I

SPECIAL FEATURE

BlastFurnace design ofthefuture

J
R.vanLaar,V.vanStraaten, . Wise-Alexander J DanieliCorusBV,IJmuiden- TheNetherlands
ABSTRACT Introduction

Hotmetal ostsaredetermined yrawmaterial c b andenergyelectricity) rices,laborcostsand ( p depreciation. ow.costhot metalcanonlybe L producedat lowcokeandhighfuel injection rates. A high productivityalso contributesto low. cost hot metal.This could be achievedwith highoxygenenrichment. Theseoperatingconditionsresult in higher loadingsto the blast furnace lining. These loadings include thermal, mechanicaland chemicalcomponents. Modernblastfurnaces shouldbeableto cope withtheseincreasingdemands. Thetarget campaignlife of newdesignstodateis > 20yearsandthe availability>95%. Furthermore,it's of paramountimportance thatthe internalprofileof the blastfurnaceis maintained duringtheentirecampaign asany degradation immediately will haveanegative influenceon low-costhot metalproduction requirements. This paperaddressesthe performance and designoftheblastfurnacebottomandhearth, tuyerearea, osh,belly, tackandthroatarmor. b s Examples of various designs and performances be discussedandinclude will an analysis of bottom and hearth carbon grades,ceramiccup andcooling systemas wellasbosh,bellyandstacklining& cooling systems.

Low-cost hot metal can be achieved by:

OIA 10150

STOCl<UNE

. Lowcoke rate

300 kg/THM);

.
.

High fuel injection rate (PCI > 200 kg/THM) ; /"

Highoxygenrate (> 30%);

. High productivity (> 3.0 THM/ m3WV/d);

~
N

. Stable operations
availability (>95%).

and

high

The blast furnace must also be able to cope with various raw material compositions of sinter, pellets and lump are. Determining the sizing and profiling parameters of a new blast furnace and maintaining these parameters during the campaign are critical to enable low-cost hot metal operations. These parameters include for example throat, belly, and hearth diameter, bosh and stack angle, working height, sump depth, number of tuyeres, etc. Reference is made to Figure 1.

OIA 154-50

--_CL. ruYERE'__I
OIA 13300

2!::J.R~NOTOi~!!L i

I
I
I

8 i:!i

Figure1: Sizingand Profiling

The blast furnace design has been facing many improvements in the last decades and campaigns> 20 years are recorded to-date. The bosh, stack and KeyWords Blast urnace, F Hearth, Bosh, tack, S Cooling ystem throat armor were critical areas in the S

past, but the application of copper plate coolers, graphite and SiC in the bosh, belly, lower and middle stack in combination with cast iron stave coolers in the upper stack and throat armor enables long-campaign and highproductivity operations. This emphasizes the importance of a robust bottom and hearth.

38

STEEL&METALLURGY JANUARY 2012

.,
SPECIAL FEATURE

High-efficiency and capacity cooling system(s) and advanced instrumentation and control are additional requirements for low-cost hot metal production.
"

fl

Top gas: CO, C~, Ha.temperature (total)

Process and Operations An advanced blast furnace design includes instrumentation and control systems for monitoring the process, operations and lining performance. Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a typical instrumentation layout including gas, pressure and temperature measurements, etc. These instrumentation and control systems have been useful in understanding the blast furnace process, operations and lining performance. A post-mortem analysis should be performed during (interim) relines and repairs. The lining can also be monitored during maintenance shut-downs and include for example - (hearth) core sampling or lining ultra-sonic nondestructive thickness measurements. The blast furnace is a high-temperature, pressurized counter-current reactor. Abrasive raw materials are descending and gradually softening due to (s)melting whilst high temperature gases are ascending through the burden but also along the lining. The tuyere level flame temperature is > 2000C and the blast furnace operational pressure is 2 - 4 Bar(g). This can result in high thermal loadings to the lining. The blast furnace is continuous process but with batch elements, such as charging and tapping. Furthermore, the blast furnace process is sensitive to de-stabilization due to variations in raw materials quality, equipment failures, (unscheduled) shutdowns, burden slips, casting deficiencies and 'gasjets'. This results in dynamic process conditions. Average process conditions are well-understood and reported in industry. Designers, however, must also !

