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As economies of scale have pushed blast furnace sizes higher and higher in the industrialised countries, there has been a significant impact made by Mini Blast Furnaces in certain developing countries. It is all a matter of designing technology to suit conditions and market requirements.
Mini Blast Furnaces (MBF) are the basis for many successful minimills in Brazil, as well as some plants in China and a few other countries including India. They present an approach of simplicity and low capital cost.
There are several significant reasons why the MBF has a special significance in the current Indian context and for other developing countries.
1 Imports of steel and pig iron at present in India are of the order 2Mt/year and 0.5Mt/year respectively. By the turn of the century, projected demand for steel is 25Mt/year which will be at least 20% in excess of supply, taking into account modernisation and expansion of the capacity of major steel producers. Likewise the demand for pig iron will be in excess of 3.0Mt/year by 1994/95 and about 4.0Mt/year by the year 1999-2000.
2 Direct reduction processes based on coal demand high capital investment while those processes which are based on gas are viable only at large installed capacities of 500,000t/year and above.
3 Availability of scrap, which is already in short supply, will decrease, since continuous casting with its associated high yield will become the major route.
4 The problem of restricted availability of electrical energy and its increasing price will threaten the viability of steelmaking based on electrical energy and scrap? DRI.
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