IRON AND STEEL PRODUCTION

MECN 4140 - Manufacturing Processes

Inter American University of Puerto Rico
Prof. Eduardo Cabrera Ruiz
Based on 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover, Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing 3/e
Iron and Steel Production
Iron making - iron is reduced from its ores
Steel making iron is then refined to obtain desired purity
and composition (alloying)
Page 2
Iron Ores Required in Iron-making
The principal ore used in the production of iron and steel is
hematite (Fe
2
O
3
)
Other iron ores include magnetite (Fe
3
O
4
), siderite
(FeCO
3
), and limonite (Fe
2
O
3
-xH
2
O, where x is typically
around 1.5)
Iron ores contain from 50% to around 70% iron,
depending on grade (hematite is almost 70% iron)
Scrap iron and steel are also widely used today as raw
materials in iron- and steel making
Page 3
Iron Ore
Pellets
Hematite
Magnetite
Limonite
Page 4
Other Raw Materials in Iron-making
Coke (C)
Supplies heat for chemical reactions and produces
carbon monoxide (CO) to reduce iron ore
Mineral Carbon Coke
Page 5
Other Raw Materials in Iron-making
Limestone (CaCO
3
)
Used as a flux to react with and remove impurities in
molten iron as slag
Hot gases (CO, H
2
, CO
2
, H
2
O, N
2
, O
2
, and fuels)
Used to burn coke
Page 6
Iron-making in a Blast Furnace
Blast furnace - a refractory-lined chamber with a diameter
of about 9 to 11 m (30 to 35 ft) at its widest and a height
of 40 m (125 ft)
To produce iron, a charge of ore, coke, and limestone are
dropped into the top of a blast furnace
Hot gases are forced into the lower part of the chamber at
high rates to accomplish combustion and reduction of the
iron
Page 7
Blast Furnace
Page 8
Figure 6.5
Cross-section of
iron-making
blast furnace
showing major
components
Page 9
Chemical Reactions in Iron-Making
Using heated air (O
2
) with coke:
2C + O
2
heat + 2CO
Using hematite as the starting ore:
Fe
2
O
3
+ CO 2FeO+ CO
2
CO
2
reacts with coke to form more CO:
CO
2
+ C (coke) 2CO
This accomplishes final reduction of FeOto iron:
FeO+ CO Fe + CO
2
Page 10
Proportions of Raw Materials In Iron-Making
Approximately seven tons of raw materials are required to
produce one ton of iron:
2.0 tons of iron ore
1.0 ton of coke
0.5 ton of limestone
3.5 tons of gases
A significant proportion of the byproducts are recycled
Page 11
Iron from the Blast Furnace
Iron tapped from the blast furnace (called pig iron)
contains over 4% C, plus other impurities: 0.3-1.3% Si,
0.5-2.0% Mn, 0.1-1.0% P, and 0.02-0.08% S
Further refinement is required for cast iron and steel
A furnace called a cupola is commonly used for
converting pig iron into gray cast iron
For steel, compositions must be more closely
controlled and impurities brought to much lower levels
Page 12
Steel-making
Since the mid-1800s, a number of processes have been
developed for refining pig iron into steel
Today, the two most important processes are
Basic oxygen furnace (BOF)
Electric furnace
Both are used to produce carbon and alloy steels
Page 13
Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF)
Accounts for 70% of steel production in U.S
Adaptation of the Bessemer converter
Bessemer process used air blown up through the molten
pig iron to burn off impurities
BOF uses pure oxygen
Typical BOF vessel is 5 m (16 ft) inside diameter and can
process 150 to 200 tons per heat
Cycle time (tap-to-tap time) takes 45 min
Page 14
Basic Oxygen Furnace
Figure 6.7 Basic oxygen furnace showing BOF vessel during
processing of a heat.
Page 15
Figure 6.8 BOF sequence : (1) charging of scrap and (2) pig iron, (3)
blowing, (4) tapping the molten steel, (5) pouring off the slag.
Page 16
Page 17
Electric Arc Furnace
Accounts for 30% of steel production in U.S.
Scrap iron and scrap steel are primary raw materials
Capacities commonly range between 25 and 100 tons per
heat
Complete melting requires about 2 hr; tap-to-tap time is 4
hr
Usually associated with production of alloy steels, tool
steels, and stainless steels
Noted for better quality steel but higher cost per ton,
compared to BOF
Page 18
Figure 6.9 Electric arc furnace for steelmaking.
Page 19
Casting Processes in Steel-making
Steels produced by BOF or electric furnace are solidified for
subsequent processing either as cast ingots or by
continuous casting
Casting of ingots a discrete production process
Continuous casting a semi-continuous process
Page 20
Casting of Ingots
Steel ingots = discrete castings weighing from less than one
ton up to 300 tons (entire heat)
Molds made of high carbon iron, tapered at top or bottom
for removal of solid casting
The mold is placed on a platform called a stool
After solidification the mold is lifted, leaving the casting
on the stool
Page 21
Ingot Mold
Figure 6.10 A big-end-down ingot mold typical of type
used in steelmaking.
Page 22
Continuous Casting
Continuous casting is widely applied in aluminum and
copper production, but its most noteworthy application is
steel-making
Dramatic productivity increases over ingot casting,
which is a discrete process
For ingot casting, 10-12 hr may be required for casting to
solidify
Continuous casting reduces solidification time by an
order of magnitude
Page 23
Figure 6.11 Continuous
casting. Steel is
poured into tundish
and flows into a
water-cooled
continuous mold; it
solidifies as it travels
down in mold. Slab
thickness is
exaggerated for
clarity.
Page 24
Steel
An alloy of iron containing from 0.02% and 2.11% carbon by
weight
Often includes other alloying elements: nickel,
manganese, chromium, and molybdenum
Steel alloys can be grouped into four categories:
1. Plain carbon steels
2. Low alloy steels
3. Stainless steels
4. Tool steels
Page 25 Page 26
End Lecture 3
Lecture 4
Virtual Field Trip
Huachipato in Chile
Page 27
Materia Prima
Page 28
Separacin por Densidad
Page 29
Trituracin
Page 30
Separacin por Magnetismo
Page 31
Sinterizacin
Page 32
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End Lecture 3
Lecture 4