IRONMAKING IN NORTH-AMERICA

When planning the trip the blast furnace committee focussed its intere st on such questions as the ironmaking plants' coke supply and coke qu ality, the injection of additional reducing agents, operation with hig h pellet rates, and furnace productivity. It was with these questions in mind that the plants at Sparrows Point and Burns Harbor of Bethlehe m Steel Corp., Middletown and Ashland of AK Steel, Gary of USX, Indian a Harbor of Inland Steel and Hamilton of Dofasco Steel were selected. The operating methods and practices at the visited furnaces were prima rily geared to high productivities, high pellet rates and increasing u se of additional reducing agents because of the coke supply becoming e ver more difficult and the aim of achieving the most continuous, disru ption-free furnace operation possible. Apart from the blast furnace pl ants, visits were made to the mines, the benefication and pelletizing facilities of the iron ore suppliers Quebec Cartier Mining (QCM) and I ron Ore Company of Canada (IOC).