Overview of Iron and Steel Making

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

 IRON AND STEEL MAKING

Ironmaking Steelmaking

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

 IRON AND STEEL MAKING

Ironmaking Steelmaking

Extraction of metallic Fe** from mineral Conversion** of iron (+impurities), as well

sources##
** need not be chemically pure; contains
solutes as “impurities”
##
mostly iron ore mined from the earth’s
crust, may also be recycled iron oxides
as steel scrap, to liquid steel of desired
composition##
** mostly involves oxidation of “impurities”
##
as per end-use; removal of impurities as
well as addition of desired solutes

Reduction Oxidation
FeOX Fe + resulting oxides Impurities Oxides
(+ Fe) (+ FeOX)

I II

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

 Overall process flow in iron and steel making

Flux Fuel Other

Iron ore products
(mineral)
Ore preparation Reduction
Ironmaking Solid
/ processing
Recycled Liquid
iron oxide Gas
Other inputs
Reduced iron
Ironmaking + impurities

Flux
Oxidation

Casting Liquid steel Steelmaking

Finished steel Other inputs

Steelmaking

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

 Historical perspective

Production of iron and steel in ancient India

●
Between 3rd - 10th century BC, indigenous craftsmen in India used
crucibles to smelt wrought iron with charcoal to produce “Wootz” steel
●
Archeological find in Cyprus of quench-hardened steel knives dating back to 11 th
century BC

• Reference by Greek historian Herodotus, in 7 th century BC, of a silver bowl being

inlaid with steel

io n ???
ect
c onn
an
Indi

Source: WorldSteel Association

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

 Historical perspective

Probable trade routes for Wootz steel

Map source: Google Maps (2020)

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making
 Historical perspective

Source: WorldSteel Association

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

 Historical perspective

Production of iron and steel in ancient India

●
Between 3rd - 10th century BC, indigenous craftsmen in India used
crucibles to smelt wrought iron with charcoal to produce “Wootz” steel
●
Archeological find in Cyprus of quench-hardened steel knives date back to 11 th
century BC

• Reference by Greek historian Herodotus, in 7 th century BC, of a silver bowl being

inlaid with steel

• Extraction of metallic iron by reduction of iron ores practised by

indigenous craftsmen communities (Agaria, Lohar, Kambhar, ...)
Scattered locations, densely forested areas, continued till 20 th century
Dependence on charcoal (5-15 kg per kg of iron); deforestation ?

• High quality products but small batch size, low productivity

Forge-welded products, famous for corrosion resistance

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

 Historical perspective

Production of iron and steel in ancient India

●
Extraction of metallic iron by reduction of iron ores practised by
indigenous craftsmen communities (Agaria, Lohar, Kambhar, ...)

Scattered locations, densely forested areas, continued till 20 th century

Dependence on charcoal (10-15 kg per kg of iron); deforestation ?

• High quality products but small batch size, low productivity

Forge-welded products, famous for corrosion resistance

Please go through the TEDx talk by Prof. N. B. Ballal at IIT Bombay

https://www.ted.com/talks/prof_n_b_ballal_face_to_face_with_the_agariyas_the_iron_people

R. Balasubramaniam: “Metallurgy of Ancient Indian Iron and Steel”, in H. Selin (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of the History
of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures, Springer, Dordrecht, 2008.

Source: WorldSteel Association

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making
 Historical perspective

Modern iron and steel making (19th century onward)

●
Oldest recorded steel manufacturing industry initiated in 1830-34 by J. M. Heath,
at Porto Novo (Parangipettai), ~200 km south of Chennai

Exported steel products to Europe; business failed due to financial and logistic
difficulties

●
Early Swedish ventures to set up ironmaking blast furnace (square cross section)
in India

●
First ironmaking blast furnace set up in 1870* (production from 1874*) at Kulti,
West Bengal, by Bengal Iron Works; later morphed into IISCo, now part of SAIL

• Tata Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. (1907 - 1911)

• Gun & Shell Factory, Cossipur; Metal & Steel Factory, Ishapore (near Kolkata)

• Mysore Iron and Steel Works at Bhadravati, Karnataka (1918); morphed into VISL,
now part of SAIL

Source: WorldSteel Association Source: K. N. P. Rao, “A brief history of the Indian Iron and Steel Industry”

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

 Historical perspective

Some references on the history of iron and steel making in India

●
R. Balasubramaniam: “Metallurgy of Ancient Indian Iron and Steel”, in H. Selin (Ed.),
Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western
Cultures, Springer, Dordrecht, 2008.
●
B. Prakash: “Ancient Indian Iron and Steel: An Archeometallurgical Study”, Indian Journal of
History of Science, vol. 46, 2011, pp. 381-410.

●
S. Srinivasan and S. Ranganathan: “India’s Legendary Wootz Steel”, NIAS Bangalore, 2004.

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

 IRON AND STEEL MAKING

What is STEEL?

• No single metal called steel

• Steel is the generic name given to a large family of alloys of iron with
carbon and a variety of other elements

• Composition of any particular steel is chosen depending on the end

application

• Even small differences in composition have a dramatic effect on the

properties of the end product

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

Current steel footprint in India

Source: National Steel Policy 2017,

JPC, Ministry of Steel
MM 439: Iron and Steel Making
Current steel footprint in India

Can you identify the major steel

production facilities ?

