At the high temperature at the bottom of the furnace, carbon dioxide reacts with carbon to produce carbon monoxide. It is the carbon monoxide which is the main reducing agent in the furnace. In the hotter parts of the furnace, the carbon itself also acts as a reducing agent.
Why is carbon added to iron oxide in a blast furnace?
Forth – the carbon monoxide removes the oxygen from the iron oxide to produce iron metal and carbon dioxide. Limestone is calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) and it is added to the blast furnace to remove the impurities in the iron ore , as mentioned above.
What happens to carbon in the blast furnace?
The blast furnace
Iron is extracted from iron ore in a huge container called a blast furnace. ... In this reaction, the iron(III) oxide is reduced to iron, and the carbon is oxidised to carbon dioxide .
How is carbon removed from iron in the blast furnace?
The oxygen reacts with the remaining impurities to form various oxides. The carbon forms carbon monoxide. Since this is a gas it removes itself from the iron! ... These are removed using quicklime (calcium oxide) which is added to the furnace during the oxygen blow.
What is the fuel used in blast furnace?
The iron blast furnace uses carbon as a fuel to meet the energy requirements of the process as well as a reducing agent for smelting the iron ore to pig iron. The most widespread form of carbon used for this purpose is metallurgical coke.
Which is closest to the purest form of the iron?
> The purest form of iron is Wrought iron . It is an alloy of iron with very low carbon content when compared with cast iron. It is a semi-fused mass of iron which has fibrous slag inclusions. Wrought iron is tough, malleable, ductile and can be easily welded.
How pig iron is produced in blast furnace?
Blast furnaces produce pig iron from iron ore by the reducing action of carbon (supplied as coke) at a high temperature in the presence of a fluxing agent such as limestone.
Are blast furnaces still used?
The blast furnace remains an important part of modern iron production . Modern furnaces are highly efficient, including Cowper stoves to pre-heat the blast air and employ recovery systems to extract the heat from the hot gases exiting the furnace.
Why coke is used in blast furnace not coal?
Since smoke-producing constituents are driven off during the coking of coal, coke forms a desirable fuel for stoves and furnaces in which conditions are not suitable for the complete burning of bituminous coal itself. Coke may be combusted producing little or no smoke , while bituminous coal would produce much smoke.
Which reaction is used to keep the furnace hot?
The hot air blast to the furnace burns the coke and maintains the very high temperatures that are needed to reduce the ore to iron. The reaction between air and the fuel generates carbon monoxide .
Which is added into the blast furnace to remove oxygen from iron oxide ore?
In industries Blast furnace to remove Oxygen from Iron Oxide Ore Carbon is used. It is a reduction reaction and carbon is more reactive than iron and so it forms carbon monoxide combining with iron oxide giving along iron as one of the resultant products.
Why is iron produced in a blast furnace converted to steel?
The combustion of iron ore with other materials in the blast furnace produces molten pig iron, which is then converted to steel. ... Blowing oxygen forces impurities (oxides, silicates, phosphates, etc.) to react with flux to form slag or escape through the top of the furnace as fumes.
What Cast Iron Cannot Weld?
This depends on microstructure and mechanical properties. For example, grey cast iron is inherently brittle and often cannot withstand stresses set up by a cooling weld.
What is the hottest furnace on earth?
The current official highest registered air temperature on Earth is 56.7 °C (134.1 °F), recorded on 10 July 1913 at Furnace Creek Ranch , in Death Valley in the United States.
What is produced from 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.
Which fuel causes least pollution?
Natural gas is the cleanest fuel and causes the least pollution when burnt compared to petrol, diesel and coal.
