<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'>List:<br><br> This is pertinent to some questions on wood use in steel making asked by Alex English and others.<br><br>Ron<br><br><hr id="zwchr"><b>From: </b>"Agua Das" <aguadas@onebox.com><br><b>To: </b>rongretlarson@comcast.net<br><b>Sent: </b>Monday, January 16, 2012 6:52:47 PM<br><b>Subject: </b>Re: [Stoves] Inverted top lit updraught<br><br>Cast Iron melting with wood<br><br>A wood fueled gasifier engine generator carbon arc can easily melt<br>steel to pouring temperatures.<br><br>Torrefied wood has heating value close to coal. Torrefied wood as a<br>cupola fuel should be able to melt steel, however the high hydrogen<br>content torrefied wood fuel may cause hydrogen embrittlent and<br>porosity. Metallurgical coke is coal which has been heated to reduce<br>the H2 content.<br><br>Higher temperature char isvery low in H2 would make a good cupola<br>fuel, especially if it is briquetted for a larger fuel lump size<br>needed for hotter metal temperature. The resulting steel should be<br>higher quality than with torrefied fuel.<br><br>I have successfully poured cast iron using acetylene to make an Imbert<br>"V" hearth insert, however it was very hard on my refractory.<br><br>Temperatures inside a char bed can easily burn off steel, stainless,<br>or inconel air nozzles.<br><br>The ejector is a good distance from the fuel bed to protect the ejector nozzle.<br>The ejector creates suction to move fuel gas and controlled secondary<br>air to produce a compact premixed flame with full control from<br>reducing to oxidizing melting conditions.<br><br>Das<br></div></body></html>