The Bessemer Converter is a pear- shaped furnace.

Which is lined from inside With heat-resistant bricks. At the bare

of the furnace,there a number of holes through which hot air
can be passed into the furnace. The Bessemer converter can
be rotated on a central horizontal axis due to which it can be
tilted in different positions. In figure we have shown the mouth

Carbon dioxide
Insulator Bricks

Hot air

Slag

Molten iron

of the Bessemer converter in the upword direction.The mouth

of the Bessemer converter can also be brought on one side by
turning it. The Bessemer converter can be tilted in any
direction. It can even be turned upside down . We will now
describe how this Bessemer converter is used to produce stell
from pig iron.
The Bessemer converter is first turned sideways and molten
pig iron is put into it some calcium oxide is also put into the
Bessemer Converter. The Bessemer Converter is now brought
back into the vertical position as shown in figure. A blast of hot
air is passed into the Bessemer Converter. The oxygen present
in hot air oxidises the variqus impurities present in pig iron as
follows:
Carbon present as impurity in pig iron is oxidized
by the oxygen of hot air to carbon monoxide gas:

2C + O2 2CO
Carbon Oxygen Carbon Monoxide
This carbon monoxide gas burns at the mouth of the
Bessemer Converter to from carbon –dioxide gas. The
burning of carbon monoxide produces a flame at the mouth
of the furnace when the flame produced by the burning of
carbon monoxide at the mouth of the furnace gets
extinguished, it indicates that all the carbon present as
impurity in the pig iron has been oxidised and hence
removed.
Manganese present as impurity in pig iron is oxidised
by the oxygen of hot air to form manganese oxide.

2Mn + O2 2MnO
Manganese Oxygen Manganese Oxide
Silicon present as impurity in pig iron is oxidised by the oxygen
of hot air to silicon dioxide:

Si + O2 SiO2
Silicon Oxygen Silicon dioxide

Manganese oxide and silicon dioxide react together

to form manganqus silicate slag:

MnO + SiO2 MnSiO3

Manganese oxide Silicon Dioxide Manganous Silicate

This manganous silicate slag , being lighter, floats on the

surface of molten iron in the furnace .Phosphorus present as
impurity in pig iron is oxidised by the oxygen of hot air to form
phosphorus pentoxide:

4p + 5O2 2p2O5
Phosphorus oxygen Phosporus pentoxide
This phosphorus pestoxide reacts with calcium oxide to
form calcium phosphate slag:

3Cao + P2O5 Ca3(PO4)2

Calcium Oxide Phosphorus Calcium Phosphate