Blast furnaces: at the very heart of the steel industry

For our Group and our colleagues, blast furnaces are more than just a part of an industrial facility. “It’s the heart of every steel plant. Without hot metal you cannot produce steel,” explains Alain Daelman, Blast Furnace Process Engineer at ArcelorMittal Gent. Read on to see what makes those steel giants so special…

Blast furnaces are a vital part of steelmaking as it is where the iron is extracted from the iron ore and then turned to liquid iron, which will subsequently be used to make liquid steel. That is why some people refer to blast furnaces as the old workhorse of the steel industry. Typically, they are in operation 24/7, and they have been around a long time.

In fact, did you know that…

… the first blast furnaces appeared as soon as the 14th Century
… every blast furnace needs to be relined typically every 15-20 years?
… ArcelorMittal’s smallest blast furnace in Europe is BF 1 at Eisenhüttenstadt (Germany), with a diameter of 7.1 m and a capacity of above 1,500 t per day
… the Company’s biggest blast furnace is BF 9 at Kryviy Rih (Ukraine) with a hearth diameter of 14.7 m and a capacity above 10,000 t per day

In the most severe crisis in recent years, ArcelorMittal has had to take some very tough decisions – one of them was to put some of our blast furnaces to a halt. But the enthusiasm was contagious as we started to progressively restart some of the suspended facilities.

Iron and steelmaking is more than a profession, it is a passion for ArcelorMittal people. John Ricketts, Process Portfolio Specialist-Ironmaking, Global Research & Development, would even say it runs in his blood: “Iron, especially in its liquid form, is like an addictive drug that runs through the veins of an ironmaker. I am just a victim of its intoxicating influence; someone who wants to share the secrets of its history and production.”

Want to know more?

- John Ricketts, addicted to ironmaking – Read the article on boldspirit
- Blast furnaces, those old soldiers of the steel industry – Read the feature on boldspirit