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Burden levef

CO, Ii"""""(""'" co" -

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~~ ~

~ ~
~ ~~
""'"

,
.

Heat Flux Monitoring:6x8 panels in total In-burden probes: CO, CO:I,~, temperature

Shaftpressure:2 rows,6 positions

. Blast: volum&, )l'essure.Oz.temperature J

-i'~

~ '~.

y-:= ~

!e

Hearth:refractory, shell.~ing watertemperatures Slag:compositionnd t/mln a

lroo; tnperature: composition and t/min

Figure 2: Blast furnace instrumentation

800

600
~

IT
::J 15 400 ....

(J) c.. E

200

0 16.00 19.00 22.00 Time of day (hrs) Figure3:(lower)Stacktemperature measurements

have a good understanding of the dynamic process conditions' fluctuations since these impose significantly higher thermal and mechanical loadings to the lining. Local, incidental upset process conditions can result in loadings that are lOx higher compared to average conditions. An example is illustrated in Figure 3: this dynamic temperature

development has often been reported to reflect loss of accretion and rapid solidification of a new accretion due to high-efficiency cooling system. We believe, however, that it is more likely that this reflects the consequences of a
hightemperature

.gas-jet' impingingon

the lining.
Process conditions have been monitored at many plants and bosh and stack

STEEL&METALLURGY JANUARY 2012

39

SPECIAL FEATURE

Table 1: Temperature fluctuations min]

[OCI

To.....

MaterialExperiments
Graphite, opper C SiliconCarbide,Cast Iron AIP3' ChromeCorundum Process Measurements Sinter Burden> 90% Mixed Burden 50%/50%
I I

fttOO

" " "

500 5

~llMO

1"400

150 180

Pellet Burden> 70%

"
Ii( Figure4: CFDModelof bottomandhearth

temperature fluctuations have often been observed exceeding> 100C / minute. Table 1 lists actual 'fatigue limits' of various lining material grades and actual temperature measurements. It is clear that highconductive, ductile lining material such as copper and graphite are required to cope with these temperature fluctuations. The hearth is also facing demanding process and operating conditions and the hearth lining performance is critical today. We have been monitoring and assessing the performance of various hearth designs and operations worldwide including large block and hot pressed brick designs and including bottom air, water and oil cooling as well as hearth shell spray, jacket and cast iron stave cooling. The operating range included all-coke as well as lowcoke ultra-high PCI operations, dry-hearth and single taphole operations and low-grade to high-grade raw materials (pellets, sinter, lump ore and combinations thereof) . Despite all scientific experiments and models, actual performance of the hearth is difficult to forecast due to the large variety of influencing factors. Many plants run the hearth in campaign extension mode requiring modifications to the process and operations and sometimes interim repairs. Bottom and Hearth The bottom and hearth performance is

~
~
Figure 5: hearth shell jacket cooling designs

I
& A

the limiting factor at many existing plants for low-cost hot metal in the 21st century. The condition of the bottom and hearth usually determines the timing of relines. This is amongst others due to the fact that the blast furnace working volume and production were increased during previous relines, whilst increases of the hearth were limited due to casthouse and foundation constraints. The hearth 'productivity' will then effectively

increase, whilst the hearth volume is also reduced at low coke rate due to a reduction of the permeability of the hearth. Advanced scientific CFD modeling and two-phase flow experiments are developed to simulate the hearth operations and process and demonstrate significant hot metal and slag flow and velocity differences depending on the geometry, tapping cycle and hearth voidage.

40

STEEL METALLURGY JANUARY 2012 &

SPECIAL FEATURE

It is important to design a large hearth volume to support stable operations. Also stable casthouse practice is required to minimize liquid level fluctuations. The hearth volume can be increased by adopting conical shell segments instead of a cylindrical shell although the hearth diameter at the tuyere level will have to be in proportion with the intended production level. The shell and bottom seal-plate must be protected and water cooling has demonstrated to be the most effective method if considering:

. .

