How is slag removed from the furnace?

Answer 1

Gas Blowers

• Gas blowers use blasts of a gaseous material to remove slag from furnace walls. These tools work in a way that is similar to other blowing tools, like snow blowers or leaf blowers, but use strong, concentrated bursts of gas. Blowers for slag removal, which include jetblowers and sootblowers, often use heated air. This weakens the connection between the slag and furnace wall and leads to quick removal. Gas blowers usually use air or steam. Steam, given its high temperatures and moisture content, attacks slag in a different and more aggressive way than dry air. Sootblowers exist primarily to remove soot from furnaces, though many factories with coal furnaces use them as slag-removal tools in tandem with other tools such as water cleaners and chemical treatments.

Answer 2

Slag is removed from the furnace through a process called tapping. This involves opening a hole at the base of the furnace and allowing the molten slag to flow out. The slag solidifies once it is removed from the furnace.