The economics of BF iron making mainly depends on the coke rate and productivity.

Raw materials account

for over 60% of the cost of hot metal production in BF, and the principal cost component is cost of the
coke. Therefore, the objective of BF: (i) reduction of coke rate and (ii) increase of productivity.
Main developments are :
1. Large capacity of furnaces
2. Better prepared burden (including better quality coke)
3. Better distribution of charge materials in the furnace
4. Higher blast rate and temperature
5. Oxygen enrichment of blast
6. Humidification of blast
7. Auxiliary fuel injection through the tuyeres i.e PCI
8. Lime dust injection through the tuyeres
9. High
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Large Capacity of Furnaces
The operational costs of a large capacity of BFs are lower than smaller capacities of BFs. Hence, the size of the
BFs has been progressively increasing and BFs of smaller capacities are no longer economically attractive.
Earlier diameter of hearth and useful volume were 5.6–8.9 m and 1000 m3, respectively; now that were 12–15
m and >5000 m3, respectively. Daily production was also increased from 1000 to 12,000 t/day. The specific
production capacity increased from 0.8–1.0 to >2.5 t/m3/day.

Burden Preparation
Large capacity of BF requires better quality of coke. The quality of coke can be improved by the following:
• Better preparation and more extensive blending of coals
• The use of low volatile additives
• Pre-heating of coal blend (30–40% with other low ash coal) before carbonization

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 • Faster rates of carbonization at higher temperature
• Manufacture of formed coke (i.e. synthetically prepared coke)
• Mechanical stabilization of oven coke
• Compacted coke oven charge, i.e. stamps charging
• Dry quenching of coke in nitrogen or CO2 atmosphere

Better Distribution of Burden

The production rate of a BF is directly determined by:
(i) rate of reduction of iron oxide and
(ii) rate of heating of the materials
• The rate of reduction and heating of the burden depends upon the degree and time of
contact of gases with the burden
• Uniformity of distribution of reducing gases throughout the cross section of the furnace is
an essential feature for efficient reduction and heating of the burden
• This can be achieved only by obtaining a uniform permeable burden inside the furnace
• Uniform permeable burden can be obtained by better burden distribution

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 Raw materials are rolled due to (i) size and (ii) density of the material
The course size materials are more rolling tendency than small size
Densities of ore, coke and limestone are 5–6 g/cm3, 1.5 g/cm3 and 3.0–3.5 g/cm3, respectively.
Rolling tendency of coke particles is more due to low density, and ore has less tendency of rolling
due to high density
Blast Temperature
 The direct effect of blast temperature is to save coke and thereby improve productivity
 India operates at blast temperature in the range of 600–1100 °C compared to more than 1100 °C (i.e.
1200– 1300 °C) in other countries
 The decrease in coke rate is achieved in BF in other countries with increase in blast temperature

Oxygen Enrichment of Blast

 The presence of 79% nitrogen by volume in the blast restricts the temperature generated in the
combustion zone
 This temperature can be increased by decreasing the nitrogen content of the blast
 For every percent increase in oxygen content of blast, there is increase in production rate of about 3–4%
and a marginal saving in coke rate
 The blast is enriched with oxygen primarily to increase the productivity by bringing down the tuyere gas
volume/thm
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Humidification of Blast
• A uniform and steady RAFT is on the basic prerequisite for smooth BF operation
• Pre-heating of blast not only adds heat energy in the furnace, but also increases the RAFT
• Blast temperature can be increased still further without increase in RAFT if equivalent coolants are
added along with the blast
• Steam is one such additive because of its endothermic reaction with carbon:
C + H2O = CO + H2

Objectives of humidification in the blast

(i) To decrease the erratic movement of the furnace when the flame temperature increases beyond
a limit
(ii) To use higher blast temperature while maintaining the RAFT constant
(iii) To maintain uniformity in level of moisture in the blast which fluctuates seasonally
(iv) With increase in blast humidity, hydrogen in the bosh gas increases which in turn decreases the
coke rate.
Most of the world’s highly productive BFs operate with blast humidity ranging between 15 and 20 g/N m3
mainly due to superior raw materials which are capable of accepting higher RAFT (2100–2300 °C).

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Auxiliary Fuel Injection (Pulverised coal injection-PCI)
To optimize cost and improve productivity, the heat-producing function of coke is partially
replaced by injecting auxiliary fuels in the tuyeres, i.e. to improve blast furnace economy by
reducing the coke rate.
In blast furnace ironmaking, >50% of the hot metal cost can be attributed to the cost of coke.
Injection of auxiliary fuels in the blast furnace aimed to achieve a reduction of coke rate or energy
cost and thus the cost of hot metal.

The productivity increases by

(a) about 2% up to 50 kg of
oil/thm, and (b) 1.2–2.0% up
to 80 kg of coal dust/thm.
The amount of coke is replaced by unit
weight of coal powder, this ratio is
known as the replacement ratio. The
higher the replacement ratio, the better
will be the results of coal injection.

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Lime Injection
Lime injection can control the quality of bosh slag, which produced in the bosh region has
direct effect on the productivity of the furnace. If the slag is more viscous, then it affects
the aerodynamics adversely, and as a result the productivity falls. Increase of bosh slag
viscosity by even 1 poise may decrease the productivity by about 0.5%.

High Top Pressure

The gaseous reduction in a blast furnace would increase if the static pressure in
the furnace is increased by throttling back of the discharge gas pressure. This
increase in the furnace top gas pressure is known as high top pressure.

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Advantages for high top pressure are as follows:
 Increasing production rate due to increase time of contact of reducing gas and solid, because of
decrease velocity of gases in the furnace.
 Increasing the reduction rate of iron oxide.
 Improving the efficiency of utilization of reducing gas results in saving of coke.
 More uniform operation with lower and more consistent hot metal silicon content has been obtained by
high top pressure.
 High top pressure may be applied at constant blowing rate to obtain fuel saving with lesser increase in
output.
 High top pressure markedly decreases channelling and dust losses in the effluent gases.

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