Investigation of the Hearth Erosion of WISCO No. 1 Blast Furnace Based on the Numerical Analysis of Iron Flow and Heat Transfer in the Hearth

Abstract

The campaign life of a blast furnace is largely limited by the erosion state of its hearth section. Therefore, the study of hearth erosion is important for blast furnace ironmaking. In this study, the hearth erosion of the WISCO No. 1 blast furnace was investigated in combination with the numerical analysis of the iron flow and heat transfer in the hearth. The distributions of the wall shear stress and the temperature in the hearth were simulated and the hearth sections with high erosion risk were discussed. The hearth lining with higher shear stress is generally located near the taphole region and the 1423 K isotherm is totally located inside the hearth lining structure, with a deeper position in the central part of the hearth bottom. Based on the measurement data from the hearth damage investigation, the erosion state of the hearth bottom and the lower part of the hearth sidewall is more serious. The erosion line at the hearth bottom showed a typical “pot-bottom” shaped contour and for the hearth corner section, the average erosion depth was about 1/3 of the total wall thickness. The empirical expressions between the hearth erosion depth and the wall shear stress and the temperature were established. Moreover, the effects of key iron tapping factors on the wall shear stress and the effect of the hearth’s refractory structure on the heat transfer in the hearth are respectively discussed, aiming to provide more suggestions for hearth protection.