New concepts and designs for blast furnace linings and cooling systems
- Davy International, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
In the 1960`s, concurrent with major technological developments in blast furnace operation, cooling became increasingly important in extending furnace campaign life. Cooling systems developed from simple shower spray and jacket types, to intensive plate and stave systems. Each system has advantages and disadvantages. The principal furnace cooling areas are: underhearth (which has ceased to be a cause of premature end of a furnace campaign); and shell cooling using plates, staves and refractories. Plate coolers, a traditional method of furnace cooling, have developed through the years. Current designs for critical locations in the furnace include double chamber and 6-pass, single chamber copper castings. Their disadvantage is the requirement for large apertures in the furnace shell for installation that complicates the design of the shell. Stave coolers, designed to give protection to the furnace shell, even if the refractory is lost, provide more uniform cooling compared with plate coolers and extract less heat from the furnace. Although damaged stave coolers are difficult to replace, an increasing number of plants are adopting this method of cooling. There are four main types of cooling water circuits: once-through; open recirculating; evaporative; and closed loop. Greatest control of fouling, micro biological and scaling conditions is provided by a closed-loop system. The lining of a blast furnace requires a wider range of refractories than any other process in iron and steelmaking. A recent example includes the application of the following materials: micropore carbon in the hearth wall; silicon carbide in the bosh, belly and lower stack; 65% alumina in the mid-stack; and staves in the upper stack.
- OSTI ID:
- 367896
- Journal Information:
- Iron and Steel Engineer, Vol. 73, Issue 8; Other Information: PBD: Aug 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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