Conveners
Blast Furnace Process Optimization & Control
- Gert Nilson (Jernkontoret)
Blast Furnace Process Optimization & Control
- Davide Mombelli (Politecnico di Milano - Dipartimento di Meccanica)
Description
1.3.1
Despite being the largest emitter of CO2 in the steel industry, the blast furnace (BF) process remains dominant due to its high productivity, cost-effectiveness and flexibility in ore usage. Still, with the proliferation of policies geared towards curbing CO2 emissions, the BF process must transition towards operation with lower emissions. In that context, Paul Wurth S.A. has unveiled...
The position of the cohesive zone (CZ) in a blast furnace significantly impacts process efficiency and stability. A lower cohesive zone increases dry burden volume, promoting indirect reduction of iron ore and improving energy efficiency. However, excessive downward movement reduces the distance to the dead man, leading to operational instability, irregular gas flow distribution, unsteady coke...
This paper examines the unprecedented achievements of Tata Steel's H-Blast Furnace at Jamshedpur, which has surpassed 50 million tons of hot metal production in the present campaign (as of January 8, 2025), without requiring major mid-campaign repairs. Commissioned in 2008, the furnace has consistently exceeded its designed by more than 20% annually, establishing new benchmarks in operational...
Blast furnaces are a key lever for reducing the CO2 emissions of the steel industry. This paper will review the available technologies and best practice for blast furnaces and the effect they can have on reducing CO2 emissions. The OPEX and CAPEX costs and benefits will be discussed, with a view to identifying the “low hanging fruit” for steelmakers to implement. These options will include...
The blast furnace process for Ironmaking is highly optimised and very energy efficient. At the same time due to its dependency on coke, not only as an energy carrier but also as a chemical reductant and provider of gas permeability, it is responsible for high CO2 emissions. Consequently, steel producers search for operation modes, e.g. such as increased share of hydrogen based reduction, to...
The effective operation of hot stoves is critical to profitable blast furnace ironmaking. High hot blast temperatures and stable stove operation enable consistent metal production at low cost. Conversely, damage and operational disruptions affect process efficiency, iron quality, and downstream activities. While it is important to address damage expeditiously, comprehensive repairs are...
Manufacturing steel requires extremely challenging industrial processes. In particular, predicting the exact time instance of opening and closing tap-holes in a blast furnace has a great influence on steel production efficiency and operating cost, in addition to human safety. However, currently predicting the time to open and close tap-holes of the blast furnace still highly relies on manual...
Efficient blast furnace operation is essential for competitive iron and steel production, impacting productivity, hot metal quality, and cost-effectiveness. This paper explores how a combination of integrated automation systems enabled the successful start-up and stable operation of a blast furnace following a relining that included the installation of a bell-less top charging system:
A...
In the present study we implemented a simplified but fast simulation tool to keep track of the liquid fill levels of pig iron and slag inside a blast furnace (BF). It is able to calculate the estimated tapping rates based on only a few mandatory input parameters like the production rate obtained from the currently active charging recipe and the tuyere and topgas pressure levels. The...
This paper presents the Hatch burden distribution model and use cases where the model has been able show blast furnace operators how changes in the burden distribution pattern can help their blast furnace operation. Two cases will be presented, the first to show how the model helps to visualize the impact of the bell less top chute wear on the burden distribution profile. The second to show...
The PyroLIBS system is a next generation technology for pyrometallurgy, capable of continuous and instant measurement of chemical compositions for molten materials. The present paper presents the early results of its first industrial implementation on a blast furnace runner, for continuous hot metal analysis.