Ferro Silicon The Versatile Alloy Of Iron

By Author: Bilal Muktinathn
Total Articles: 214
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Known as the universal ‘heat-blocker’, Ferro silicon is one of the most important alloys of iron used in the production of carbon and steel. The chemical formulae of Ferro silicon is Fe Si. The content of silicon in ferro silicon is between 10 and 90 weight percent. It also has 2 weight percent of calcium and manganese. It melts at about 1200 degree centigrade to 1250 degree centigrade and boils at 2355 degree centigrade. The reduction of quartzite with metallurgical coke or gas with low temperature carbonized coke or charcoal.


A considerable percentage of ferro silicon produced is used as a source of silicon to reduce different oxides in ferro-alloy production. It is also used as a deoxidizing material in colour and non-colour metallurgy industry. It is also used for the manufacture of ferrous silicon and silicon steel for transformer core and electromotor. Besides, concentrated ferro-silicon in powdered form is used as slag-deoxidizer. Ferro silicon makes a compound corrosion-resistant. Through the Pidgeon process, ferro silicon is used to manufacture manganese from dolomite. Iron industry used ferro ...
... silicon as inoculants and nodulizer.


Ferro silicon is produced in submerged arc furnace. The quantity of ferro silicon produced depends of the capacity of the furnace. The production of this alloy demands high consumption of electricity. The simplest way to describe the production of ferro silicon is the mixing or silica or sand with coke and reducing it in the presence of millscale, scrap or any other source of iron. Though ferro alloy is produced in blast furnace, in case of high content of silican, electric arc furnace is used. Pallet boxes or shrink-wrapped on pallets or steel drums are used to pack ferro silicon and supply. India, China and the USA are the main producers of ferro silicon in the world.


With improvement in technology and advancement in research and development, production of ferro silicon has become more sophisticated and cost-effective. However, major raw materials used are banded hematite jasper ore, banded hematite quartzite and less reactive carbonaceous material like Jhama coal. Ferro silicon smelting is a slagless process but due to the impurities in raw materials like aluminum oxide, calcium oxide and magnesium oxide, slag is formed. These raw materials cannot be reduced completely. The composition of slag is generally viscous and hard to use but it depends on charge composition, purity of charge materials and smelting conditions. Due to the thickness of the slag, it is not possible to free the furnace from it.


The presence of slag produces accretions which lead to more power consumption and decrease in the yield of the furnace. Therefore, it is better to strictly control the raw materials and use sufficient amount of reluctant in the charge mix. Ferro silicon exporter Kolkata has come a long way in the production of ferro silicon alloy. The various Silico manganese manufacturer Kolkata are growing day by day. In fact, silico manganese forms the bulk of its export.


About Author:

Bilal Muktinathn, a Silico Manganese Manufacturer India is also renowned name in the business of Ferro alloys in India. According this industry is going to be very promising.