Coolingefficiencyand capacity Designredundancyand maintenance

. Capitalinvestment nd operational a costs

Advanced bottom and hearth designs include bottom water cooling and hearth shell jacket cooling as this provides more space within the shell. We have evaluated many hearth shell jacket cooling designs comprising angle bars, circular pipes, Uprofiles or cassettes (Figure 5). The most optimum design includes shaped profiles, which results in minimum dry areas and enables installation of grouting and thermocouple nozzles. High-efficiency taphole jacket cooling systems have also been developed to cope with high heat load dynamic process conditions and to minimize shell deformations. Alternatively, copper stave coolers could be in this area. The bottom water cooling system includes two circuits with a series of parallel pipes. These pipes are embedded in high conductive SiC castable within grooves of graphite shapes. Conventional designs include carbon ramming, but this introduces the risk of evaporation of volatiles, which jeopardizes the thermal conductivity of

Figure 6: Taphole copper stave coolers

Figure 7: General arrangement bottom and hearth

This design includes bottom water cooling pipes above the seal-plate and a graphite, semi-graphite and micropore A closed-loop cooling system will be carbon bottom course protected by a high alumina and chamotte 'arrestor' required to minimize contamination. .Chillers' could be considered to reduce course. The hearth lower sidewall and stabilize the average cooling water includes graphite against the shell and temperature. Alternatively, a more robust high conductive micropore semi-graphite and economic water temperature control (ultra-micropore carbon) and the upper system can be implemented to eliminate sidewall comprises (micropore)carbon as the effects of seasonal and daily this is exposed to low heat load levels. This design also allows for a ceramic temperature fluctuations. cup, which provides better resistance An example of an advanced bottom and against hot metal erosion, but also hearth design is illustrated in Figure 7. reduces the effective hearth volume and carbon ramming and the performance of the bottom cooling system.

42

STEEL&METALLURGY JANUARY 2012

SPECIAL FEATURE

could cause higher stresses and strains in the hearth sidewall. Large blocks are used for the bottom and the' thin' hearth sidewall lining comprises small blocks as this enables to minimize the ramming thickness to 5Omm. The authors recommend 'thin' hearth sidewall lining blocks < 1000 mm to reduce thermal stresses and strains. These cause (micro-)cracks and joint openings, which catalyze lining erosion and reduce the campaign lifetime. The hot face temperature will also be reduced if the sidewall lining is 'thin' and this will reduce chemical degradation and chance of dissolution of carbon refractory in hot metal. The performance of the hearth also depends on the (carbonaceou~ refractory grades. We have executed an extensive benchmark test programme and evaluated 14 carbonaceous grades from USA, European, and Asian manufacturers. The test programme includes' conventional' ISO measurements and also customized experiments to compare the performance of the refractory upon exposure to more realistic process conditions. The test programme is summarized in Table 2. Typical results are illustrated in Figure 8 and Table 3. It is clear that the performance depends on the material selection. The advanced bottom and hearth designs are based on the results of this test program and our 'thermal' design philosophy reducing hot face temperatures and reducing temperature gradients.

Table 2: Carbon refractory test programme

Grades Carbon Micropore carbon Super icropore m Carbon Ultra-micropore Carbon Semi-graphite Micropore semi-graphite Graphite Double Densified Graphite HotPressed Bricks Performance Tests Oxidation ir A Oxidation team S Alkali(ASTM) HotMetal orrosion C SlagCorrosionFeO) (

Property Tests Poresizedistribution (PSD) CO-Disintegration (CO) Ash,Iron Chemical Analysis (CA) Carbon ReactivityCR) ( BulkDensity/Apparent Porosity X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) ColdCrushing Strength (CCS) Thermal Conductivity [X,Y,Z](TC) Younqs odulus M (E) Refractoriness Load Under (RUL) Thermal Coefficient ofExpansion (TCE) Thermal Expansion nder oad U L (TEUL) HotModulus f Rupture o (HMOR) Permanent Linear hangePLC) C (

Table2: Carbondepositionandsteam oxidation 2.5 ~2.0 I::

0

~1.5 0
a.. ~1.0
I:: 0

~0.5
0.0 1 234567891011121314 40 35 #30 :25 .220 1:

Figure8: CorrosionPerformance

.~15 $10 5 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 91011121314

"'. The design also accounts for minimum stresses and strains: high stresses cause (micro-) cracks, brittle layer, shell deformation and sometimes shell cracks. Dynamic thermo-mechanical stress-strain analysis computer models have been developed to simulate the bottom and

\.

