What is blast furnace? How to use in English

Definition & pronunciation of blast furnace

blast furnacenoun

lò cao

/ˈblɑːst fɜːnɪs//ˈblæst fɜːrnɪs/

Where does the word blast furnace come from?

The term "blast furnace" originated in the iron and steel industry during the early 1800s. At the time, iron was produced by smelting iron ore in a crucible, a simple container made of clay, sand, or other materials. However, this process yielded impure iron that required further refining. In the mid-1700s, Abraham Darby III developed a new process called the puddling process, which involved melting iron in a iron pot or vessel with coal and blowing air through it to remove impurities. However, this process couldn't produce enough iron to meet the growing demands of the Industrial Revolution. To address this challenge, a Swedish engineer named John Kilianny argued that a much larger vessel, called a "blast" furnace, could be constructed to smelt iron on a much larger scale. Kilianny's furnace utilized a continuous blast of air, rather than intermittent bellows, to forcefully push the air through the top of the furnace and create a high-pressure, high-temperature environment to smelt the iron ore. The term "blast" furnace initially referred to the use of a blast of air to forcefully push the oxygen through the furnace, but it came to describe the type of furnace itself over time. The concept of the blast furnace revolutionized the iron and steel industry, dramatically increasing efficiency and production capabilities, and helping to support the Industrial Revolution's growth.

Example of vocabulary blast furnacenamespace

  • In the steel-making process, molten iron is produced by blasting iron ore, coke, and limestone in a blast furnace at extremely high temperatures.
  • The steel plant's primary source of income comes from the output of its two blast furnaces, which operate 24/7 to meet the global demand for steel.
  • The blast furnace is a behemoth of an engineering marvel, standing at over 200 feet tall and gobbling up over 5,000 tons of raw materials per day.
  • The blast furnace's complex processes involve blasting superheated air into the furnace, causing chemical reactions that convert iron oxides to highly concentrated iron.
  • The Millennium Steel Company has been operating blast furnaces for over a century, demonstrating their commitment to customer satisfaction by optimizing the quality and cost-effectiveness of their steel production.

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