What material will melt in a cupola furnace?

cast iron
Explanation: Cupola is a heavy furnace and has the capability to melt down heavy metals like cast iron. Hence, the Cupola furnace is mostly used to melt cast iron for casting purposes.

Which furnace is used for smelting iron?

blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. Blast refers to the combustion air being “forced” or supplied above atmospheric pressure.

How do you reduce iron ore?

The common ores of iron are both iron oxides, and these can be reduced to iron by heating them with carbon in the form of coke. Coke is produced by heating coal in the absence of air. Coke is cheap and provides both the reducing agent for the reaction and also the heat source – as you will see below.

Can steel be melted in cupola furnace?

A cupola or cupola furnace is a melting device used in foundries that can be used to melt cast iron, Ni-resist iron and some bronzes. The shell of the cupola, being usually made of steel, has refractory brick and plastic refractory patching material lining it.

What is the maximum capacity of cupola furnace?

The capacity of a cupolette ranges from 0.5 ton to 1 ton. These cupoletes have a height of about 4.5 meters to 6 meters. 7. Cupola produces metal of uniform quality.

How does a smelting furnace work?

Smelting uses heat and a chemical reducing agent to decompose the ore, driving off other elements as gases or slag and leaving the metal base behind. The reducing agent is commonly a fossil fuel source of carbon, such as coke—or, in earlier times, charcoal.

What is the difference between smelting and melting?

Smelting is the process by which a metal is obtained at temperatures beyond the melting point from its ore. The main difference between melting and smelting is that melting converts a solid substance into a liquid whereas smelting converts an ore to its purest form.

How is direct reduced iron made?

Direct reduced iron (DRI), also called sponge iron, is produced from the direct reduction of iron ore (in the form of lumps, pellets, or fines) into iron by a reducing gas or elemental carbon produced from natural gas or coal. Many ores are suitable for direct reduction.

What is hydrogen reduced iron?

Iron ore is reduced with hydrogen while in a solid state, hence the name direct reduction, to produce direct reduced iron (DRI) called sponge iron. Sponge iron is then fed into an EAF, where electrodes generate a current to melt the sponge iron to produce steel. Some carbon is needed so that steel can be produced.

Which type of fuel is mostly used for smelting of iron ore?

Solid fuel types for energy generation Blast furnace gas is produced during the iron oxide reduction in blast furnace iron making in which iron ore, coke and limestone are heated and melted in a blast furnace and is an indigenous process gas of the steelworks industry (Pugh et al., 2013).

How do blast furnaces work?

blast furnace, a vertical shaft furnace that produces liquid metals by the reaction of a flow of air introduced under pressure into the bottom of the furnace with a mixture of metallic ore, coke, and flux fed into the top. Rapid combustion is maintained by the current of air under pressure.