\
,; .../

Figure9: Highshellstressandstrain

hearth and the results are compared to actual field measurements at several different designs using strain gauges, acoustic emission sensors, circumferential length measurements and radial bars. The models and measurements are in good agreement and confirm that shell stresses and strains are highest at the interface of the bottom and hearth as indicated by the FEA model illustration of Figure 9.

STEEL &METALLURGYANUARY J 2012

43

SPECIAL FEATURE

Our analysis confirms this is mainly the result of radial expansion of bottom Mullite courses and insufficient expansion. The strong Mullite courses result in high radial forces contributing to creation of (micro- )cracks in refractory and deformation of shell and also catalyze preferential flow as Mullite has a strong erosion resistance. The advanced design incorporates chamotte, which can erode until process equilibrium is achieved. This results in a reduction of preferential ring flow. Radial forces are reduced since the Youngs modulus of chamotte is lower than Mullite and the advanced design includes expansion provisions. These effects are illustrated in Figure 10. The tap hole is one of the most challenging blast furnace components as it is exposed to an extremely violent environment: operations and process conditions are discontinuous at high temperature and pressure (difference) and contains chemical, corrosive and erosive mechanisms. Low-cost hot metal operations will increase the loading conditions as the productivity will increase. This means that the taphole performance design must always be monitored and evaluated and 'lessons learned' must be identified and implemented in the design. An advanced taphole design incorporates double densified graphite against the shell, external jacket cooling, large block micro pore semi-graphite (ultramicropore carbon). A center castable core provides maximum redundancy and minimizes operational flaws such as gas-leakage and provides better resistance against oxygen lancing or oxidation due to leaking cooling elements. Alternatively, copper stave coolers could be considered at the taphole. Tuyere Area The tuyere (cooler) area is an important

Mullite bottom courses

Chamotte and high alumina bottom courses

Figure 10: Erosion profiles

interface between the hearth and bosh and stack. This area is exposed to high temperatures, temperature fluctations and erosion. Low-cost hot metal includes high oxygen enrichment and PCI which could increase loadings to the tuyere area. Many installations include tuyere area ceramics to prevent oxidation and provide erosion resistance. Ceramic
Figure 11: : Tuyere area performance

refractory materials - such as SiC or corundum - do, however, require

expansion provision to prevent stress cracking and ceramic refractory materials can not cope with large temperature gradients or temperature fluctations. Two examples of tuyere area and lower bosh failures are illustrated in Figure 12. An alternative design includes double densified, low iron and low ash content graphite in close contact to the tuyere coolers. Additional copper plate coolers can be considered if the spacing between the tuyere coolers is large. This design is illustrated in Figure 13. This design has proven campaign life> 25 years at high productivity and ultrahigh PCI and oxygen enrichment rates. Figure 11 illustrate the excellent performance of this design. Long campaigns are achieved at high productivity, high PCI and high oxygen enrichment rates since double densified,

Figure 12: Lower bosh failures

Figure 13: Tuyere area design

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STEEL &METALLURGYANUARY J 2012

SPECIAL FEATURE

low iron and low ash content graphite has a very high oxidation threshold temperature compared to other carbonaceous and graphite grades. Furthermore, combining high conductive graphite and high efficiency tuyere coolers and copper plate coolers will result in low hot face temperatures thus preventing risk of oxidation. The low hot face temperature will also promote protective accretion eliminating erosion. Bosh and Stack Two different lining designs have been developed since the 1960's:

Cast !ton St8YeCoolers

I

Upper Stadt I Cast IronSt8Ye CooIett Upper MidcIeStade Graphite. SIC I

.Lowet ~~t~...~S- Graphite. SIC Lower Stack

:fi') \Sl
I
(
-J'

Betty Bosh
Tuyere Band

IGtaphIte. SIC
Graphite GraphIte

. Cast iron and copper stave cooling

. Copper plate cooling and refractory

The performance of the designs depend on the application and local process conditions and operations. Cast iron stave cQolers cannot cope with high temperatures and high temperature fluctuations as this will cause material degradation and cracking despite many improvements of coating, cast iron grade and refractory inserts. The application of cast iron stave coolers in the upper stack and throat armor, however have proven to be very successful as this area is usually not exposed to high temperatures or temperature fluctuations. These areas are mainly facing erosion due to descending burden and impact due to (incorrect) charging practice. Cast iron stave coolers and SiC refractory inserts have a good resistance against erosion and impact and are thus preferred in the upper stack and throat armor. Copper stave coolers have been developed since the 1980's and are currently installed in many plants in high-thermal load zones such as the bosh, belly and lower stack. Recently various plants have reported failure of copper stave coolers in these areas. We have performed literature surveys and experiments developed FEA and CFD computer models to evaluate and

~
. . ;. ",,' 0.05

_.

