Steel Making Methods
Steel Making Methods
| Advantages | Disadvantages | Basic Oxygen Furnaces | * Very high production rates and low residual element * Does not burn fuel | * Good efficiency requires large amount of pig iron to continue production. * Requires costly filtering process due to high levels of pollutants produced. * High refurbishing costs. * High dependence on blast furnace/coking. | Electric Arc Furnaces | * Minimal emissions/pollution. * Filtering of scrap not necessary. * Easy temperature control. * Precise alloying. * Economical to use scrap metal. * Contamination free. * Simultaneous deep deoxidising and desulfurization actions. | * Excessive electricity required. * Requires a steady supply of scrap metal * High transportation cost * Enclosures to reduce high sound levels * Dust collector for furnace off-gas * Slag production * Cooling water demand * Heavy truck traffic for scrap, materials handling, and product |
The first step in the process, is to make the steel itself. The most common method of steel making, constituting for over 60% of worldwide production uses a Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF). This process includes taking over 75% pig iron and reducing it to a low-carbon steel in an abundance of oxygen. The second type utilises Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs). This involves melting up to 100% recycled scrap and reforming it using the heat produced from electrical arcs between highly charged electrodes.
Figure 2 (right & below): EAF Process
Figure 2 (right & below): EAF Process
Figure 1 (left): BOF Process
Figure 1 (left): BOF Process
From the table above it is clear to see that without an established, effective transport system that allows for large amounts of scrap metal to be processed, the Basic Oxygen Method has fewer disadvantages. However, as TATA Steel already has an efficient system in place, the most feasible method would be using Electric Arc Furnaces. Despite initial costs, using EAFs save on
| Advantages | Disadvantages | Basic Oxygen Furnaces | * Very high production rates and low residual element * Does not burn fuel | * Good efficiency requires large amount of pig iron to continue production. * Requires costly filtering process due to high levels of pollutants produced. * High refurbishing costs. * High dependence on blast furnace/coking. | Electric Arc Furnaces | * Minimal emissions/pollution. * Filtering of scrap not necessary. * Easy temperature control. * Precise alloying. * Economical to use scrap metal. * Contamination free. * Simultaneous deep deoxidising and desulfurization actions. | * Excessive electricity required. * Requires a steady supply of scrap metal * High transportation cost * Enclosures to reduce high sound levels * Dust collector for furnace off-gas * Slag production * Cooling water demand * Heavy truck traffic for scrap, materials handling, and product |
The first step in the process, is to make the steel itself. The most common method of steel making, constituting for over 60% of worldwide production uses a Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF). This process includes taking over 75% pig iron and reducing it to a low-carbon steel in an abundance of oxygen. The second type utilises Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs). This involves melting up to 100% recycled scrap and reforming it using the heat produced from electrical arcs between highly charged electrodes.
Figure 2 (right & below): EAF Process
Figure 2 (right & below): EAF Process
Figure 1 (left): BOF Process
Figure 1 (left): BOF Process
From the table above it is clear to see that without an established, effective transport system that allows for large amounts of scrap metal to be processed, the Basic Oxygen Method has fewer disadvantages. However, as TATA Steel already has an efficient system in place, the most feasible method would be using Electric Arc Furnaces. Despite initial costs, using EAFs save on