular molds, forming, when cold, ingots called pigs. Pig
iron contains contains small percentages of silicon, sulfur, manganese, and phosphorus, besides carbon.

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