Lecture28:MaterialsBalanceinIronmaking

Introduction
Illustration
Keywords:Ironmaking,reductionofironoxide,materialbalance
Introduction
Theblastfurnaceisessentiallyacontinuouscountercurrentreactorinwhichthedescendingchargeis
heatedandreactedwithascendinggases,derivedfromcombustionofcarbonatthetuyere.Thecharge
consistsofironsinter/pellets+cokeandlimestone.Duringdescent,ironoxideisreducedtoFeOand
limestonedecomposedtoCaOandCO2.
Thecombustionofcokeatthetuyerelevelwithairraisesthetemperatureinbetween
1800 to 2100 ,andmeltsslagandmetal.
ThereductionofFeOtoFeandthemeltingofironandformationofhotmetalandslagbeginoncethe
chargedescendstotheboshregion.Thefollowingreductionreactionsoccur:
SiO

2C

Si

2CO

MnO

Mn

CO

PO

5C

FeO

2P
Fe

5CO
CO

ThegasesconsistingmainlyofCOandN andsome H ,derivedfrommoistureofblast,ascendsthrough

thecharge.HeattransferoccursasthegasrisingupwardandsimultaneouslyreductionofwustiletoFe
C 2CO
occurs.TheCO soproducedquicklyreactswithCandproducesCO CO
FurtherreactionbetweenCOandhigheroxidesofironwillproduceCO whichaccumulatesinthe
ascendinggases.ThecontentofCO increaseswiththedecompositionofCaCO
CaCO

CaO

CO .

atabout950 .TheexitgasmaycontainCOCO ratioclosetooneandleavesthefurnaceatabout

500600K.
ItmayalsobenotedthatthereductionofFeOtoFeoccursbothbycarbon(calleddirectreduction)and
CO(calledindirectreduction)

Illustration
Letmeillustratematerialbalancethroughaproblem
Considerablastfurnacewhichischargedwithironorecokeandfluxofthefollowingcomposition:
Ironore(weight%):
Coke(weight%):

Fe2O3=78,SiO28.4,MnO=0.6,Al2O3=5.0,
P2O5=1.7MgO=1.2andH2O=5.1
C=88,SiO2=9,Al2O3=1andH2O=2

Flue:

CaCO3=96%,MgCO3=2%andSiO2=2%

Pigironanalyses weigh percent %

Fe

92.7, C

4 Si

2, P

0.9 and Mn

0.4

Thecokerateis900kg/tonofpigiron.(Modernblastfurnaceoperateswithmuchlowercokerate)
Duringsmelting99.5%ofFeisreducedand0.5%isslagged.TheCO/CO2ratiointhetopgasis2/1
Calculate
a)
b)
c)
d)

Weightofironore
Weightandcompositionofslag
Volumeofairrequired
Volumeand%compositionofexitgas.

Solution:
Febalance:(0.995).(Feinironore)=Feinpigiron
Letxkgironore
0.995

0.78

927

(a)
Weightofslag:
SlagconsistsofFeO, SiO , Al O , MgO, P O , CaO
Si in slag

Si in ore
88.65kg

SiO in slag
Al O in slag

Si in coke

Si in limestone

3.166 kg moes

189.97 kg
0.05

1706

900

0.01

Siinpigiron

94.3 kg

MnO in slag

Mn from ore

Mn in pig iron

5.04kg

P O in slag

P from ore

8.4 kg

MgO in slag

24.53 kg

CaO in slag

229 kg

FeO in slag

6 kg

P in pig iron

Weightofslaganditscompositioninpercentingivenbelow:
Kg%
.

.
.

.
.

Total

Volumeofairrequiredcalculationtoconsiderthetopgas.Allthecarbonchargedexceptthatdissolves
inironwillbeavailableinthetopgas.Airisrequiredintheblastfurnacetocombustcarbonofcokeat
thetuyerelevel.Fromtheamountofcokeandtheoxygenavailablethroughthereductionofoxides,
volumeofaircanbedetermined.
Oxygenavailablefromthecharge=Decompositionof
thereductionoftheoxides
17.742 kg moles

TotalO availablefromcharge
TotalCingases

+oxygenreleasedthrough

.
.

66.863 kg moles

44.575 kg moles

CintoCO

O required

22.288 kg moles

CtoCO

O required

Total
O fromair

44.5755

Air

17.742

22.2875
22.288

44.5755 kg moles

26.8335

Volumeand%compositionoffluegas
Kgmoles%
CO

44.575

25.82

CO

22.28812.91

100.94558.47

H O

4.8342.80

Total

Alsoimportantistheamountofcarbonburntatthetuyerelevel.
Inordertofindamountofcarbon,burntatthetuyere,volumeofblastcanbeused.
N ofblastisinertandO reactwithcarbononly.
AlloxygenofblastreactswithC and forms CO
Volumeofblast
O
C

2862.24m

26.8 kg mole.C
53.7 kg mole

CO

644 kg

% C. burnt at tuyere level

127.8 kg moles

81.3%.