The blast furnace shell must be protected from the high temperatures needed for the reactions happening inside it. Current state of the art for the cooling of the BF wall comprises cooling boxes and staves, which is the most wide-spread solution. Usually staves are either made of cast iron or copper. Whereas cast iron staves are usually thick and the coolant flows through steel pipes embedded in the cast iron body, copper staves are fabricated by machining, drilling and welding, being the coolant in direct contact with the stave body, that is, no pipe between them.
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