Ferrous Extractive Metallurgy

At the end of this course, the students should be able to: 1. appreciate the critical importance of iron and steel making in national economic development; 2. describe iron and steel making via the two major routes (blast furnace and direct reduction); 3. highlight the basic design principles of the blast furnace and direct reduction method of iron and steel production, their operations and their thermochemistry; and 4. explain the secondary steel making processes and manufacturing of alloy steel such as ferro alloy and super alloys.

Critical importance of iron and steel in national economic development and global steel production. The upstream, the mainstream and the downstream of iron and steel making processes. Linkage industries. Classification of iron ores and other raw materials (fuels and fluxes) for iron and steel making. Agglomeration methods: sintering, nodulising, briquetting, pelletising. Iron production route. Blast furnace and direct reduction method (the advantages and limitations of both). The blast furnace: The design, production, operations and physical chemistry of iron making and refining of liquid iron. Steel making processes, their technology and advantage, raw materials requirements and steel making practices. Thermodynamics and kinetics of steel making practices; secondary steel making processes and manufacturing of alloy steels. Argon purging and ladle alloying, desulphurisation. Principles and technology of slab and ingot casting.