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

 Global crude steel production (till 2020)

2400 120
111 111
109

101
96
1870 1878
89 1789
87
1800 90
81 1670 1621 1630 1673
1582

Steel production in India, MT

Global steel production, MT

1490 1510
1405
1351 1330 76
1251 72
1216 68
1200 1147 54 54 60
51

848 51
777 37
736

600 24 30
31
16

0 0
90 98 00 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 016 17 18 19 20
19 19 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 2 20 20 20 20

Year

Source: WorldSteel Association

30
MM 439: Iron and Steel Making
 Global steel demand pattern

Crude Steel Production (Million Tonnes)

1,800
?
1,600

1,400
The Early The 1st The 1st The 2nd The 2nd Slow
1,200 Surge down?
Years Plateau Surge Plateau
1,000

800
CAGR CAGR
CAGR
5% 2.5 %
600 CAGR 1%
CAGR 7%
CAGR 2%
400 Breakup
5% of USSR
Great Oil Crisis
WW2 Asian
200 Depression
Financial
WW1
Crisis
0
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

31
MM 439: Iron and Steel Making
 Global hot metal production (till 2019)

100 1319 1400

in million Tonnes 1281
1253
1165 1188 1156 1163 1186 1200
1082 1100

Global hot emetal production

Hot metal production in India

80
1025 74
72
961 1000
935 913 68
66
880 63
60 800 58
735 55 800
670 50
587 611 42
39 600
40 37 38 38
36

27 28
26 25 400
24
22
20
200

0 0

01 02 0 3 04 05 0 6 0 7 08 09 10 11 12 1 3 1 4 15 16 17 18 1 9 2 0
20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Year

Includes pig iron production, utilised for steel making as well as foundry use
Source: WorldSteel Association
MM 439: Iron and Steel Making
 Global DRI (sponge iron) production (till 2019)

120 48
111
in Million Tonnes 107 106

92
90 36
81

DRI production in India

36
Global DRI production

79 78
76 76 75 34 34
71
67 68
65 29
57 56
60 53 25 25 24
24 24
46 23 23
43 22 22
21
38 20

15
30 12
12
9
7
6 6

0 0

0 01 002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009 010 011 012 013 014 015 016 017 018 019 020
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Year

Source: WorldSteel Association 33

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making
 Total ironmaking output (till 2019)

1600 140

in Million Tonnes 1425

1392
1357

1224 1245 1228 1217 1247

1145 1155
Global ironmaking production

Ironmaking output in India

1200 110 105
1095 106
1028 1001 101
977
936 92
857
788
800 75 77 70
716 74
625 654 64
67 65
61 62
56 58

43
400 39 35
33 34
28 30

0 0
0 1 0 2 0 3 04 05 0 6 0 7 08 09 10 11 1 2 13 1 4 15 16 17 1 8 19 2 0
20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
Year

Includes pig iron production, utilised for steel making as well as foundry use

Source: WorldSteel Association

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making
 Major steel producers (in 2020)

Rank Country Million T Rank Milllion T Company

1 China 1064.8 1 115.29 China Baowu Group
2 India 100.3 2 78.46 ArcelorMittal
3 Japan 83.2 3 43.76 HBIS Group
4 United States 72.7 4 41.59 ShaGang Group
5 Russia 71.6 5 41.58 NSSMC
6 South Korea 67.1 6 40.58 POSCO
7 Turkey 35.8 7 38.19 Ansteel Group
8 germany 35.7 8 36.47 Jianlong Group

9 Brazil 31.0 9 34.0 Shougang Group

10 Iran 29.0 10 31.11 Shandong Steel Group
11 Taiwan 21.0 11 28.26 Delong Steel Group
12 Ukraine 20.6 12 28.07 Tata Steel Group
13 Italy 20.4 13 26.78 Valin Group
14 Vietnam 19.5 14 24.36 JFE Steel
15 Mexico 16.8 15 22.69 Nucor Corporation
Source: WorldSteel Association
MM 439: Iron and Steel Making
 Steel production and infrastructure index

Steel is a good material to invest in – finances, effort, time, human resourses ...

37
MM 439: Iron and Steel Making
Usage of steel – global consumption pattern

Other transport,
4.8%

Automotive, 12.0%

Metal products, 1607 MT in 2013

1878 MT
12.5% in 2020 Construction,
51.2%

Mechanical
machinery, 14.5%

Electical Domestic
equipment, 3.0% appliances, 2.0%

40
MM 439: Iron and Steel Making
 Suggested books/sources
●
A. K. Biswas: Principles of Blast Furnace Ironmaking, Cootha Publishing House.
(Indian edition by Shankar Book Agency, 2005)
●
R. H. Tupkary: Introduction to modern Iron Making, Khanna Publishers (2004).
●
A. Ghosh and A. Chatterjee: Ironmaking and Steelmaking: Theory and Practice, Prentice Hall India
(2008).
●
R. H. Tupkary: Introduction to Modern Steel Making, Khanna Publishers.
●
V. A. Kudrin: Steel Making, Mir Publishers.
●
A. K. Chakrabarti: Steel Making, PHI Learning.
●
D. Mazumdar: A First Course in Iron and Steelmaking, Orient Blackswan (2015).
●
B. Deo and R. Boom: Fundamentals of Steelmaking Metallurgy, Prentice Hall Intl.
●
E. T. Turkdogan: Fundamentals of Steelmaking, Institute of Materials.
●
F. Oeters: The Metallurgy of Steelmaking, Verlag Stahleisen mbH.
●
The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel, 11 th Edition, The AISE Steel Foundation. Ironmaking,
Steelmaking and Casting volumes.

This list is not exhaustive!!!

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making

Thank You!

MM 439: Iron and Steel Making