The majority of steel manufactured in the world is produced using the basic oxygen furnace. In 2000, it accounted for 60% of global steel output. Modern furnaces will take a charge of iron of up to 400 tons and convert it into steel in less than 40 minutes, compared to 10–12 hours in an open hearth furnace.
How is the charge melted in a basic oxygen furnace?
Steel Production and Energy
Basic oxygen furnaces use pig iron and small amounts of scrap as their primary material inputs and typically melt the furnace charge with coke oven, blast furnace, and natural gas. Electricity and fuel oils are used to drive ancillary processes (Fig. 7).
What goes into a basic oxygen furnace?
The basic oxygen furnace (BOF) is a vessel used to convert pig iron , of about 94 percent iron and 6 percent combined impurities such as carbon, manganese, and silicon, into steel with as little as 1 percent combined impurities.
What is the purpose of a basic oxygen furnace?
The Basic Oxygen Furnace is a vessel used by steelmakers to convert liquid iron (pig iron) into steel by burning out most of the remaining carbon, silicon and other impurities which are present in iron at about 6% but less than 1% in steel.
Is a basic oxygen furnace the same as a blast furnace?
Blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace uses iron ore as its base raw material that accounts over just 50% of BOF steel costs, and electric arc furnace uses scrap as its base that represents around 75% of EAF steel cost. The Basic Oxygen Steelmaking process differs from the EAF is that BOF is self-sufficient in energy.
What is OBM process?
Basic oxygen process (BOP), a steelmaking method in which pure oxygen is blown into a bath of molten blast-furnace iron and scrap. The oxygen initiates a series of intensively exothermic (heat-releasing) reactions, including the oxidation of such impurities as carbon, silicon, phosphorus, and manganese.
Why oxygen is used in steel plant?
Oxygen pretreatment in the ladle is used to reduce the metalloid content of open hearth furnace charges . In solid fuel combustion, producer gas can be upgraded to increase melting rates in open hearth furnaces. Oxygen is used to increase ferromanganese production and to decrease the specific fuel consumption.
Why is scrap added in BOF steelmaking?
Thermal balance of basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steelmaking is controlled primarily by the scrap added as coolant . ... These coolants have varying cooling effects and significantly influence the blowing parameters and turn-down performance.
What is produced in a 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 much oxygen is used in steel making?
The flow rates of oxygen at large converters exceed 800 cubic metres per minute, and oxygen consumption is about 110 cubic metres per ton of steel .
Do steel plants produce oxygen?
Total daily Oxygen production capacity of Steel plants is 2834 MT. In the Steel Sector, there are 33 oxygen plants (both with CPSEs and in Pvt.) of which 29 are tapped regularly.As against 2834 MT of daily LMO production capacity in the Steel Sector, the production of LMO is 3474 MT as reported on 24th April 2021.
How is steel made step by step?
- Making the Iron. To create pure steel, the products that go into it- lime, coke and iron ore- must be made into iron. ...
- Primary Steel Making. ...
- Secondary Steel Making. ...
- Continual Casting. ...
- Primary Forging. ...
- Secondary Forming.
What gas is produced in making BOS?
In the second stage of the steelmaking process, known as basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS), the carbon content of pig iron is reduced from a typical 4–5% to 0.1–1% in an oxygen-fired furnace. The excess carbon is oxidized to carbon monoxide , which can be recycled as a fuel gas or used as the reducing agent.
How does basic oxygen furnace work?
About a Basic Oxygen Furnace
A basic oxygen furnace (BOF) is a vessel used to convert hot metal into steel . ... During the process, oxygen is blown into a BOF converter containing liquid hot metal containing high carbon content. The oxygen combines with the dissolved carbon to form CO, which then escapes as gas.
How steel is made in blast furnace?
To make steel, iron ore is first mined from the ground . It is then smelted in blast furnaces where the impurities are removed and carbon is added. ... About halfway down, limestone begins to react with impurities in the ore and the coke to form a slag. Ash from the coke is absorbed by the slag.
What is BOF plant?
NIPPON STEEL ENGINEERING CO., LTD.'s basic oxygen furnace is a long-life facility capable of over forty years of continuous operation. ... A basic oxygen furnace is a reactor in which oxygen is blown through molten pig iron that is heated to approximately 1,600°C to convert it into steel.
