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Glite Dictionary
shaft furnace

shaft furnace

8.9
A tall vertical furnace that forces hot gas up through solid material to melt metal
  • noun
  • /ʃæft ˈfɜrnɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : horno de eje
  • The iron ore was processed in a shaft furnace designed for efficient smelting.

Examples

  • The engineer inspected the shaft furnace to ensure optimal airflow and temperature control.

  • Modern steel plants often use the shaft furnace method to reduce energy consumption.

  • The shaft furnace operates at high temperatures.

  • Many industries use a shaft furnace for smelting.

  • The engineer inspected the shaft furnace to ensure optimal airflow and temperature control.

  • The iron ore was processed in a shaft furnace designed for efficient smelting.

  • Modern steel plants often use the shaft furnace method to reduce energy consumption.

Synonyms

furnace
vsshaft furnace
93 4.1

A closed chamber that makes very high heat for melting metal, burning waste or heating buildings

is a vertical cylindrical type forcing hot gases upward for smelting or roasting

How Big

smelter
  • Specialized
4 7.6
blast furnace
  • Specialized
3 5.6
shaft furnace
  • Specialized
8.9
forge
69 5.4

Surface Forms

shaft furnace singular
shaft furnaces plural

Morphology

shaft + furnace

The meaning is directly built from 'shaft' (a vertical passage) + 'furnace' (an enclosed heating device), so it denotes a furnace that has a vertical/shaft-like form and function. This is a literal, compositional technical compound and follows transparent noun–noun combination patterns common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand it.

Etymology

Shaft furnace comes from its shape and job: a tall, vertical shaft, a long tube, with a furnace that heats ore. Hot gases move up through the shaft to 'turn ore into metal', so the name links the long shaft shape to the heating process.