(11) Blast Furnace Gas.
Many steel companies are utilizing the unconsumed gas of the blast furnaces for power.
Blast furnace gas is of very low calorific value, rarely if ever, exceeding 85 B.T.U. per cubic foot. This allows of very high compression, which greatly increases the actual power delivered by the engine.
A smelter produces approximately 88,000 cubic feet of gas per ton of iron smelted.
Blast furnace gas is so lean that it cannot be burned satisfactorily under a boiler; the high compression of the gas engine makes its use possible.