... \

"

Figure 14: Advanced bosh, belly and stack design

Table 4: Refractory

crushing temperatures Expansion at 1000C [%] 0.3 Crushing Temperature [DC] 160

Compressibility [%] Silicon Carbide

HighAlumina Carbon Graphite

0.10 0.40 lOO

0.4 0.5
0.3

200 00)
3300

compare the performance of copper stave coolers and other designs and materials such as cast iron, SiC, high alumina and graphite. This included: . . . Friction abrasion experiments Impact erosion experiments Impact erosion CFD modeling

attack mechanism reduces with increasing temperature. It is expected that the root cause of copper stave cooler failures is erosion by descending burden and ascending gas. This could be enhanced by changes to the cohesive zone location. This implies that the copper stave coolers are not adequately protected by an accretion. This contradicts the classical theory of Konig, which indeed does not account for dynamic process and operations conditions. Burden descend models also suggest that copper stave coolers have a lower ability to stabilize an accretion compared to copper plate cooler designs.

Burden descend modeling

Diffusion of Fe in Cu Transient FEA thermo-mechanical

.
.

modeling

Advanced bosh, belly and stack designs The resistance of copper and cast iron includemachinedcopperplatecoolers,high against mechanical,thermal and chemical conductivegraphiteand SiC (Figure14).

Corrosion by Sulphur and halogens

STEEL&METALLURGY JANUARY 2012

47

......

SPECIAL FEATURE

This design provides optimum synergies between cooling and refractory and also between high conductive graphite and erosion resistant SiC refractory. Alternative designs which only include SiC and do not include graphite refractory lining are vulnerable to stress cracking and fatigue due to thermal cycling (Figure 12). Crushing temperatures of different refractory grades are provided in Table 4. It is clear that graphite is required to cope with the high temperature fluctuations that could occur in the bosh, belly and stack. SiC is required to provide protection against erosion of descending burden and ascending gas. Graphite surrounding refractory in close contact with machined copper plate coolers secures low SiC temperatures. This results in low stresses and strain. In addition, special shaped SiC bricks and expansion provisions are used to further reduce stresses at the hot face and eliminate the risk of spalling. This design is illustrated in Figure 15. The application of copper plate coolers, graphite and SiC has been demonstrated at > 50 plants worldwide and many records have been achieved:

with normal process and operating conditions as well as incidental, local peak heat load conditions. An example of a typical Mat load diagram is illustrated In Figure 17. This reflects normal process and operations conditions. This heat load diagram is independent of the blast furnace design: the values are determined by historical records and measurements and computer modeling Figure15:Copperplatecoolers,refractoryand and depend on parameters such as SiC
MIddleStack Row 22

70

V
522
B3

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....

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Figure16:: Infinitecampaignlife records

. Campaign Life:

>25Years
> 3.5 THM/m3WV/24

productivity, pellet % and size of the blast furnace.

HLO.Heat oadDiagram L (normal heatload) 1broatArmoor 12 1 UpperSfack
Upper Middle Stack Lower Middle Stack

Productivity:

. Oxygen nrichment:18% E . Coalnjection: I . Coke Rate: 260 kg/THM 250 kglTHM

Typical thickness measurements of Tata Steel I]muiden blast furnace 6 are illustrated in Figure 16. Cooling System Advanced blast furnace designs require closed-loop cooling systems at high pressure, which increases the cooling capacity and efficiency. The cooling system design should be able to cope

Incidental, local peak heat load levels could be 10 x higher. Also, the average heat loss could be higher if raw materials or burdening practices are changed.
41

LowerSfack Belly Bosh 1\Jyera and B Hearth Bottom 10 20 30 40

The primary 'on-furnace' cooling system design should enable adequate leak detection and leak searching functionality. The cooling system could also be used for 'heat flux monitoring' process control. This has demonstrated to be an effective tool to control and stabilize operations, which is a pre-requisite for

50

HeatLoad [kWlm'J

Figure 17: Heat load diagram

48

STEEL&METALLURGY JANUARY 2012

1
I

SPECIAL FEATURE

low-cost hot metal. The bosh, belly and stack copper plate coolers are usually coupled in series of

: '~
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.
.. .

