4. Future of the blast furnace

4.1 Dimensional evolution

Between 1965 and 1976 [2] , the internal volume of the largest units commissioned rose from 2,000 to 5,000 m ³ (HF2 at Oïta and HF3 at Kashima); all blast furnaces commissioned since then, with the exception of HF5 at Tcherepovetz in the USSR (5,580 m ³ ), have an internal volume of less than 4,800 m ³ (4,350 m ³ on average for those over 4,000). There has therefore been an undeniable slowdown in the development of blast furnace dimensions, and this leads us to believe that further growth is unlikely; the reasons...