FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT:

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL, METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS

ENGINEERING
SEMESTER TEST 1 - Memo

YEAR: 2022
SEMESTER: 1
SEMESTER TEST: 1
DATE OF ASSESSMENT: 25 APRIL 2022
SUBJECT NAME: IRON AND STEEL MAKING
SUBJECT CODE: ISM317B
QUALIFICATION(S): BENG-TECH: METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING
EXAMINER(S): Mr I.M MAKENA
MODERATOR(S):
TOTAL MARKS: 65 TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES INCLUDING COVER PAGE: 3
FULL MARKS: 65 TOTAL NUMBER OF ANNEXURES: 2
PAPER DESCRIPTION: A4 CLOSED BOOK DURATION: 120 minutes

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
NONE
NON-PROGRAMMABLE POCKET CALCULATOR
SCIENTIFIC CALCULATOR
COMPUTER ANSWER SHEET
GRAPH PAPER
DRAWING INSTRUMENTS
OPEN BOOK
OTHER:

Question Mark
Q1 30
Q2 20
Q3 15

TOTAL: 65
FULL MARKS: 65 Signature of Examiner Signature of Moderator Signature of Exam
Committee Chairperson

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES: Answer all questions

SURNAME: STUDENT NUMBER:

INITIALS:

DECLARATION
I hereby subject myself to the examination rules and regulations of the Tshwane
University of Technology
QUESTION 1 [30]

1.1 Consider an iron blast furnace charged with iron ore, limestone, and coke. The weight
analyses of the charge are as follows:

Fe2O3 SiO2 MnO Al2O3 H2O C CaCO3

Ore 80% 12% 1% 3% 4% - -
Limestone - 4% - - 1% - 95%
Coke - 10% - - - 90% -

The ultimate weight analysis of the pig iron gives 93.8% Fe, 4% C, 1.2% Si, and 1% Mn. For
every ton of pig iron produced, 1750 kg of iron ore and 500 kg of limestone are used, and
4200m3 of flue gas is produced. The rational analysis of the flue gases gives 58% N2, 26%
CO, 12% CO2, and 4% H2O.

Determine the quantity of coke used per ton of pig iron [10]

Answer

Carbon Balance

CaCO3 → CaO + CO2

CO2 = 475/(40.078+12+(16x3)) = 4.746 kg-moles x (12 + 32) = 208.837 kg

CO2 → C + O2

C = 4.746 kg-moles x 12 = 56.956 kg

Carbon in top gas = (0.26 (4200m3) / 22.4 m3/kg-mole = 48.75 kg-moles = 585 kg) + (0.12
(4200m3) / 22.4 m3/kg-mole = 22.5 kg-moles = 270 kg) = 855 kg

Carbon from coke + carbon from CaCO3 = carbon in pig iron + carbon in gases

X = Coke

0.90X + 56.956 kg = 0.04(1000) kg + 855 kg

0.90X = 838.044 kg

X = 931.16 kg

Coke = 931.16 kg

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1.2 The operator of a small, old blast furnace wishes to check his blast-metering devices
based on top-gas analysis and coke-rate measurements. Determine, analytically, how
much should his total blast volume (m3 of dry air) be for the following operating
conditions: [12]

Item Quantity
Ore: hematite (5% SiO2, all of which goes to slag)
Hot metal (5% C) (100% Fe conversion) 1000 tonnes
Coke (88% C, dry basis) 700 tonnes
Top-gas composition vol.% CO/vol.% CO2 = 1.2

Answer:

Carbon balance
C in = 51333 kg-mole
C out through top gas = 4166.67 kg-mole
C out through top gas = 47166.33 kg-mole = 566000 kg
1.2
Through CO = 47166.33 kg-mole x 2.2 = 25727.09 kg-mole (C + 0.5O2 = CO)
1
Through CO2 = 47166.33 kg-mole x 2.2 = 21439.24 kg-mole (C + O2 = CO2)

Oxygen in CO = 720358.52 x 16/28 = 411633.44 kg

Oxygen in CO2 = 943326.56 x 32/44 = 686055.68 kg
Oxygen in Ore = 408301.62 kg
Iron in hot metal = iron in the Ore
950000 kg = 0.664 x Ore mass
Ore mass = 1429861.529 kg
Fe2O3 = 1358368.453 kg = 8506.28 kg-mole
Oxygen in blast = 1097689.12 kg – 408201.62 kg
= 689487.5 kg = 43092.97 kg-moles
Blast volume = 2298292 m3

