1.
blast furnace
A large industrial furnace used in steelmaking to smelt iron from ore. Iron ore, coke, and limestone are loaded from the top, and hot air is blown in from the bottom, producing molten pig iron. A core facility of heavy industry, often shown as a symbol of steel manufacturing.
Composed of 溶 (melt), 鉱 (ore, mineral), and 炉 (furnace). The name literally means "ore-melting furnace," and the characters clearly signal the word's meaning.
Usage
A technical term encountered in contexts such as steel-industry news, factory tours, economic reporting on heavy industry, and school science or social-studies lessons. Not an everyday conversational word, but widely understood.
Common collocations
- 溶鉱炉で鉄を作る: to make iron in a blast furnace
- 溶鉱炉を稼働する: to operate a blast furnace
- 溶鉱炉を停止する: to shut down a blast furnace
- 溶鉱炉の火を落とす: to extinguish the furnace (idiomatic for ending operations)
Similar words
- 高炉: blast furnace — the technical industry term, interchangeable with 溶鉱炉 and more common in professional writing
- 転炉: converter furnace — a different furnace type used to turn pig iron into steel
- 電炉: electric arc furnace — an alternative, electricity-based method of steelmaking