2 ;, i : : .
'
.. .

;
.

...

'

.'

..

..

..
.

4 - 5 plate coolersand an arrayof these

s series are combined in a 'panel'. The bosh, belly and stack are divided in 20 - 48 panels depending on the size of the blast furnace. The upper stack cast iron stave coolers and hearth shell jacket cooling include a re-circulating cooling system with water temperature control (Figure 19). This eliminates temperature fluctuations of the hearth shell jacket cooling and minimizes the chance of condensation of the burden moisture in the upper stack. This will prolong the campaign life and contribute to stable process and operations.
Instrumentation and Control

T.~.'''~

~l~~~r:~),~"I~i tf~I[---

nt ~s I d g s

Figure 18: Cooling system: heat flux monitoring

21st Century low-cost stable operations can only. be accomplished by improved instrumentation and measurement control. This allows the process to be monitored and studied online. The increased predictability and repeatability of the process allows the process to be further optimized and stabilized, with productivity rates reaching new highs and campaign lifetimes growing longer and longer. This improvement is a necessity to remain competitive in the modern iron and steel industry. Modern blast furnace instrumentation includes: . Hearth Monitoring (Thermocouples)

Upper Stack

Middle Stack

Lower Stack

. . . .
.

Heat Flux Monitoring Above Burden Probes (ABP) Short In burden probes (IBP) Top Gas analysisfor ABP and IBP
Refractory (Ceramic)Wear Rods Bosh and Stack (Thermocouples) Monitoring

Belly

Bosh

Health

.
.

ProfileMeter

Figure 19: Cooling system

STEEL&METALLURGY JANUARY 2012

49

I
. . . . . .
.

SPECIAL FEATURE

Topscan camera Radar Stockline Recorder

. MechanicalStocklineRecorder . Stack Pressure 'Hoogovens' design

Tuyere Cooling water Flow low pressure

..
~

. Tuyere Coolingwater Flow high pressure

Top Pressure Taphole Thermocouples Tuyere CoolingWater Temperature
Figure 20: State of the art blast furnace control room

. SkinFlow
Under Tuyere temperature

The data are processed in a Level 2 control system. It is advised to implement a modular approach with dedicated modules individually designed to be of optimum benefit to the operations of that specific area. Each module should be designed specifically for the operator in mind, using the experience of current and previous operators with a combination of centuries of experience to capture the very best of the relevant information and present it in the most useful format. Although the modules are area-specific, there is of course an overlap between areas, and where this occurs the information is shared as much as possible to give the relevant and timely information to the operator. A modern configuration is illustrated in Figure 21. The Operator Advisory and Control System (OACS) for the Blast Furnace is continuously improved. The OACS is an integrated part of a modern Level II system and is capable of identifying process deviations at a very early stage. It is also designed to compare historical and calculated data in order to avoid major and costly incidents. The system

Figure 21: Typical Level 2 system configuration

advises and gives guidance to operators and process operators to help in taking the correct actions to keep the furnace operating in the most optimum and economicway. .
Conclusions

high conductive micropore semigraphite (ultra micropore carbon), external hearth shell jacket cooling, bottom water cooling;

Low-cost hot metal requires high productivity stable process and operations, low coke and high oxygen enrichment and fuel injection rates;

Bosh, belly and stack designs including machined copper plate coolers, graphite and SiC refractory have demonstrated to enable lowcost hot metal; Upper stack and throat armor cast iron stave coolers enable long campaigns; Advanced instrumentation and control secure appropriate process and operations control and monitoring of the lining performance..

Low-cost hot metal requires a stable blast furnace profile and 20 year stable lining performance;
Modern blast furnace designs include state-of-the-art bottom and hearth refractory grades including

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STEEL&METALLURGY JANUARY 2012