masuuninvalmistus

Masuuninvalmistus, or blast furnace operation, is a fundamental industrial process for producing iron from iron ore. It is a high-temperature pyrometallurgical process that utilizes a blast furnace, a tall, chimney-like structure. The primary raw materials are iron ore, coke, and limestone. Iron ore, typically in the form of iron oxides, is fed into the top of the furnace along with coke, which acts as both a fuel and a reducing agent, and limestone, which serves as a flux to remove impurities.

Air is blown into the bottom of the furnace through tuyeres, creating high temperatures through the combustion of coke. This combustion generates carbon monoxide, which then reacts with the iron oxides in the ore, reducing them to metallic iron. The limestone decomposes into calcium oxide, which then combines with impurities like silica and alumina to form slag. The molten iron and slag collect at the bottom of the furnace, with the denser slag floating on top of the molten iron. Periodically, the molten iron, known as hot metal or pig iron, and the slag are tapped from separate outlets. The pig iron produced is usually high in carbon content and brittle, and is further processed in steelmaking to remove excess carbon and other impurities to create steel. Masuuninvalmistus is a continuous process, requiring careful control of temperature, pressure, and material flow to ensure efficient iron production.