Question

Bessemer converter is used for the preparation of:
(A) Steel
(B) Wrought Iron
(C) Pig iron
(D) Cast iron

Answer 1

The Bessemer converter is an inexpensive process for the mass production of a mixture of iron and carbon from molten pig iron before the development of the open hearth furnace. The main principle behind this is the removal of the impurities from iron by oxidation with air.

Complete step by step solution:
The Bessemer converter process was first discovered for the mass production of steel. Though it was named after Sir Harry Bessemer of England, the process involved contributions from different persons after it. It was actually conceived independently by Bessemer in England as well as William Kelly of the United States. Kelly began his experiments of removing the impurities from pig iron by an air blast. Kelly theorized that that only the air injected into the molten iron, supply air to react with impurities converting them into oxides separable as slag but the heat evolved in the reaction would increase the temperature of the mass, keeping it from solidifying during the operation. This process led him to produce steel ingots. This process led to the availability of low cost steel in the United States and in Britain.
So the correct answer is option A, Steel.

Note:
The Bessemer converter is a cylindrical steel pot approximately 6 meters tall and originally lined with siliceous refractory. Ai is blown in through the opening at the bottom creating oxides of silicon and manganese which becomes a part of the slag and of the carbon that is carried away by the stream of air. Within a few minutes an ingot of steel that is ready for the forge or for the rolling mill.