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1.3 With the outside air at 30 oC, and saturated with moisture (raining), calculate the heat
carried into a blast furnace by blast air carrying in 1766 kg of nitrogen, with the
temperature of the pre-heated blast being 900 oC. The barometer reading is recorded as
720 mmHg. Use 0 oC as a temperature baseline. [8]

Answer:

Moist air (from Table 1), at 30

30.4 x 10-3 kg/m3 max. water content (100% saturation)
This gives, 3.04 x 10-5 m3/m3
And
0.99696 m3/m3 dry blast air

Given 1766 kg of N2 in the blast

There are 1766/28 x 1/0.79 = 79.837 kg-mol dry air
79.837 kg-mol x 22.4 m3/kg-mol = 1788.35 m3 dry air

Therefore,
1788.35 𝑚3 air 0.99696 𝑚3
=
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 (𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑡) 1 𝑚3

Total volume (including moist) = 1793.8076 m3

Moist volume = 5.4576 m3

Sensible heat in dry air = 1788.35 x (0.302 + 0.000022(900℃)) x 900℃ = 517941.927 Kcal
Sensible heat in vapour = 5.4576 x (0.373 + 0.000050(900℃)) x 900℃ = 2053.149 kcal

Total heat = 519995 kcal

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QUESTION 2 [20]

The CO/CO2 ratio of the top gas leaving a hematite-charged blast furnace is approximately
1.51. The carbon supply rate (including carbon-in-iron, 5 wt. % C) is 470 kg per tonne of
product Fe.

a) Calculate the enthalpy supply D for this furnace (kJ per kg-mole of product Fe),
assuming that the blast enters and the top gas leaves at 25℃. [12]

b) Use the information to plot a neat labeled RIST operating diagram [8]

Answer:
a)
CO/CO2 = 1.51
𝑛𝑐𝑖 = 39.166667/17.91 = 2.1869 kg-moles
(C/Fe)m = 4.3860/17.91 = 0.2449 kg-moles
𝑛𝑐𝐴 = 2.1869 – 0.2449 = 1.942 kg-moles

1.51
C CO = 1.942 x = 1.168 kg-moles
2.51
C + 1/2O2 = CO
O2 = 0.584 kg-moles = 18.688 kg

1
C CO2 = 1.942 x = 0.774 kg-moles
2.51
C + O2 = CO2
O2 = 0.774 kg-moles = 24.768 kg

𝑔
O2 in top gas (𝑛𝑂 ) = (24.768 + 18.688)/16 = 2.716

𝑂 𝑥
( ) + 𝑛𝑂𝐵 = 2.716
𝐹𝑒
𝑛𝑂𝐵 = 1.216
𝑂 𝑥 𝑂 𝑔
( ) + 𝑛𝑂𝐵 = 𝑛𝑐𝐴 ( )
𝐹𝑒 𝐶
𝑂 𝑔
1.5 + 1.216 = 1.942 ( )
𝐶
𝑂 𝑔
(𝐶 ) = 1.399

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 Or Simply,

𝑂 𝑔
𝑛𝑐𝐴 ( ) = 2.716
𝐶
𝑂 𝑔
1.942 ( ) = 2.716
𝐶
𝑂 𝑔
(𝐶 ) = 1.399

𝑂 𝑔
D = 𝑛𝐶𝐴 {283000(𝐶 ) −172000}

D = 1.942 {283000 (1.399) − 172000} = 434847 KJ/kg-mole Fe

(b)

𝑂 𝑥 𝐵 𝐴
𝑂 𝑔
( ) + 𝑛𝑂 = 𝑛𝑐 ( )
𝐹𝑒 𝐶
𝑂 𝑥 𝐵 𝐴
𝑂 𝑔
( ) − (−𝑛𝑂 ) = 𝑛𝑐 (( ) − 0)
𝐹𝑒 𝐶
𝑦2 − 𝑦1 = 𝑀(𝑥2 − 𝑥1 )

𝑂 𝑥 𝑂 𝑔
𝑦2 = (𝐹𝑒) = 1.5; 𝑦1 = − 𝑛𝑂𝐵 = −1.216; 𝑥2 = (𝐶 ) = 1.399; 𝑥1 = 0

𝑀 = 𝑛𝑐𝐴 = 1.942;

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QUESTION 3 [15]

3.1 What is DRI? Why it is also called a sponge iron? [6]

Answer:

DRI stands for Direct reduced iron. It is the product of the direct reduction of iron ore
in the solid-state by carbon monoxide and/or hydrogen gas derived from natural gas or
coal. It is also called a sponge iron due to the porous (foam) nature of its reduced solid
material.

3.2 With the help of a sketch, describe a rotary kiln-based sponge iron process. [9]

Answer:

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