basic oxygen furnace
Quick Summary
The basic oxygen furnace (BOF) is a key piece of equipment in modern metallurgy, responsible for producing over half of the world's steel. This process, also known as the basic oxygen process (BOP), refines liquid iron and scrap metal into steel by blowing pure oxygen onto the molten material. This rapid oxidation of impurities like carbon, silicon, phosphorus, and manganese generates significant heat, allowing a "heat" (one batch of steel) to be processed in about 20 minutes. The BOF itself is a large, tiltable, refractory-lined vessel designed to withstand extreme temperatures and facilitate the charging of materials and tapping of molten steel.
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- basic oxygen process
A typical top-blown basic oxygen furnace is a vertical cylindrical vessel with a closed bottom and an open upper cone through which a water-cooled oxygen lance can be raised and lowered. The vessel is lined with a refractory such as magnesite and is mounted on trunnions so that…
Read MoreA typical top-blown basic oxygen furnace is a vertical cylindrical vessel with a closed bottom and an open upper cone through which a water-cooled oxygen lance can be raised and lowered. The vessel is lined with a refractory such as magnesite and is mounted on trunnions so that…
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metallurgyFire refiningThe basic oxygen furnace (BOF) is a vessel used to convert pig iron, of about 94 percent iron and 6 percent combined impurities such as carbon, manganese, and silicon, into steel with as little as 1 percent combined impurities. The BOF is a large pear-shaped unit…
Read MoreThe basic oxygen furnace (BOF) is a vessel used to convert pig iron, of about 94 percent iron and 6 percent combined impurities such as carbon, manganese, and silicon, into steel with as little as 1 percent combined impurities. The BOF is a large pear-shaped unit…
Read More
steelBasic oxygen steelmakingThe basic oxygen furnace (BOF) is a refractory-lined, tiltable converter into which a vertically movable, water-cooled lance is inserted to blow oxygen through nozzles at supersonic velocity onto the charge (see figure). The use of pure oxygen at high flow rates results in such fast oxidation…
Read MoreThe basic oxygen furnace (BOF) is a refractory-lined, tiltable converter into which a vertically movable, water-cooled lance is inserted to blow oxygen through nozzles at supersonic velocity onto the charge (see figure). The use of pure oxygen at high flow rates results in such fast oxidation…
Read More