Measuring Impurities in Iron for Blast Furnace

[teilchen]

might be a naive question, but concerning the blast furnace:

they blow pure o2 through the raw iron to oxidise impurities like carbon etc, but that would mean that exactly the right amount of o2 would have to be blown through before the iron also started reacting, which in turn means the impurity conc. must be explicitly known? and how might this be done?

just out of interest...

thanks :)

 

[Astronuc]

A chemical analysis of the ore/pig iron is performed.

Here is a discussion of the use of oxgyen in the steel making process:
http://www.key-to-steel.com/Articles/Art2.htm

List of articles at key-to-steel
http://www.key-to-steel.com/default.aspx?ID=Articles

 

[ravenprp]

Thank you for your question. It is not a naive question at all and it is actually a very important aspect to consider in the operation of a blast furnace. The process of blowing pure oxygen through the raw iron is known as the basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS) process and it is used to remove impurities such as carbon, silicon, and phosphorus from the iron. The amount of oxygen required for this process depends on the concentration of these impurities in the iron. Therefore, it is crucial to have an accurate measurement of the impurity concentration in order to determine the appropriate amount of oxygen to be blown through.

There are various methods for measuring impurities in iron for blast furnace operations. One common method is using a spectrometer, which uses the principle of atomic emission spectroscopy to analyze the composition of the iron sample. Another method is using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, which measures the elemental composition of the iron sample by bombarding it with X-rays.

In addition to these methods, there are also online sensors and analyzers that can continuously monitor the impurity concentration in the iron during the BOS process. These sensors use different techniques such as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and infrared spectroscopy to measure the impurities in real-time.

Overall, measuring impurities in iron for blast furnace operations is a critical aspect to ensure the quality of the final product. Accurate and reliable measurements are essential for the efficient and cost-effective operation of a blast furnace. Thank you for your interest in this topic.