Abstract
The paper sets forth the economy of utilizing blast-furnace gas, at one time considered to be of little material value, in reducing the wastes of the steel industry. It is shown how the quantity of gas to be expected in the production of one ton of pig iron may be computed, and the uses to which this gas may be put are analyzed quantitatively. A heat balance, based on the production of one ton of pig iron, is presented, showing the sources of heat and the requirements for blast-furnace and steel-mill operation. It shows that the total heat from the by-products of a ton of pig iron is more than sufficient to finish a ton of steel. The heating requirements are not met by the tar and by-product gas, although the average power requirements are more than met by the blast-furnace gas and coke breeze. It therefore becomes desirable to reduce the heating requirements for the production of steel by using more efficient heating furnaces, and to conserve all possible heat by charging hot steel into the soaking pit and reheating furnaces, in order to reduce the quantity of fuel required for supplementary heating.
