| Ref ID: | 22398 |
|---|---|
| Ref Type: | Book Section |
| Authors: | Vaish, Ashok Kumar Singh, Shiwa Dhar |
| Title: | Improvements in traditional Indian iron making technology |
| Date: | 2015 |
| Source: | Metals and civilizations |
| Place of Publication: | Bangalore, India |
| Publisher: | National Institute of Advanced Studies |
| Notes: | Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on the Beginnings of the Use of Metals and Alloys (BUMA VII) |
| Abstract: | Iron has been produced and used in India for over 3000 years. Indian tribes preserved the technology of ancient iron making up to the 20th century. In order to reduce the cost and energy requirement and increase the yield of product several improvements were necessary to improve the basic process adopted by the tribals. The National Metallurgical Laboratory of Jamshedpur initiated investigations to understand the ancient iron making process and implemented a number of improvements to make the process a source of livelihood for tribals. Initially a prototype traditional furnace was established to study the effect of different process parameters. The foot driven bellows were replaced by a semi-mechanized air blower, and sal wood charcoal was replaced by charcoal made from eucalyptus or acacia. The ancient iron making process was scaledup by incorporating the heat recovery system and three semi mechanized air blowers. Hot air was blown into the entire cross section of the furnace through three tuyeres positioned at 1200 apart from each other with a view to increase the yield of product from 25 to 54 %. |
| Date Created: | 4/11/2016 |
| Editors: | Srinivasam, Sharada Ranganathan, Srinivasa Giumlia-Mair, Alessandra |
| Page Start: | 103 |
| Page End: | 111 |