B a r i n o v

THE CONCISE HANDBOOK FOR THE BLAST FURNACE OPERATOR

Reviewed by L. Ya. Shparber and L. Yu. Ryabtsev

UDC 669.162 : 109.941

Each appearance of a new book on blast furnace operat ion arouses much interest among specialists. The C o n

cise Handbook for the Blast Furnace Operator, intended for use by workers, masters, and evening students at me ta l - l u rg ica l - t echn ica l schools, is, in our view, at once a concise reference and a brief textbook. As a textbook, it ade- quately covers basic technologica l concepts, indispensable to ~tudents; and as a reference, it presents tables and ca l - culations valuable to technicians in their dai ly work.

Although this book appeared considerably later than the two-volume edi t ion of the handbook, "Blast Furnace

Production" (Metal lurgizdat , Moscow, 1963), and although it is very brief, it is in strong demand by blast furnace technicians and students. Its reference information and sample calculat ions enable them to evaIuate new ideas, whether from the standpoint of technology or cost. The mate r i a l is presented logical ly , following the sequence of

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blast furnace operation, and its arrangement great ly helps its users.

The chapter "Charge Components and Fuel" gives minera l composition of raw materials , the characterist ics of iron and manganese ore deposits in the USSR, and the reserves of such ore, as well as a qual i tat ive evaluat ion of the dressed raw materials , fluxes, and coke produced by plants in the USSR and abroad. It must be mentioned that,

the data in this chapter are rather old, mostly going back beyond 1960-1961. In covering raw materials , almost nothing was said of a new type of mate r ia l - - pellets of nat ional origin.

The chapter "Blast Furnaces" inlxoduces the reader to character is t ic sections of domestic and foreign furnaces, the grouping of furnaces and their quantity, blast-furnace mathemat ics , and the construction of their essential e l e - ments. This section contains cer ta in inaccuracies and shortcomings. The heading of Table 22 (p. 48) "The Height of Blast Furnaces" does not correspond to its content, since it actual ly refers to the height of hearths of blast furnaces of different volumes. The feeding of charge mater ia ls is inadequately covered. Charge mater ia ls are conveyed to the skip, not only for large furnaces (p. 79), but also for furnaces of small volume (1180-1370 m3).

The third section of the handbook, though brief, gives an adequate idea of current developments in heat ing

and blowing air for blast furnaces; it also describes dus t -co l lec t ion systems for me ta l lu rg ica l plants.

Brief theore t ica l information, covering basic phys iochemieal processes, furnace operating conditions, and technologica l means of control, is presented in the sect ion on "Blast Furnace Smelting"' The ma te r i a l corresponds to general ly accepted assumptions, and gives the various parameters of blast furnaces working under different

conditions.

Slag is adequately covered. The handbook covers physiochemical properties, incorporates diagrams on m e l t - ing and fluidity, discusses desulfurizing, and explains methods in slag calcula t ion. Tables give the characterist ics and chemica l compositions of the slags used to smelt various types of cast iron and ferroalloys at several plants.

The fifth section, ca l led "The New Technology of Blast Furnace Smelt ing actual ly takes up measures a l - ready in general use; they are not rea l ly new. Increasing gas pressure near the top of the furnace, humidifying the

blast, low-manganese cast iron, rais ing the blast temperature - - these and other such measures are akeady being used successfully; aI1 that remains is to perfect them. Enriching the blast with oxygen, introducing reducing gases, using iron ore pellets, introducing coa l dust and liquid fuel, and a few other measures can be considered new. The sect ion describes the achievements of various plants in intensifying blast furnace operation, and in reducing coke consumption. This information and its supplements can be used to select technological conditions, andlto determine the t echn icoeconomiea l eff iciency! of introducing and perfect ing various parameters of smelt ing.

Overall , the book, despite some inaccuracies , is a valuable text for blast furnace workers and student me ta l -

lur gists.

Magnitogorsk Meta l lurgica l Combine. Translated from Metallurg, No. 5, pp, 14-15, July, 1967.

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