Hot enough to melt aluminum ore?
2007-08-31 09:09:27 · 5 answers · asked by mark d 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Yes, a bellows-fed fire can get up to 2000 degrees. Bronze has been smelted in essentially this way for a few thousand years, at temperatures necessarily at least as high as 2012 F.
This is plenty hot enough (by about 500 F) to melt metallic aluminum. But because of its chemistry, you can't get it straight from ore in this way. That currently requires a multi-stage process, using various different chemical and electrical processes.
2007-08-31 10:15:17 · answer #1 · answered by skeptik 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A bellows can get over 2000 degrees. The melting temperature of iron is around 2700 degrees, aluminum much lower.
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/melting-temperature-metals-d_860.html
Aluminum is generally produced with electricity (electrolosis I believe) and I have never heard of it being produced by a smelting process.
2007-08-31 16:28:34 · answer #2 · answered by JimZ 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The ancient Chinese had a two-man bellows that could blow a continuous stream of air into a furnace, allowing them to reach higher temperature. The topmost kiln of their multi-level ceramic kilns could also reach temperatures above 1400F.
2007-08-31 17:32:09 · answer #3 · answered by Mathsorcerer 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My father was trying to melt steel. used barbeque grill, charcoal and vacuum cleaner exhaust instead of bellows. melted bottom out off the grill.
It gets very hot.
2007-08-31 16:23:50 · answer #4 · answered by Info_Please 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
1st part: don't know.
2nd part: doubt it.
3rd part: natural gas
4th part: maybe
2007-08-31 16:27:31 · answer #5 · answered by THE Cupid HATER 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