Metallurgical POD: How early could the 'Open Hearth Furnace' have been invented?

SPJ

For those more knowledgeable of the history of metallurgy, at what points in time could the Siemens-Martin process and the Open Hearth Furnace design have been invented before the time it was in OTL?
 

trurle

Banned
SPJ said:
For those more knowledgeable of the history of metallurgy, at what points in time could the Siemens-Martin process and the Open Hearth Furnace design have been invented before the time it was in OTL?
Click to expand...
As i understand, main difference from earlier puddling furnaces was usage of gas instead of coal as source of energy. Therefore, tricks like regenerative heating become much more effective.
The gas was made early on by coal gasification, the technology which have started to have first large-scale applications around 1805. I would say first Siemens-Martin furnaces around 1820 instead of OTL 1850 are plausible.
 

Thoresby

The ability to store industrially meaningful amounts of natural gas is the key precussor and I don't think you'd get that long before the mid-19th century.
 

Krishna123

Another thing to be considered is the organisational, manpower (+associated infrastructure) and logistical needs of large scale metal
Working sites this generally either requires a centralised state or the economic demand to make it profitable for private individuals to invest the large amounts required as start up capital. This limits it to China pre renaissance and Europe/China afterwards
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top