James Beaumont Neilson

                                       Introduction of Hot-Air Blast

James Beaumont Neilson (1792 – 1865) was born in Shettleston, Glasgow in 1792. He is famous for inventing and implementing the hot-blast process which had a profound effect on improving the smelting of iron. Neilson came up with the idea of blowing hot air through a red-hot object which would greatly improve the blast furnace’s fuel efficiency. Previously cold air had been used on the blast furnace. Neilson conducted continuing experiments on the process which confirmed that blowing hot air over the blast furnace reduced fuel consumption by two thirds compared to the fuel consumption in the cold blast process. This effectively tripled iron output per ton of coal and enabled the building of larger smelting furnaces. The new hot-air process greatly advanced the iron production industry. A temperature of 600 degrees Fahrenheit was found to be the optimum for producing this improvement in fuel efficiency.

                                                  The Use of Coal

This improvement in fuel efficiency enabled coal to be used in place of the more expensive coke as well as the use of black band ironstone. It also enabled iron to be produced from lower grade ores. James Neilson died in 1865.